Charlton Athletic were held to their first home goalless draw of the League One season this afternoon on a damp pitch against opponents Oldham Athletic.
Oldham, who very certainly competed for a draw. Effectively pulled every trick out of the hat to disrupt the play of the Addicks and stifle any chances that the Londoners could create.
Indeed the only real opportunity of the first half came as Matt Spring hit a volley from 30 plus yards which managed to just miss the right hand post and go behind for a goal kick.
The second half was kept at a dour pace, with the Oldham players managing the odd wild shot here and there, none of which seemed to trouble Rob Elliott.
The Latics did manage to find the back of the net however half way through the second half. Only for the referee to rightfully rule the goal out for a foul.
The Addicks, never really looked like winning the game until the 64th minute when Izale McLeod was bought on. The pacey striker, who has scored on his last two appearances at The Valley had an immediate impact and began causing havoc for the defence.
Miguel Llera was then afforded the opportunity to open the scoring for the Addicks as he found himself unmarked in the area, sadly, his header went just over the bar.
McLeod should by all rights have won the game on 78 minutes, when some fantastic play between himself, Therry Racon and debutant Leon McKenzie led to McLeod finding himself unmarked with a great opportunity to score, he wound back his left foot only to miss-connect with the ball and watch as the chance went begging.
The closest Charlton came to wrapping all three points was on 85 minutes, as Kelly Youga found himself with his back to goal and the ball bouncing at knee height, he flicked the ball up and unleashed a near perfect overhead kick, only for the ball to bounce back off the crossbar.
The final whistle went and although Charlton were the better team, the Addicks were dealt a firm reminder that in football there will be matches where a draw is good enough for the opposition. A tale which Oldham firmly exampled today.
