Town 3-0 Charlton - Match Report Tuesday, 30th Dec 2014 22:09 Tommy Smith, Daryl Murphy and David McGoldrick were on target as the Blues beat Charlton 3-0 at Portman Road to claim their first double of the season. Smith put Town in front in the 31st minute, Murphy added the second just before the hour and McGoldrick, who earlier had hit both posts and the bar, netted the third in the final minute. Town boss Mick McCarthy named an unchanged side for the third game running, however, left-back Tyrone Mings was back in the squad and on the bench in place of Matt Clarke. Charlton were forced into a late change when defender Oguchi Onyewu suffered a knock in the warm-up and was replaced by Joseph Gomez. Many in the crowd won’t have realised with the Portman Road PA out of action. Youngster Terell Thomas was added to the bench. The visitors created the first opening of the game in the first minute when Johann Berg Gudmundsson crossed from the right and Jordan Cousins hit the side-netting from a very tight angle on the left. But it was soon the Blues putting the Addicks under pressure. A Daryl Murphy shot deflected wide, then from the corner Tommy Smith looped a header into Charlton keeper Neil Etheridge’s arms. On eight, Murphy was fouled by Andre Bikey just outside the area to the right. David McGoldrick curled the freekick against Etheridge’s left post and rather fortunately to a Charlton defender, who cleared. Gudmundsson curled a 20-yard shot just past Bartosz Bialkowski’s right post in the 18th minute with the keeper scrambling across his area, but in the main Town were continuing to present the greater threat. McGoldrick was almost handed a chance in the 23rd minute after Paul Anderson had crossed from the left and the ball was half-cleared to the edge of the area but just beyond the Blues striker, who a minute later dragged a left-foot shot wide from the edge of the box. The Blues continued to push for the opening goal. On 31 Anderson’s dangerous right-wing cross was turned behind at the near post and from the corner a Charlton boot just prevented Christophe Berra from adding a final touch to skipper Luke Chambers’s header. And from the resultant flag-kick the Blues went in front. Chambers nodded down Jay Tabb’s ball in from the left, Murphy mis-hit a shot which found Tommy Smith, who hooked into the roof of the net from close range. The Addicks threatened to get back on terms in the 38th minute when Cousins played George Tucudean through on goal but Bialkowski was off his line quickly to block. Gudmundsson’s looping follow-up was headed off the line by Berra. Moments later, with the visitors beginning to look more dangerous, Chris Solley crossed from the right and Tucudean turned the ball well over when he ought to have done better. As the game moved into injury time McGoldrick hit the post for a second time from a freekick. This time the striker curled a shot on to the left post, off the back of the diving Etheridge and wide. Soon after, the whistle went to warm applause from the biggest home crowd of the season, 26,157, happy with their side’s first-half display and 1-0 half-time lead. The Blues had been on top for the most part and had deserved their lead when it came via Tommy Smith’s second goal in two games. Town taking the lead saw Charlton start to play with less restraint and threatened on a couple of occasions, while McGoldrick was hugely unlucky not to have scored with at least one of his excellent freekicks. The sides took to the field for the second half to cricket-like applause with the PA still silent. Five minutes after the restart Gudmundsson turned Bishop midway inside the Town half and brought the ball forward before hitting a low shot straight at Bialkowski. Town, who had started the second half rather slowly, were caught on the break in the 50th minute, Gudmundsson feeding Tucudean but Berra got back to superbly dispossess the Romanian. A minute later, McGoldrick was yellow-carded for a wild lunge at Gomez. Addicks skipper Johnnie Jackson headed Tucudean’s right-wing cross over at the far post in the 57th minute with the visitors continuing to have the better of the second period. But just before the hour the Blues increased their lead. Following a Tabb corner on the left, the ball reached Anderson on the right, just outside the area. The winger smashed a low ball into the area, Chambers flicked it on and McGoldrick dived to nod, almost unbelievably, against the bar but Murphy was on hand to head home his 17th goal of the season. The goal had come against the run of play since the break, but Town were soon looking for a third, Tabb cleverly playing in McGoldrick, who hit his shot well over. The Blues’ number 10 deserved a goal for his overall performance and having claimed an unusual hat-trick by hitting both posts and the bar. Bialkowski saved from Gudmundsson at his near post on 65, then from the corner Jackson flicked a header across the Town six-yard box but with no one able to add the final touch. On 70 Stephen Hunt replaced Anderson, while Charlton introduced Frederic Bulot for Jackson. Teddy Bishop shot well over after a Hunt corner had been cleared to him on the edge of the box in the 78th minute with Town’s lead looking in little danger. For Charlton, Vetokele headed well over from a cross from the right. Smith was booked for a foul on Vetokele in the 82nd minute and from the freekick Berra cleared after the Angolan international striker had knocked the ball back across the six-yard box. Two minutes later, Kevin Bru replaced Bishop, then Tucudean was booked for a dive inside the Blues box. In the final minute of scheduled time McGoldrick finally got the goal his performance had deserved, his first from open play since November 1st. Murphy turned the ball into his strike partner’s path and McGoldrick flicked it past Etheridge and into the net for his seventh of the season. With the game over as a contest, Charlton heads dropped and the Blues went looking for more goals, Tal Ben Haim doing well to get in ahead of McGoldrick from Murphy’s left-sided cross. McGoldrick should have made it 4-0 moments later when he tricked his way past a defender and into the area but scuffed his chip at Etheridge. The Blues striker got to the loose ball and cut it back to Bru but his low shot was blocked. Noel Hunt replaced McGoldrick for the final moments and wasn’t far from repeating his dramatic late goal at the Valley a month ago when he flicked a header just wide. Soon after Town’s ninth home victory of the season was confirmed by the referee’s whistle. The second-placed Blues - who were being watched by their biggest home crowd in almost four years - were well worth the win, which sees them move a point behind leaders Bournemouth, although it was mostly a case of winning a battle rather than playing fluent football. Having established their lead in the first half, they repelled Charlton’s brief fightback after the break and once Murphy had made it 2-0 there was little doubt where the points were going. McGoldrick fully deserved his goal when it came and in the end the scoreline could have been even more comfortable. Third-placed Derby, who are at Portman Road a week on Saturday, beat Leeds 2-0 at home and are two points behind the Blues, who are now unbeaten in 11, having won eight. Before the Rams are in Suffolk, the Blues have the diversion of an FA Cup third round tie at Southampton on Sunday and given their current form, who’s to say they won’t pull off an upset? Town: Bialkowski, Chambers, Smith, Berra, Parr, Skuse, Tabb, Bishop (Bru 84), Anderson (S Hunt 70), Murphy, McGoldrick. Unused: Gerken, Ming, Ambrose, N Hunt, Sammon. Charlton: Etheridge, Gomez, Bikey, Ben Haim, Solly, Gudmundsson, Buyens, Jackson (Bulot 70), Cousins, Vetokele, Tucudean. Unused: Pope, Wilson, Fox, Pigott, Thomas, Ahearne-Grant. Referee: Christopher Kavanagh (Lancashire). Att: 26,157 (Charlton: 1,023)
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