Charlton keepers after Bartram

After last week's article on Sam Bartram, I look at Charlton goalkeepers after Sam Bartram, starting with Eddie Marsh and selecting Dean Kiely as the one I rank alongside Bartram: https://retrocharlton.blogspot.com/2021/06/they-also-kept-goal.html

Kiely gets international role

Former Charlton keeper Dean Kiely is to be the goalkeeping coach for Ireland's international squad: https://www.fai.ie/ireland/news/dean-kiely-appointed-to-ireland-goalkeeper-coach-role 

Apart from Sam Bartram, Deano is my favourite all time Charlton keeper.   His parents lived half a mile down the road from me and we had a good chat once at Leamington where his son was keeper for a while.

We will overlook his current role with Crystal Palace!

Dean Kiely talks about his time at Charlton

Dean Kiely has give an extensive and very interesting interview about his time with the Addicks He is clearly unhappy about the way in which he left the club and his treatment by Alan Curbishley. He is full of praise for former chief executive Peter Varney in terms of his arrival and departure: Deano pulls no punches

With Curbs knowing he was leaving Charlton at the end of the season, Deano thinks that his treatment of him was 'quite flippant'.

He ranks alongside Sam Bartram in my estimation and that is saying something.

Deano targeted by Glaziers

Former Charlton keeper Dean Kiely is in the frame to be goalkeeping coach at Crystal Palace. He is currently at Preston North End, but worked with Roy Hodgson at West Bromwich Albion: Set to join backroom staff

The news has now been confirmed by Preston North End: On way to Sainsbury's

Disrespectful Sheffield Wednesday fans have suggested that the above picture captures the arrival of Katrien Meire in the directors' car park.

Remembering a key victory at Walsall

Charlton were away at Walsall on 7th March 2000. A fan recalls, 'That was a great game in the championship. Charlton on the way to promotion under Curbs. How different the atmosphere around the club is now.'

So many Charlton legends played. My match report was as follows: 'Sack the Board.This was the final ironic chant of jubilant Addicks at the Bescot Stadium after a 4-2 win over Walsall gave Charlton 12 league wins in a row and put them 12 points clear at the top of the table. Indeed, around four hundred Walsall fans demonstrated afterwards using the same chant with real feeling.

Charlton had gone 1-0 down after Graham Stuart had conceded a penalty which Dean Kiely was unable to save. However, two goals from Andy Hunt and one from Mark Kinsella put them 3-1 ahead by half time. The Saddlers came out determined to be reseated in the second half and eventually made it 3-2. But Mark Kinsella replied almost immediately to make the final score 4-2.

I have rarely heard the Addickted in such good voice as they were at Walsall. Waiting for our train in the concrete wastes of Birmingham New Street, we suddenly heard a spirited and loud rendition of Valley Floyd Road. On arriving at the ground, we were astonished to learn from the programme that in fact Grimsby were playing Walsall, but a hastily xeroxed insert apologised for the mistake. We were equally astonished to find that the home of Rushden and Diamonds at Nene Park is more luxurious and has larger stands.

We found ourselves among a group from the Covered End, Block E who quickly launched into a whole range of Charlton songs dedicated to different players such as 'Stevie Brown, he won't let you down.' Later, a row did break out between (male and female) Covered Enders about whether the 'South London' song was sexist. However, a great barrage of noise was kept up throughout the match. There were some hilarious moments such as when a very horizontally challenged lady St.John's Ambulance worker went past who was embraced by a bare chested and also horizontally challenged Addick to a chorus of 'who ate all the pies?'

It was all too much for the Saddlers: one cloth capped local gesticulated in despair. I have never seen home fans leave a match so early. The Walsall area used to be known for its skill in the old craft of pattern making and it was Walsall rather than Charlton who imposed a pattern on the early part of the game as the visitors had to remind themselves that the nature of the stadium did not mean that they were playing in the San Siro at Welling. Robbo got down the wing on six minutes and put in a cross that went straight into the hands of the vertically challenged keeper. Ricketts was the nearest thing Walsall had to a danger man and made up in determination for what he lacked in skill and Deano had to save from him on ten minutes. Robbo decided to have a run on goal, but it predictably came to nothing.

