The home end is bigger than it was then; we were packed into the tight seats of the lower half of the away – South – end, making big noise, on a day of variable weather. Just a glimpse of what had been the massive old East Terrace behind that side stand. Music prior to the teams coming out – One Step Beyond, then Kashmir (cliché!), then the teams appeared to – When the Red, Red Robin comes Bob, Bob, Bobbing Along! Cherries & Robins – harking back to a more cuddly, more innocent, time in football before the money men infested the game like a dose of syphilis (oh those rose-tinted glasses!). As with other grounds, vuvuzelas had been banned.
Eddie Howe had checked the Trumpton fire station, but only signed one of the Pugh twins; perhaps if funds allow we might see Cuthbert, Dibble or Grubb appearing later in the season. And in a brave move, Arter started, giving a 4-4-1-1 shape. 2 more debutantes were on the bench. Charlton k.o. towards us, with one-time (briefly) Cherry Wagstaff hitting over. Charlton showed the more positive approach, with Boscombe needing to close down a lot. Feeney crossed - too long - & Wagstaff missed then headed over, & Jalal caught well from a corner. Boscombe had a free on the left – wasted; perhaps a new ball design?
Arter moved well, suggesting the love child of Shaun Brooks & Dazzanderton; indeed, with the longish hair, just a smidgeon of the Very Revered Bishop of Ian. His passing & darting runs helped Boscombe settle. But home forwards were cuter & faster than those in Div.4. A cross from the Charlton left saw a forward hit the bar from 3 yards; Eddie Howe was definitely looking for more movement in the top third to help alleviate pressure on the away defence. As it was, Cooper had to anticipate well, and Pugh worked back superbly. Wing wizard Reid turned Bradbury inside-out and crossed low. The defence & forwards lined up facing each other, 5-6 feet apart, allowing Akpo Sodje (how many more of his family are there?) to side-foot in from 6 yards. 1-0, 22 mins. Silence at our end. The lack of a challenge in that situation made the away defence look like rabbits caught in headlights.
Arter was put in through the inside-left channel, & hit it behind from a narrow angle. But Charlton were going fast down the flanks, not using channels, so there was little to hold in midfield & Bartley – committed & quick as always – looked a little out of his depth. From a free 30 yards out, Pitman hit over. The ref made 3 bad mistakes against Boscombe, making away players & fans irate. Jalal too often kicked long into touch – again a new type of ball? HT: 1-0 during which I had to try one of Peter’s Pies – in this case a cheese & onion pasty. Edible. It rained heavily during the break, but eased up soon after, making the pitch greasy.
On the restart, Arter (yellowed earlier) was replaced by Symes. The team fell back to 4-4-2, & seemed to feel more comfortable. Symes played a little behind Pitman, & perhaps with match fitness may be as fleet of foot as Fletcher. But he has something of John Hartson – big, lumbering, but quick feet. Eddie Howe perhaps looked also to have his wingers help out his full backs & press more against the home backs. Feeney had been quiet – not fed too often, sometimes double-teamed, rarely worked back, but had a few more opportunities in the 2nd half. Then Pugh was felled inside the area nearest the corner flag; the ref bottled it (he had no real idea) & gave a free just outside the area. This was the start of Charlton going on the back foot for most of the half. Feeney went clear inside but scuffed it left-footed at the keeper. Boscombe became more combative; Charlton fans had their drum but chanted sparingly. Bradbury was caught slow again, & again. Then no.6 Semedo went studs-up into Symes for a red; not the worst example, but rules are rules. Charlton went 4-4-1, & the ref was making up for earlier mistakes. Hollands replaced Bartley on 68, put a pile-driver wide, & generally added creativity. Pugh hadn’t been used enough so far, but came increasingly into the game. However, his mission also reduced Wiggins’s opportunities for bombing forward on the overlap – another area for attention. But Pugh’s abilities will give a big plus when utilised properly.
Too often for this division, Boscombe passes from defence were misplaced or mis-hit. Charlton players began to showboat, so Pugh did likewise. Purches replaced Bradbury on 76 & immediately I felt more comfortable with that side of the team. Calls for a Boscombe penalty were met by the award of a corner, from which Pearce headed down & it bounced over. Pugh put in a fizzer, beaten away by the keeper, one of very few attempts on target. But Boscombe pushed forward in wave after wave, with old defensive hands Docherty & Dailly sufficiently experienced to deal with Symes & Pitman. At the other end, Pavel Abbott had scored for fun with several northern clubs, but was covered pretty well here. Feeney cut in again, but hit over with his left foot. Robinson nicked it through, but Pitman was not sufficiently alert. Cooper was yellowed for throwing the ball beyond the free-kick taker. Too many passes & crosses were telegraphed. A penalty area mêlée, & Pitman passed towards the net – a shot might’ve reaped a greater reward. Pitman’s body language was not comforting, but I read it as more beating himself up than sulking. FT: 1-0.
Boscombe faces a big learning curve; the team can’t get away with poor passes now. They have to be accurate, crisp to minimise anticipation, and more creative. There’s been big praise for the new fitness coach, but some squad members may be too slow to be effective against the top teams. Arter might do best as the forward point of a midfield diamond, behind the front 2. But this wasn’t the worst defeat in the division this day, & we lost 2-1 at Port Vale in the opening fixture Aug.2003. However, I’d be concerned for Boscombe against Huddersfield, Posh, Brighton & (when its full squad is available) So’ton, my tips for the top 4. Overall, disappointing but we should be confident that sufficient improvements can be made. 51 points should be enough for 20th place; that’s 10-21-15 so this was one of those 15 defeats.
Apart from the card & a couple of missed passes, Cooper for having a touch more class than the rest of the side. Oh for at least 2 more of him – right-back & defensive midfield.
AFCB: Jalal, Bradbury, Cooper, Pearce, Wiggins, Feeney, Robinson, Bartley, Pugh, Arter, Pitman
Subs: Thomas, Cummings, McQuoid, Garry, Symes (for Arter, HT), Hollands (for Bartley, 68 mins), Purches (for Bradbury, 76 mins)
Peter Wicks, Bulford