‘We’re great to watch this season,’ we assured our non-Rovers supporting companion in the pub pre-match. Three hours later the poor sod must’ve been wondering what possible horrors we had inflicted on us last season for this to be considered great watching.
Rovers started brightly and were on top for the opening quarter of an hour. But that was it. Perhaps unfortunate that the two better chances of our good spell fell at the feet of Niall Mason, the momentum soon fizzled out.
At the other end, the defence looked vulnerable; Tom Anderson is no Joe Wright and whilst decent in the air, when the ball is on the ground he looks completely unsure where his limbs end. Watching him is so heart in mouth, you risk catching a ventricle in your teeth.
Capitalising on our failings Charlton rattled in two goals before the break. The first from a corner; which Joe Aribo glanced against the bar, before reacting quickest to drill home the loose ball. The second from a cross from the left which gave Karlan Grant a free header five yards out that Marko Marosi could only push into the roof of the net.
Half-time brought both the removal of James Coppinger, and of hope; leaving the away end so flat you could’ve slipped all 600 of us under a door. Late in the half Herbie Kane wriggled away from three home players; only for John Marquis to toe-end his pass into his own face; it spoke volumes.
by Glen Wilson
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