Team: Smithies, Perch (Kpekawa), Onuoha, Hall, Robinson, Henry, Luongo, Phillips (Gladwin), Chery, Hoilett (El Khayati), Polter
Subs Not Used: Ingram, Petrasso, Faurlin, Washington
Attendance: 15,834 (including 1,106 Charlton fans)
I guess the old saying that a win is a win no matter what and above everything else. But that only tells you half the true story.
Charlton are a very mixed bag of kids, strange deals and if I’m honest a team sent out to be put to the sword. They could have scored more if only their players had faith in themselves and better players.
I keep saying it but without Clint Hill we have no leaders and also it looks a mess at the back. That should not be the case and something that needs looking at in the clear out to come.
Conor Washington I do not get? He’s got to be worth a go during the match or to start the game. Some people tell me that he is for next season but frankly that is daft because he has to be played for the here and now.
On the plus side we won and that, as I say, is above most things. The downside was our fans singing: ‘We’ll Never Play You Again.’ How soon we forget how that was sung to us and how we hated it! A song that should not be sung to no one,
Paul Finney
If I was Conor Washington I’d ask to leave!
We were outplayed by a team fighting relegation. If they had their shooting boots on they may have won, they certainly deserved at least a point.
I thought that our five man midfield were devoid of anything. What amazes me is when Chery plays well he gets subbed and when he plays poorly he plays the full 90 like yesterday. I still don’t think JFH knows what his best starting X1 is?
I see Neil Warnock’s Rotherham won again, 6 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses in ten games. If we had done that we’d be near the play-offs instead of in no-mans land.
ChrisPTenner
Charlton’s hopes of avoiding relegation from the Championship, was dented severely by Nasser El Khayati’s stoppage-time winner for QPR.
El Khayati’s curler sealed a defeat that left the Addicks ten points adrift of safety with five games left.
Jordan Cousins looked to have earned the visitors a point when he fired in from the edge of the box on his left just after the hour mark. Matt Phillips had earlier given Rangers a fortuitous lead with a cross-shot.
The visitors went into the game on the back of a two-match unbeaten run, but found mid-table Rangers too tough to handle.
Seb Polter and Tjaronn Chery had chances before Phillips’ opener, while Jose Riga’s side were limited to Callum Harriott’s shot off the bar.
Cousins scored against the run of play, but Ademola Lookman and Igor Vetokele passed up great chances to put Charlton in front.
And El Khayati’s strike lit up Loftus Road and ensured a miserable trip back to South-East London for the seemingly doomed Addicks.
QPR manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink: “At times you need a bit of luck and your keeper to be smart. I must say that Alex Smithies won us the game today.”
“I am happy for Nasser but more happy for the team that we stuck at it, kept going, and in the end we finished them off even though we needed help from our keeper.”
“I must say we put ourselves in that difficult situation as we had the chance to score and make it 2-0, and if you take that you go on and score three or four.”
“If that chance goes in it kills Charlton’s spirit. But it gave them more ‘animal’ to carry on.”
Charlton boss Jose Riga: “At the end of the match, conceding a goal like that when you have the possibility yourselves to win is cruel.”
“It was a good performance. Okay, the first-half was more complicated and we conceded a goal, but the reaction was good.”
“It’s a sad story. The only hope is that the Charlton fans can see again that the side was really competitive, with not just good spirit, but a style of play.”
“When you do your job as we did today, at least your own feeling is that you have done your job.”
BBC Sport
A mixed afternoon, I was really pleased to see Jack Robinson get 90 odd minutes under his belt, although he did understandably struggle with cramp in the latter stages of the game.
Alex Smithies was superb again. He made a great stop in the first-half and an even better one after the break when he saved from close range when the Charlton player was through on goal.
Matty Phillips did score our first when his ball in from the right evaded everyone and ended up in the back of the net. Otherwise he generally continues to frustrate us.
The visitors equalised following a good move but I have to say that the scorer wasn’t closed down as he picked his spot.
James Perch went off injured after 55 minute and it was an opportunity for Cole Kpekawa to impress. I was also pleased to see Ben Gladwin’s introduction and he did well on the right flank in his 20 odd minutes.
With five added minutes, a rare piece of quality from the afternoon was provided by Nasser El Khayati four minutes in, when he dramatically won us the game with a wonderful curler into the top corner as he cut in from the left.
It was a surprisingly low turnout from the visitors?
Steve Russell