The Saddlers showed that they meant business with a shot from Wrack that went just wide on seventeen minutes. Charlton then conceded an odd corner as a result of a long clearance by the somewhat unsettled Kinsella who had already given the ball away once. Kiely had no difficult in collecting the ball straight from the corner kick. Then disaster struck. Stuart put in a tackle on a ball which was either going out of play or at worst would have produced a corner. The referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot and it has to be said that he was right to do so. Robins took the kick for the Saddlers and although Deano managed to touch the ball with his foot it ended up in the back of the net. Looking rueful, he was probably wishing that the Evening Standard had not chosen to focus on his chance of a club clean sheet record.

Charlton were soon back in it, however. A minute later Robbo put in a cross to the man up front Andy Hunt who out jumped Viveash to put the ball in the back of the net. Eight minutes later Robbo did a repeat with another cross for a Hunt header unchallenged by the porous Walsall defence. Then in time added on Newts put in a great ball to Kinsella which he drove into the back of the net. 3-1 to the Londoners.

Walsall won an early corner in the second half and drew a good save from Dean Kiely. Then a few minutes into the half they had a goal ruled offside. They were certainly looking determined, however, while Charlton seemed to be prepared to sit back more. Shaun Newton did, however, burst through and tried a shot for once. Unfortunately, it went straight at the keeper who was not able to keep hold of it but then save for a second time. Walsall continued to push forward and were given plenty of space by an unusually lax Addicks defence. Kiely had to punch one ball out, thankfully forcefully. Matias shot wide after a rare error by Steve Brown had allowed him to advance. Ricketts got in a one-on-one with Kiely on 59 minutes, but Warwick's finest diverted the shot on to the post and then scrambled to save it. A Walsall free kick was headed off the line, apparently by Barness.

However, a goal for the home side was looking increasingly likely and it came after two Walsall corners in succession. From the second on 65 minutes Vlachos used the ball from Matias to put in a downward heaver. Resilient as ever, Charlton swept down the other end from the re-start. Kinsella picked up a loose ball in the area and put it decisively into the back of the net.

At 4-2 to the Londoners, it looked unlikely that the Saddlers could gallop back in, but Tiler was brought on in place of Stuart to strengthen the defence. Murmurs of 'Pringle' began to be heard from the faithful and shortly before the half hour he was brought on in place of Svensson. Inevitably, he missed a chance to score from a few yards out, having been played in by Newts. There have been contrasting accounts of what happened, but it looked to me as if the keeper made some kind of interception before the ball hit the post. There was one final scare when Walsall were given a free kick within shooting distance, but the ball was easily cleared. The ref wanted to keep play going for as long as possible, but we eventually made the train. While waiting on the platform, a great cheer went up when it was learnt that the Spanners had lost at home to Scunthorpe, prompting a chorus of 'We hate Millwall' to the bemusement of the good folk of the Black Country.

It was an exciting and enjoyable game, although certainly not Charlton at their best. Walsall were given too much space to exercise their admittedly limited skills. But a win is a win, even in a Conference style stadium nestling under a motorway. I was surprised to read on the list that our supporters have been quiet. They were certainly noisy where I was and people seemed to be in a mood to relax and enjoy our continuing progress. I found that I was still hoarse when I started to lecture at 9 the next morning.

Controversial match analyst Bob the Dog felt it necessary to take a walk while he cogitated on the choice of the award of the Silver Bone. John Robinson was one possible candidate, but he had already got the official Man of the Match award. Much improved Anthony Barness was also a possibility. In the end, the wily canine decided to award the Silver Bone to manager Alan Curbishley. Tuesday night was another great team effort by Charlton and it is a team assembled and coached by Curbs. As the usually modest and cautious Curbishley said after the match, 'twelve wins on the spin is a fantastic achievement.' One person on the list has started a 'Curbs must go' campaign which seems incredible when the team is twelve points ahead at the top of the division. Curbs has his faults, we all do, but the time had come to recognise his achievements.

