Charlton seen off by rampant barnsley

"I thought it was always going to be difficult," admitted Pardew. "There was no real focus for us.
"The difference between the two sides was that little edge Barnsley had on the game. We lost headers and aerial stuff and that was the difference.

"In this division we have lost too many games in that area and that is something I will address next year."

Aside from another demonstration of Charlton’s inability to defend, however, the match was notable for two reasons.

Firstly, former Charlton trainee Jamal Campbell-Ryce provided another example of how ex-Addicks can come back to haunt their old club.

Pardew’s men have already been on the receiving end acts of revenge by former strikers Kevin Lisbie and Jay Bothroyd this season, and the Barnsley winger – who made just five substitute appearances for Charlton between 2002 and 2004 – made it an unwanted hat-trick by scoring the opening goal on 11 minutes.

On the whole, Pardew failed to come good on his promise to give fringe players a taste of the action but the main plus for the Charlton boss was the performance of Jonjo Shelvey, who made club history by beating Paul Konchesky’s record as the youngest ever first-team player.

The youngster was handed his full debut at the age of just 16 years and 59 days, shaving over a month off the previous record. And he provided Charlton’s best moment of the match when his 32nd minute volley was cleared off the line.

"Jonjo’s performance was a major highlight for us," said Pardew. "We felt he would play well and he didn’t disappoint.

"We need to make sure we protect him now. There is no way he will play week-in week-out next season but, even at such a tender age, he will have a part to play.

"He made us look more attractive, and even though we are disappointed things didn’t work out for us, the boys gave him a ripple afterwards. He didn’t deserve that result for his performance.

"I had a very similar player in Mark Noble at West Ham and Jonjo is of the same quality," added Pardew. "It’s now a case of if he can grasp the mettle and continue climbing up the rungs of the ladder."

In the second half, Pardew also handed a debut to under-18 captain Scott Wagstaff, who has played 38 times this season for the reserves and under-18s and will also be hoping to feature more prominently in the first team next season.

By doing so, Pardew set another club record in the process by using the highest number of players during the course of the season. The total of 38 eclipses the previous score of 36, set during Charlton’s first season in the Football League.

But other than promise for the future and ghosts of the past, this game was one that was best forgotten, as indeed can the season as a whole for Charlton.

Pardew is due to find out the transfer budget for next season and fans will be hoping he uses those funds to address some of the more glaring gaps in the squad.

Central defenders who can deal with the deluge of aerial balls that come their way at this level are a must – illustrated by Jon Macken’s goal for the home side with just five minutes to go – as is a ball-winning central midfielder and a more effective strike foil for Andy Gray than Luke Varney or Chris Iwelumo have proved.

The season may be almost over on the pitch, with just this Saturday’s final fixture against Coventry City – another side that have yet to totally avoid the spectre of relegation – at The Valley to get through. But the hard work for Pardew at any rate is just about to start.