LOAN STAR CHED EARNS HIS KEEP
CHED EVANS nearly left Fleetwood Town on transfer deadline day, but boss Joey Barton was delighted to see the striker brush off the drama and sink Charlton.
Evans’ 68th-minute strike felled play-off chasing Charlton as Town won 1-0 at Highbury.
But it could have been a different story had Champier onship side Bolton pulled off a late loan swoop on deadline day. A 24-hour recall clause in Evans’ season-long loan from Sheffield United to Town was not activated before deadline day. It would have taken Sheffield United, Fleetwood and Evans’ signatures to end the loan.
Town did not sign as they could not get a replacement and Barton was pleased to see the 30-year-old do what he does best: score.
He said: “Ched was outstanding in the second period.
“Picks up the man of the match award and he scores the winning goal. The great thing for us is that we have Ched for the end of the season.
“I think he is going to score lots of goals for us.
“Having Ched Evans in our team makes us a better team and having him in our dressing room makes it a better dressing room. He would have been a big loss.”
His opposite number Lee Bowyer was left disappointed.
But the Charlton boss said he would not go ‘mad’ at his players.
He said: “We just were not there today. I cannot put my finger on it. It is so frustrating. It is three points dropped. Before we know it there will be single figures left of games and we cannot afford to be dropping points like that. We dust ourselves off and make sure it does not happen again.
“I’m disappointed and you don’t see me like this often.
“I did not go mad because I know it hurts them as much as it hurts me. It just disappoints me.”
It was a tepid first half with both sides tame in attack.
Charlton’s best effort of the day fell to Ben Purrington in the six-yard box, but he was thwarted by Town strik- Ashley Nadesan and keeper Alex Cairns.
It was the introduction of Ash Hunter and Jack Sowerby off the bench that sparked Town’s attack.
Hunter’s delightful ball in from the left was nodded down by Madden into the path of Evans, who fired home.
He could have had a hattrick as he fired straight at Dillon Phillips and then sent the ball crashing past the right post after Phillips found himself out of the box.
Charlton ended a miserable day with 10-men as Patrick Bauer ,who was booked in the 67th minute for a foul on James Wallace, was shown a second yellow in the 88th minute for a foul on Evans.