Dean Kiely did not keep a clean sheet, but apart from one rush out of goal, he had another good game. He is on Bob's short list for Player of the Year. Chris Powell had another excellent game and was a contender for the Silver Bone. Incredibly, my notes contain remarks as 'good header by Barness to Kinsella' and 'Barness cleared off the line'. Credit where credit is due, Barney has made great strides since rejoining the team. Rufus made some key interventions once again. Steve Brown was as dependable as ever. Newts provided a superb assist for Kinsella to score, although he could have made more of his own chance to score. Stuart did not have his best game before conceding the penalty and seemed unsettled afterwards. My notes for the first half contain a couple of references to Kinsella losing possession in potentially dangerous situations, often by failing to take the safe option rather than the clever one, but all that is cancelled out by his two goals.

There had been fears that Robbo might not play because of an ankle injury, but there he was fizzing away and providing two great assists for Andy Hunt to score. Another two goals from the league's leading scorer Andy Hunt . What more can one say? I thought that Svensson gave his all again, but he lacks that something special one finds in a player like Clive Mendonca. Curiously enough, I think that Martin Pringle has something special. The anti-Pringle camp's views will have been reinforced by another failure to score, but he causes havoc among opposition defences. And before any one compares him with Carl Leaburn, let me say that the lanky Swede is a far more skilled if unpredictable player. Tiler did a solid job when he came on and will be a worthy replacement for Rufus at Maine Road.

Juneau the Soccer Cat has given her Hiss of the Match for the first time ever to the stadium which she regards as unfit for a pedigree puss to frequent.

88-year old record comes to an end

It was always a risk of relying on our 88-year old record of not being beaten by Gillingham in the league. Charlton went down 1-0 at Priestfield this afternoon and are now 6th in the table.

The home defeat to Wigan was excusable, but failing to even get a point from the bottom club is far more worrying. It calls into question the narrative of the club having turned a corner. Charlton made Gillingham look good.

A further blow was that Ricky Holmes needlessly picked up a fifth yellow card in the nine minutes added on and will now be suspended. Referee Graham Salisbury subsequently apologised for giving the yellow card as all Holmes did was to throw the ball down on the ground to where the free kick was to be taken. He will still miss next Saturday's game against Bury: Referee's apology

The stats would seem to suggest that Charlton had the upper hand with 54 per cent of the possession. They had 23 shots on goal to nine for Gillingham and of those twelve were on target as against five for the hosts. The Addicks had eight to corners to two, but those they did have seemed to be cleared very easily. One needs chances, but one also needs to take them and get the ball in the back of the net.

The luxury away end at Priestfield was sold out with 2,358 Addicks present. They had to queue for some time to get in and then some had to stand in the aisles and gangways. Given what they then watched on the pitch, it was perhaps not a great surprise that three smoke bombs were thrown on the pitch towards the end of normal time. I am not advocating such action, but it reflects a deep sense of frustration.

On four minutes Holmes put in a cross to Magennis but he fired straight at the keeper, setting the scene for much of what was to follow.

On 12 minutes the home side got a free kick on the edge of the box. It rebounded off the bar and was headed in, but was ruled to be offside. Nevertheless, Sky and other websites had the score as 1-0 to Gillingham for some time, causing confusion among absent Addicks.

Ehmer received a yellow card for a foul on Holmes and this was followed by a booking for O'Neill. The Gills keeper Holy seemed to be leading a charmed life and was really man of the match. A volley from Clarke was blocked, and he put it straight back at the keeper from 25 yards.

There was a penalty shout on 40 minutes after Fosu got hacked down, but a corner was awarded. Further analysis suggested that the Gills had got the ball through Fosu's legs. Kashi got a yellow card for a foul on Byrne. Wagstaff was down for some time and had to be replaced by Parker.

HT: Gills 0, Addicks 0

After a Charlton corner, a Gillingham break saw Amos deal well with a dangerous cross with Eaves lurking. Magennis put in a shot from six yards out, but the keeper saved.

