Charlton’s 27-game unbeaten run in WSL2 sadly came to an end tonight as the Addicks lost at The Valley to Portsmouth. If a 2-0 can ever be a smash and grab, this was it. Two goals, early on from set pieces, put the writing on the wall, and despite a valiant effort to get back into it, the defeat still came.
The game barely started when Portsmouth took the lead. Three minutes, and when a corner was cut back, then lofted into the box, Sophie Whitehouse could not collect under pressure. The loose ball was then toed over the line by Tia Primmer.
The early goings didn’t get any easier for the Addicks as Pompey scored another just five minutes later as a low free kick, pinned on the left-hand side, snuck in at the front after players ran across to block Whitehouse’s view.
The Addicks slowly started to get back into the game with two good chances just after the 24th minute. Gillian Kenney powered towards the goal, cut in and fired a strong shot that Jessica Gray in goal palmed away. The ball got recycled, and it ended up at Katie Bradley’s feet, but her curled effort just missed the post.
The rest of the first half belonged to Charlton as the pressure mounted on Portsmouth. They sat back, holding onto what they had, and saw out the rest of the half.
The Addicks knew they needed to show up in the second half, and they started brightly, dominating the ball. Two chances came in quick succession as Newsham and Kenney had great efforts that somehow went into the side netting and kept the score as it was.
The pressure kept mounting from the Addicks, with dangerous balls being floated into the box, but nobody was getting on the end of it. A string of substitutions slowed the game down, so for a while, no rhythm could be found, before normal service was resumed with Charlton being dominant.
Rallying cries came from each corner of the pitch as the Addicks believed they could get back into this. A free kick from Hutton just went over the bar late on, and a Bradley cross-come-shot was palmed away. Try as they might, no goals could be found.
The Addicks don’t have time to rest on the defeat as they are back in action on Sunday against Sunderland at The Valley.
Charlton Athletic: Whitehouse, Newsham (Waldie 68), N’Dow (McAteer 55), Bradley, Kenney (Thestrup 65), Fitzgerald, Hutton, Muya (Siber 55), Skeels, Flannery
Subs (not used): Pedersen, Ross, Pearse, Bissell, Lobato
Goals:
Booked: Muya 28 (foul on keeper), Skeels (trip on Humphries)
Portsmouth: Gray, Bull, Coan, Freeland, Shepherd, Woolley (Nixon 59), Primmer (Rowbotham 80), Estcourt, Collins (Humphries 69), Peacock, Milner
Subs (not used): Erhabor, Barker, Younger, Wilding, Hutchings, Sheffield
Goals: Primmer 3, Freeland 7
Booked: Gray 45 (not placing ball correctly), Nixon 60 (foul on Skeels), Coan 84 (not moving), Bull 86 (time wasting)
Attendance: 329
Referee: Ryan Atkin
