Charlton seize on slips in six-goal thriller
ROCHDALE rediscovered their attacking mojo against Charlton on Saturday – however, their dazzling display was combined with individual defensive errors which undermined their bid for three points.
Dale were the superior side in the first half, scoring through Niall Canavan in the fourth minute. But they went into the break 1-1 and fell 2-1 behind midway through the second half.
The home side turned that deficit on its head with goals from Calvin Andrew and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, whose 83rd minute strike appeared to have clinched the win.
But Charlton refused to buckle and benefited from generous defending in the 89th minute to secure a point.
“It was a difficult game to judge, it was a rollercoaster and I thought we showed great intent to score goals but we left our defensive brain behind when it came to set-plays and one mistake in the first half which cost us because I thought we were far superior in the first half,” said Dale chief Keith Hill.
“They had one or two counter attacking opportunties, but that was because we were too anxious to get the ball in and score the goals. We left a few doors open.”
Callum Camps came back into starting line-up after a two-game rest with Oliver Rathbone dropping to the bench, while Donal McDermott came in as part of the front three, meaning Harrison McGahey dropped out and Joe Rafferty switched to right-back.
The visitors had the first chance of the game when Ricky Holmes seized upon a poor clearance from Canavan, who reovered by blocking his shot and then got in the way of Tony Watt’s follow up attempt.
Dale’s welcome first goal in five games arrived with just four minutes on the clock. McDermott’s delivery into the six yard area forced Declan Rudd to catch ball at an uncomfortably high angle and with Andrew looming menacingly the Addicks goalkeeper spilled the ball, Canavan applying the simplest of finishes from two yards.
Joe Thompson met a McDermott corner within a minute and his header had the beating of Rudd only to be hacked off the goalline by Ezri Konsa, the rebound striking Andrew and flying goalward but Rudd was alert enough on that occasion to safely gather.
Josh Magennis worked Ben Wilson with a firm, curling drive in the 14th minute before racing through for a one-on-one with the goalkeeper, the Dale man winning the battle of nerve and diverting the striker’s shot wide with an outstretched leg.
Camps and Rafferty worked an opening for McDermott, whose dipping effort had Rudd backpeddling to push over the top, while the goalkeeper was down quickly from the resulting corner to save Camps’ drive from distance.
Rudd pulled off a terrific save to deny Andrew when the striker met Camps’ free kick, the Charlton man flying full stretch to his left to tip the ball wide of the upright.
Charlton enjoyed a slice of luck which paved the way to their equaliser in the 42nd minute.
Keith Keane slipped as he attempted to head the ball clear of Botaka, losing his footing just as he was about to connect with the ball and managing only to head it against his opponent.
The loose ball sent Botaka clean through on goal and though his initial shot struck the post, he converted the chance at the second time of asking.
The second half took some time to ignite, Reuben Noble-Lazarus, on for Mark Kitching, sending a stinging 35 yarder narrowly over the top in the 62nd minute.
But it was Stephy Mavididi who lit up the afternoon gloom with a dazzling, slaloming run from deep inside his own half, drifting round one player after another. Though his eventual shot was saved by Wilson, Charlton scored from the corner, Jorge Teixeira meeting Patrick Bauer’s header in the six-yard area and forcing the ball across the goalline from close range.
Dale were level within three minutes. Henderson had time on the left to spot the run of Andrew, arriving at the back post with a real head of steam. There was no stopping the big man as he raced ahead of his marker and powered a header into the net.
Andrew went within a whisker of his second goal when he crashed a shot against the crossbar but Dale’s push for victory appeared to have paid off in the 84th minute when Henderson’s pass along the face of the 18-yard line found substitute MendezLaing and he curled a firm, side-footed effort wide of Rudd and into the bottom corner of the net.
But five minutes later Teixeira repeated his earlier trick at another setpiece, converting from close range to ensure the visitors a share of the spoils.
‘We showed great intent to score goals but we left our defensive brain behind at set-plays’
Wilson, Rafferty, Canavan, Keane, Kitching (Noble-Lazarus, 57), Camps, Allen, Thompson (MendezLaing, 76), McDermott (Rathbone, 63), Andrew, Henderson. Subs not used: McNulty, McGahey, Logan, Cannon
Rudd, Botaka (Novak, 78), Crofts, Solly, Magennis, Watt (Mavididi, 63), Konsa (Teixeira, 27), Holmes, Bauer, Page, Forster-Caskey. Subs not used: Dasilva, Aribo, Phillips, Jackson
W Smallwood 2,842