On Tuesday night, I thought that we were vulnerable on our right, although I wasn't sure why. This proved to be the case again with the Gills breaking through down their left, allowing Eaves to score from close range on 54 minutes. It's all very well saying it was against the run of play, but Gillingham seized an opportunity which Charlton had failed to do.

And so it went on. Clarke was hauled down on the edge of the box, but Holmes was not able to make anything of the opportunity and put the ball wide. Fosu was replaced by Dodoo on 68 minutes, but the substitution hardly made Charlton hearts beat faster. Indeed, Dodoo's main contribution seems to have been a tame shot from 25 yards out on 76 minutes.

In the meantime, Bauer had come close to scoring with a header, but his effort was cleared off the line by Byrne. Karl Robinson then made his last throw of the dice, taking off the unimpressive Forster-Caskey and the more impressive Clarke. Konsa came on, as did Ahearne-Grant. Unfortunately, the youngster's best is not good enough for League One. We simply don't have enough firepower up front. Indeed, it was Konsa who provided more of a threat with Holy having to deny him from point blank range on 88 minutes.

The keeper got a yellow card for time wasting. Magennis fired at the keeper on 89 minutes. Charlton matches usually go on well after 5, and nine minutes were added on. However, one could have added ninety minutes on and the Addicks wouldn't have scored. Holmes got an avoidable yellow card for bouncing the ball in frustration when a free kick was awarded against Magennis. Pearce put the ball into the side netting.

The report from Louis Mendez can be found here: Robinson will be deflated

Two pieces of good news about former Charlton players. Legend Dean Kiely has been appointed goalkeeping coach at Preston North End. Nick Pope made some superb saves to ensure that Burnley got a point from their fixture at Liverpool.

Indeed, two former Charlton keepers were interviewed on Match of the Day. Pope praised the team spirit at Burnley, while Newcastle's Rob Elliot also appeared, having made an excellent save against Stoke.

Also there is the Legends United match tomorrow to look forward to. Perhaps, as Louis Mendez has suggested, Ricky Holmes could serve out his suspension there.

Bury boss calls for element of realism

Bury boss Richie Barker evidently thinks his side won't have an easy ride against the Addicks tomorrow at Gigg Lane even though the Shakers are 6th in the table.   He said of Charlton, 'They're a good side and probably one of the favourites to win the league.  There has to be an element of realism again as we're playing against Charlton Athletic.'

One element of realism is that our record is none too good against Bury.   Of sixteen games we have played against them, they have won eight, we have four and four have been drawn.   The last time we played them was in 1997-8 when both matches ended in goallless draws.

I still remember my sense of disappointment at The Valley result in a season when our promise was eventually fulfilled.   Bury turned up as a big northern side determined to close us down and they did.  They were greatly helped by their goalkeeper, Dean Kiely, whose merits became apparent to Curbs if they weren't already were.

36-year old Scouser Barker was brought in as manager a temporary measure last season after Alan Knill departed for Scunthorpe.   He proved himself by clinching six straight wins putting the club in the runners up spot and into League One for the first time in nine years.   It's just as well he did as Iain Dowie was waiting in the wings to take over and we all know what the curse of Dowie means.

A key player is striker Ryan Lowe who has scored six goals in as many games following up on 27 last season.   There were fears he would leave over the summer but the League 2 player of the year has stayed put.  

Goalkeeper Cameron Belford is something of a fans' favourite.  The 22-year old started his career in the Coventry City academy and kept his cool when he was punched in a pitch invasion at Chesterfield last season.

Bury have signed Ashley Eastham on a loan deal from Blackpool after central defender Mark Hughes picked up a hamstring injury: http://www.skysports.com/football/match_preview/0,19764,11065_3407371,00.html

Four Four Two have them finishing bottom while The Times put them at 19th.   They have come out of the traps well, but one question is whether they can sustain themselves over the season with a relatively small squad.

Bury fans are saying they will edge the match but Charlton have been playing well and their confidence will be boosted by the Reading win even if relatively few of the participants appear tomorrow (but hopefully Danny Green will).   I am going for a 2-2 draw.

The Radio Scilly sports show returns tomorrow (Saturday) from 10 to 11 hosted by Mark Twynham and I will be contributing.