Charlton back on track after three game 'blip'

Game after game Charlton have spurned chances - and Iwelumo was far from the only culprit - and when fellow striker Svetoslav Todorov was ruled out for the rest of the season last month it seemed a formality that Alan Pardew would be on the look-out for a new striker come the January transfer window.
Despite Iwelumo's last-gasp winner at Southampton last Saturday (November 3), it was a similar story for much of the match at Ashton Gate on Tuesday (November 6), with both Iwelumo and Zheng Zhi guilty of misses.
But with just 30 seconds left on the clock, Iwelumo proved his worth again with another thumping header and the Charlton boss was quick to pay tribute to his big striker.
"I thought Chris's hold-up play and some of his runs in behind worked well for us tonight, particularly in the first half," said Pardew. "We stayed with our system and got our reward at the end with another finish from Iwelumo. He's carrying so many injuries but he got up well to finish it."
The Addicks now sit fourth in the Championship, having inflicted home defeats on two rivals with realistic ambitions of finishing in the top six, and went some way to redressing the damage done over the past month.
Every team will go through a bad patch at some point in the season and, while Charlton's hopes of catching league leaders Watford already appear slim, if that run of just one point from four games was theirs, the Addicks may have escaped lightly.
"The three defeats put in perspective that you do get blips in this division; we lost three in a week and now we have got the potential of winning three in a week," said Pardew.
"That's what the Championship is about. It's about recovering quickly from setbacks; and it was a big setback for us but the response has been terrific."
After his recent tinkering with the balance of the team, Pardew reverted to a more solid-looking formation for these two priceless victories. Luke Varney dropped to the bench while Iwelumo was deployed as a lone striker, with the recalled Jerome Thomas and Lloyd Sam providing width.
French youngster Thierry Racon was handed his first league start of the season to replace the suspended Jose Semedo, who was dismissed after just 36 minutes against Southampton for two bookable offences, while academy product Grant Basey continued at left-back.
The presence of a holding midfielder meant the likes of Zhi and captain Andy Reid - who was outstanding in both games - were able to push forward from midfield to support Iwelumo. That paid off at Ashton Gate when Reid managed to control a loose ball from Jonathan Fortune in the last minute, beat two men and whip in the decisive cross for the only goal of the game.
After two away wins and two home defeats on the trot, it may be with mixed feelings that the Addicks prepare for another tough battle this weekend, when they take on Cardiff at The Valley on Saturday (November 10).
The Bluebirds will bring with them another ex-Charlton striker in Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, along with former Liverpool idol Robbie Fowler.
The likes of Kevin Lisbie and Jay Bothroyd have already inflicted damage this season and the Addicks' backline will have to be at its best if they are avoid another unwelcome contribution from an old boy. newsdesk@wharf.co.uk
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