Oshilaja off as Brewers can’t halt Charlton’s resurgence
CONTROVERSIAL REFEREEING DOES NOT COVER UP ISSUES
THE latest episode of the Trevor Kettle show could not detract from another poor Burton Albion performance as they went down 1-0 at home to Charlton Athletic – their third League One loss in a row.
The Brewers were unable to come up with the guile to break down a revitalised Addicks side once the visitors had taken a 19th-minute lead and that was largely all there was to say about the football in a depressingly forgettable match.
The extraordinary Mr Kettle, the very epitome of a referee who wants to be the centre of attention, and a man who has infuriated supporters, players and managers since 2002, took his red card tally for the season to six and his yellow card count to 56 in 15 games. All of Saturday’s cards came in the first half.
Arguably, the referee did get the two red cards right, after an unseemly scuffle between Charlton striker Jayden Stockley and Burton captain Deji Oshilaja at a corner, but similar comings together have resulted in yellow cards and a stern word from other referees.
Losing Oshilaja affected Burton more than losing Stockley did Charlton but on one of those days – and there have already been a few – when more went wrong than right, the Brewers had already lost Cameron Borthwick-jackson to a cut head and were missing Daniel Jebbison
and Terry Taylor to international call-ups as well as Tom Hamer and Jonny Smith to suspension. Borthwick-jackson seems to have been involved in more than his share of head clashes and when he needed treatment after six minutes, his sprint around half of the perimeter to the changing rooms suggested he planned a return after being patched up. Instead, nine minutes after he had gone off, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink gave up waiting and sent on Frazer Blaketracy. Charlton had got on top against the 10 men and won a series of corners. When one of them came over, Stockley and Oshilaja went to ground together well away from the ball and continued to wrestle, before players on both sides joined in, as they do. Mr Kettle, understandably, since play had gone on, had to consult his linesman and Stockley was quickly
Charlton re-set better after the drama of the red cards – being a goal to the good helps
dismissed, followed after further contemplation by Oshilaja.
Within a couple of minutes, Charlton scored, when Akin Famewo flicked on a right-wing corner at the near post and Ben Purrington’s glancing header slipped inside the far post.
Kane Hemmings had a shot blocked as Burton tried to respond but, for the most part, they were trying to do everything too quickly and passes were going astray too often.
It was Charlton who had re-set better after the drama of the red cards – being a goal to the good helps.
Elliot Lee picked up a yellow card for halting a Hemmings break, before Diallang Jaiyesimi got one for kicking the ball away at a throw-in, an ill-advised move in any circum
stances but guaranteed not to go unpunished by this referee.
Hemmings was next into the book, after 41 minutes, and the Burton striker must be feeling the stars are lining up against him at the moment.
For the second game in a row, he nicked the ball away from the opposing goalkeeper and was caught as he went around him – but this time picked up a yellow card for simulation. Hemmings worked as hard as always against Charlton and he deserves to catch a break soon. Alongside him, Aaron Amadi-holloway also battled away without much service.
Before half-time, Famewo was booked for timewasting at a throwin when he had scarcely had time to pick the ball up.
In a new twist, having booked Charlton substitute Harry Arter for dissent in the tunnel at half-time, Mr Kettle sent out a note to Burton ground announcer Ian Hawkins asking that the crowd be informed of Arter’s indiscretion.
Burton needed to step up after the break and, initially, looked as if they might, as Blake-tracy’s pass sent Joe Powell running at Charlton and he forced Craig Macgillivray into an excellent save high to his right.
But as the game went on, Charlton chose to sit back and soak up what the Brewers could throw at them, occasionally looking to counter.
They are climbing out of a hole towards the bottom under caretaker manager Johnnie Jackson and the way they are going about it, with energy and bloody-mindedness, is reminiscent of how the Brewers got out of trouble under Hasselbaink last season.
We’ve got a goal – what are you going to do about it? And increasingly, there was nothing Burton could do.
Passes continued to go astray, passes across the back three always ended up with a hopeful long ball forward gobbled up by the defence and Powell, always busy, found himself having to come too deep to collect the ball.
In one Charlton break, Ben Garratt had to claw away a shot from Purrington, while at the other end, Tom O’connor had both a shot and a header which were too close to Macgillivray to concern the keeper.
But there was not enough from Burton and the League form is again concerning.