Charlton Athletic 0-0 Hull City

Charlton Athletic continued their unbeaten start to the Npower Championship season with a drab   0-0 draw against Hull City at a rain-soaked Valley this afternoon.

Both the spectacular weather in the skies over SE7 and the Addicks’ goalkeeper Ben Hamer took centre stage as the two sides cancelled each other out with neither team taking the chances presented to them as effectively as they should have done. However, the torrential rain certainly played a large part in both that and the scrappy nature of the game in general.

Charlton started the game the brightest of the pair although the game was fairly even and relatively free of drama with neither of the teams creating any real clear-cut chances until the closing stages of the first period. There was, however, an opportunity for a weak penalty shout by the visitors after Charlton’s Leon Cort won the ball strongly from Corry Evans inside the penalty area in front of the Covered End although the appeals were certainly half-hearted and even the City players and staff did not appear to be convinced by their own protestations. In the final ten minutes of the first half, the Addicks somehow failed to get the ball into the back of the net after a string of opportunities that they created for themselves were not converted with Guyana international Leon Cort going the closest as his headers were saved and flashed past the post.

 The heavens opened again at half time and with the downturn in weather came a decline in performance from the home side. However, there was a moment of controversy early in the second half when Charlton’s Yann Kermorgant had a fantastic long range goal questionably chalked off for offside where there was no obvious infringement. His manager Chris Powell remarked in his subsequent post-match press conference that 'Bradley Wright-Phillips out-stripped their defence and was onside. It was a decent save and terrific finish by Yann which was onside and a goal. But what can I do about it now? I am not here to complain because that won't do me any good, but of course you want them not to miss those'. During the course of the second half, the Addicks also had two strong penalty shouts turned away by referee Simon Hooper.
 

The Tigers had the better of the second half with home goalkeeper Ben Hamer pulling off a string of fine saves to deny the visitors all three points, a performance which, combined with his display in their previous two games against Birmingham City and Leicester City, has led Powell to declare that the stopper has been his side’s best player so far this season. Hamer also made an incredible double save right at the death to first prevent Arsenal academy graduate Jay Simpson and then somehow deny ex-Rangers man Sone Aluko, who was, coincidentally, linked with a move to The Valley in pre-season.

 

In truth, neither side really offered enough quality to warrant a win and a draw was probably the correct result at the end of the afternoon. This sentiment was echoed by both the Charlton and Hull hierarchies, despite the Addicks’ penalty claims and incorrectly-ruled out goal and Hull’s second half dominance. This result means that Charlton extend their unbeaten start to life back in the Championship and Hull City keep their second clean sheet in their first three league matches, continuing both sides’ strong starts to the new Championship season.