Express & Star

Charlton 1 Albion 1

If Easter is the time when leagues are won and lost then no-one thought to let the Championship know, writes Steve Madeley.

Good Friday at The Valley turned out to be the make-or-break game that neither made Albion’s promotion challenge nor broke it.

It was the defining match that left everything as clear as mud.

And players and fans alike left south London to await today’s Championship results not having a clue how good a point against Alan Pardew’s men would turn out to be.

It was a point they would probably have taken at the bizarre kick-off time of 4.45pm.

But by mid-evening when time was called on part four of the Addicks-Baggies story of 07-08, Albion appeared to be viewing their early holiday outing as a missed opportunity to turn up the head on their rivals for places in the Premier League.

Ultimately it must be viewed as a chance gone begging.

Albion looked solid for the most-part, constantly inventive and full of running.

Yet they departed their latest assignment with just one more point to add to their tally.

Again last night the talk was of the Baggies’ dominance, their superior football and the talents that should see them home into a top two finish.

Yet the closer the end of the season gets with Tony Mowbray’s men still stuck in the pack as inferior sides set the pace, the cheaper words appear at a time when points are the only currency that matters.

There was plenty to admire for travelling fans and the television viewers that tuned in to watch two of the finest sides outside the top flight go toe-to-toe.

And it was Albion who emerged with a moral victory. Yet the latest match could be seen as something as a metaphor for the whole of this fascinating season.

They are the cream of the crop in so many areas, but no better than their rivals where it really matters.

With just eight games remaining the Albion breakaway that many predicted seems increasingly unlikely.

It looks as if, like every other side eyeing the top flight, that Mowbray and Co will need their share of fortune to carry them to where their sheer talent should, by rights, have led.

The first half yesterday went largely to plan for the Baggies aside from the 31st-minute incident when the set-piece jitters they appeared to be curing returned to bite them.

And they would certainly have been happy to accept the level scoresheet that was secured when master finisher Kevin Phillips provided another useful contribution to the goalscorer’s manual.

The home side made the brighter start and a high ball down the middle early on caused Martin Albrechtsen to slip and Leroy Lita sniffed the chance to cash in but Carl Hoefkens recovered well to ease the striker off the ball and shepherd it back to Dean Kiely in goal.

Moments later Albrechtsen fouled Andy Gray on the right-hand side of Albion’s area and Greg Halford stepped up to whip the free kick inches past Kiely’s upright.

And it took 17 minutes for the visitors to threaten when they broke with pace through midfield and Kevin Phillips found himself in possession inside the Addicks penalty area.

His shot was charged down by a defender and successive rebounds broke to Robert Koren and Jonathan Greening, who both had efforts from outside the area blocked.

The Addicks continued to edge things and Jerome Thomas found a yard of space wide on the Charlton left and delivered a cross to the back post region, where Ambrose was unmarked.

He had time to pick a spot but he opted for a first-time header and it looped up over the bar.

That was a warning Albion failed to respond to and when Pele conceded another free-kick it was quickly 1-0.

Ambrose delivered a dangerous cross to the far post where Halford outjumped Pele and directed a header just inside the base of Kiely’s right-hand post.

Moments later Thomas screwed a left-footed shot horribly wide from a right-wing cross but Albion stole the initiative as half-time neared.

Greening’s raking pass to the left was caught by Paul Robinson and he whipped in a first-time cross to the near post but Phillips could only head wide.

Two minutes before the break, however, they were level when Greening was fouled by Darren Ambrose out wide and the skipper’s free-kick brought the equaliser.

The cross was headed down at the far post by Zoltan Gera and Phillips rifled home a fantastic finish off the bar.

In stoppage time Ambrose looped a hopeful ball into the box but it dropped to Sam Sodje via the heads of Pele and Bostjan Cesar.

However, he leaned back and lashed a shot high and wide.

After the break the Baggies clearly held the upper hand, although they did survive one early scare.

Ben Thatcher’s right-footed cross found Leroy Lita in the box but Hoefkens applied enough pressure so the on-loan Reading man shot wide.

However, the final half-hour-or-so was all about Albion chasing victory and the Addicks holding on.

Phillips seized on a mistake by Weaver and crossed towards an unguarded goal but it was too high for Miller.

And Gera stepped in off the right flank and curled a left-footed shot towards goal but it bent just past the far post.

Phillips flicked a through-ball into the path of Miller and he finished neatly but the flag was raised for a marginal offside and Koren crossed from left and Gera met it at the far post but he could not generate enough power to trouble Weaver.

Substitute Roman Bednar’s cross was cleared to Phillips on the edge of the box but his dipping volley flew over.

And in the final minute of normal time came the nearest miss of a frustrating second half for the Baggies.

Greening’s free kick to the edge of the box was headed down by Bednar and Gera lashed a powerful volley against the top of the crossbar.

Nearly, but not quite. That summed up the final moments and the whole day for Albion. Fingers crossed it will not apply to the season.