Premiership 2004-2005: Charlton Athletic 2:1 Fulham

Sean O'Conor

The last Premiership game before Christmas saw Charlton Athletic top Fulham 2-1 in a London derby played on a bitterly cold night at the Valley.

The star of the show was Jerome Thomas, a livewire 21-year old winger whom Arsenal rejected. His pace and skill caused the Cottagers problems all evening and he set the Addicks on their way with a goal in the 27th minute.

A second in the 66th from their Moroccan centre-back Talal El-Karkouri was enough to bag the three points for the Addicks, although they should have scored more. Tomas Radzinski, a second-half substitute, pulled one back for Fulham eight minutes from time but the Cottagers did not look like equalising.

The home team began the match lying eighth in the Premiership. Fulham sat six places below and had failed to keep a clean sheet away from home on all but one occasion this season. So it proved tonight.

The first half began slowly with Charlton looking to their young find Jerome Thomas to create some magic from the left-wing. Brian McBride played alongside Andy Cole in the Fulham attack and the visitors started to thread passes via their mercurial French playmaker Steed Malbranque towards their two strikers.

After fifteen minutes Andy Cole netted only to be flagged offside. However whilst Fulham depended on long balls and counter-attacks through the centre, Charlton were using the pitch better, getting their players wide and turning the Fulham defence. Fulham goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar had already saved on the line from Jerome Thomas before Charlton's first goal arrived in the 27th minute. South African Shaun Bartlett sent over a cross from the right-hand corner that looped over the box and landed at the feet of Jerome Thomas who neatly controlled and slotted home.

The Addicks then dominated the rest of the half. Ex-Liverpool man Danny Murphy roamed in front of the Fulham back four to great effect. The Cottagers' only half-chance came in the 32nd minute when Sylvain Legwinski shot from outside the box but Dean Kiely saved comfortably.

The second half saw Charlton resuming control and stopping the visitors getting a grip. In the 63rd minute they almost scored a second. Murphy mesmerised Ian Pearce with a zig-zagging run and but although his curled shot evaded Van der Sar it failed to beat the upright.

Charlton did score three minutes later and Murphy was involved again. His free-kick from the edge of the box was met by the diagonally running El Karkouri, who lost his nearest marker before glancing a header goalwards which Van der Sar could only pat into the net.

Fulham took their North American quota to three as they threw on Canadian striker Radzinski and after Cole hit the side-netting in the 77th minute, the visitors at last got some pay-back. With 8 minutes left on the clock, US striker McBride soared majestically to thump one of his textbook headers goalwards. With Kiely beaten, the ball bounced off Murphy's shins straight to Radsinski a couple of yards out, and the Canadian snapped up the chance.

Fulham's comeback lasted only a couple of minutes and the fans who were expecting a repeat of their last minute equaliser against Manchester United a week earlier were disappointed. Instead it was Charlton who almost bagged a third after a comical misunderstanding between substitute strikers Jason Euell and Francis Jeffers a minute from time saw a cross trickle past both of them with only the goalkeeper to beat.

There was no question who was going to win the man of the match. Jerome Thomas has only played eight games this season but was outstanding tonight. His trickery, low centre of gravity and exquisite footwork implied a cross between Cristiano Ronaldo and Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Indeed, what with Middlesboro's outstanding Stewart Downing and now this youngster, England's left-sided problems do not seem so daunting. Scoring the opener did not hurt his reputation either and when he was substituted the entire stadium, minus the Fulham fans whose team he had just tormented so much, rose to their feet and chanted his name.

At the post match press conference Charlton boss Alan Curbishley stressed the importance of the result for his team who have now won three on the trot, “The three points are so big for us”, he noted, but found himself answering at least half of his questions about only one of his players. “There are a lot of young players getting stifled in the Premiership” he noted, “as Mourinho said, you have two senior players at the top clubs for each position.” Arsenal's loss is definitely Charlton's gain in this case but it did make you think about the dozens of talented youngsters, from England and elsewhere, who languish in the Premiership's reserve ranks.

With this win Charlton moved up to seventh in the Premiership and the lower-half of the top ten seems to have become their natural habitat. In many ways Charlton are the club Fulham are aiming to become. They are realistic about their lack of resources but through had work and perseverance have stabilised themselves as a top-flight team safe from relegation. Charlton like Fulham is a London team who have had more than their fare share of stadium woe, but in this evening's programme flaunted their ambition to convert The Valley into a 40,000 seat arena.

Fulham, however, are hovering four points above the relegation zone and seem unable to find the consistency that Charlton enjoy. To the likeable and dedicated young Welsh manager Chris Coleman's obvious frustration, the players have it in them to compete with the best, and they will need to rekindle that spirit on Boxing Day when they visit Highbury, but continue to trip up against teams who are at their level. “We huffed and we puffed but lacked any sense of urgency in our attack tonight,” complained Coleman afterwards.

“These are massive games to us” he continued, “and I was looking for some sort of reaction when we came out for the 2nd half, but I didn't get one. We were a little bit lacklustre and we missed the opportunity to get a good result, even a draw.”

Coleman seemed resigned to his side's frustrating inconsistency and, pondering Fulham's imminent trip to the Gunners sighed,
“We are capable of going to Arsenal and getting a result, but we're also capable of going to Charlton and getting nothing.”

Charlton: Kiely, Young, El Karkouri, Fortune, Hreidarsson, Rommedahl (Konchesky 83), Kishishev, Holland, Murphy, Thomas (Euell 87), Bartlett (Jeffers 79).
Subs Not Used: Andersen, Hughes.

Fulham: Van der Sar, Rosenior, Rehman, Pearce, Bocanegra, Diop, Legwinski (John 73), Pembridge, Malbranque (Radzinski 63), Cole, McBride.
Subs Not Used: Flitney, Volz, Knight.

Goals: Thomas 27, El Karkouri 66. Radzinski 82
Booked: : Kishishev, Diop, Rosenior
Attendance: 26,108
Conditions: Very cold, clear but with some sleet
Referee: S Bennett (Kent).

Sean O'Conor