Bowyer's disappointment

Shell shocked supremo Lee Bowyer has admitted that Charlton did not really play against Oxford United. The U's game plan of disrupting Charlton worked: Not good enough

A more experienced manager might have found a way of dealing with that and he does have a Curbishley like habit of leaving his substitutions too late.

Bowyer argued that play should have been stopped for the head injury to Josh Cullen before the Oxford goal. All round, it seems to have been a poor refereeing performance, although we benefitted from a rather soft penalty.

Richard Cawley has an interesting interview with Karl Robinson in which the loquacious Liverpudlian admits that he has calmed down a lot. Before coming to Charlton, he did not realise how strong the club's roots were in the community. He thinks that Lee Bowyer and Johnnie Jackson are Charlton through and through and great for the club: Perfect fit

I had this game down as a draw on CAFC Picks and a loss on the Badger League, so I am not really surprised. Even so, we should be beating teams like Oxford if we want more than mid-table mediocrity.

Travel to a mid-week game for me relies on four transport links. I need the car to get to the station (I could get a bus, but that would mean a taxi when I get back after midnight which is expensive). Then Deustche Bahn to Marylebone, tube to North Greenwich and bus to The Valley. The tricky part is coming back when I need South-Eastern to get me to Charing Cross. Once or twice I have missed the 23.07 to Leamington and had to pay £40 for a taxi from Banbury.

Yesterday I was also set to go, sarnies packed and the car wouldn't start. The AA were there quickly but the patrolman had to more or less dismantle the engine, so I couldn't make it. Looks like a blessing in disguise.