15 excellent minutes in a disappointing afternoon: Charlton 2-1 Derby

For 15 excellent minutes, Derby were in complete control. Joe Ward was delivering dangerous crosses aplenty in acres down the right as Charlton struggled to keep the ball for more than a few seconds. Even when the next action was fluffed or deliveries were cleared, Derby simply recycled, dominating duels on the edge of the box.

In that time, a lovely bit of link-up between The Rams’ front two as Sam Szmodics found Carlton Morris, who took a delightfully deft touch to return the ball to the Ireland international. Don’t worry about a potential thigh strain he picked up in the warm-up, Szmodics can still finish with aplomb.

Having had a sliding effort under pressure from Addicks’ skipper Lloyd Jones saved moments earlier, the Ipswich loanee drilled the shot low. With the nonchalance of a man who has already scored a goal of the season contender, he left Will Mannion with no chance.

Was it a patch on his strike versus Lincoln? Obviously not. But they all count the same. But coming on the stroke of the first hydration break, fans had a little longer to drink in the excellence of their Championship-seasoned strike partnership.

But as was predictable in this week of such drama, things did not continue as swimmingly.

Nathan Jones’ decision to move Tyreece Campbell from the right flank to the left just after the half hour mark was a masterstroke. It was unclear exactly who was meant to be marking him in Derby’s 3-4-2-1-come-4-2-3-1. Ward? Sondre Langås? Neither are really right backs, but both were run ragged by Campbell in that area of the pitch. Even when they doubled up on him.

That’s right. Derby were undone by exactly the type of player they lack.

The first half of clear thirds ended as it started, with Charlton dominant. Although John Eustace’s men weathered the storm as they had done early on, Jacob Widell Zetterström was now called into action. Easing round the outside of Langås and Craig Forsyth, Campbell forced Derby’s Swedish stopper to claw a cross away before Charlie Taylor made a super block to deny Sonny Carey.

And when Campbell ghosted past Langås and to the byline again, poor decision-making proved costly. Zetterström got a foot to his near-post shot, which was taken despite the option to cut-back looking fruitful.

Matt Godden also squandered a good position when he beat Craig Forsyth on the counter and looked to be in on goal, only to be held off by Dion Sanderson.

After Karlan Grant saw his free-kick cleared and worked back to him, Charlton’s number nine hit an inch-perfect ball onto the head of Jones who drew the hosts level from three yards out. “We should be defending that cross no problems at all,” a disappointed Eustace later reflected to BBC Radio Derby.

With goalscorer Szmodics off, Bobby Clark moved into his preferred central role as The Rams looked to wrestle back control of the game by slowing play down. Clark saw an effort blocked and later played a neat one-two with Lewis Travis before finding Oscar Fraulo with a driven pass. The Dane’s instinctive strike on the turn was palmed behind by Mannion.

A perfectly timed challenge from Charlie Taylor halted Campbell as he looked to counter from the Derby corner, but Eustace’s men could not stop his next attack. Fraulo gifted the ball to substitute Joe Rankin-Costello who released Miles Leaburn on the counter. With Leaburn pressed by three in white shirts, Campbell was on hand to receive the ball, moving it left before firing it past the trio of markers and into the far bottom corner.

Eustace explained: “Obviously we were in a really good position, and our rest defence wasn’t right, and we got mixed up at the back”

Buoyed by a quadruple change after going behind, The Rams created a succession of chances for Morris in stoppage time. First Blackett-Taylor burst down the wing and delivered a lovely ball that nobody could connect with, before Johnston found Morris, only for Mannion to smother his effort.

Debutant Alex Mowatt then found the striker from the inside-left, but this time his shot deflected behind for a corner, which was only notable for Zetterström’s presence. Derby threw the kitchen sink at it, to no avail.

A draw would probably have been a just result in a game where the pendulum swung repeatedly. But as Derby have learned this week with their plans upended, football, like life, is not always fair.

Mowatt makes his debut

Did John Eustace have you fooled in Thursday’s pre-match press conference? No? Either way, Alex Mowatt is a Ram and he showed some real quality on his debut. The man who completed more progressive passes than anyone else in the second-tier last season was certainly neat and tidy in possession. And he created the joint-most chances of any player on the pitch alongside Bobby Clark (three).

Eustace said: “I think you could see he controlled the ball for us very well, it’s important now that we get players around him that can really hurt other teams. I’m sure it [his quality] will make a huge difference, that’s why we brought him to the club.”

Charlie Taylor had a much better game, looking fully up to speed. While not the quickest of players, his defensive nous was clear for all to see with a couple of crucial clearances alongside that challenge on Tyreece Campbell and the Sonny Carey block.

Maybe this too is part of Mowatt’s impact, Taylor did call him his best friend in football last month. Insert The Inbetweeners clip here.

The Morris-Szmodics partnership

Derby’s goal was surely exactly what John Eustace hoped he would get from a Carlton Morris and Sam Szmodics partnership. Effectively a striking duo with Morris as the perfect foil for Szmodics, who has the freedom to run beyond and pop up either side of the number nine. The forwards kept Will Mannion on his toes with the joint-most shots of any player on the pitch (three each).

With their combination play and abilities to find an opportunity from a speculative long ball, as well as the service from Mowatt, Clark and co., chances should be aplenty. Let us hope that thigh strain is not too bad.

Injuries piling up

Szmodics is not the only fitness concern. Matt Clarke is “going to be missing for at least three or four weeks”, according to Eustace. While Derry Murkin has suffered a blow on his road to returning from back surgery. The left back was set to feature for the Under-21s on Friday night, but “pulled his hamstring yesterday in the warm-up”. He will now miss another “few weeks”.

Subs too late?

Eustace described the impact of his substitutions as “perfect”. Presumably in that they fulfilled their duties as intended, notwithstanding the obvious fact that they failed to find an equaliser.

But given their clear effectiveness, maybe they should have come earlier, and the same could be said about the switch back to a back four. At his old stomping ground, Corey Blackett-Taylor was a much-needed direct threat out wide, completing more dribbles than any other Derby player (2).

Lars-Jørgen Salvesen provided more presence up front with Morris having been the only out-ball previously. Max Johnston brought fresh legs in place of Ward who had been struggling against Campbell in the latter stages, and that lovely cross too.

You only have to look at Mowatt, or Derby’s last competitive away win (at QPR, when David Ozoh and matchwinner Jaydon Banel were given half an hour) to see the benefits. Further reinforcements could change this dynamic.

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Goals: Jones 61’, Campbell 80’ | Szmodics 23’.

Charlton (4-2-3-1): Mannino (GK); McNamara (Mesík 85’), Jones (C), Koumetio, Bell; Coventry, Chalobah (Sichenje 85’); Campbell, Carey (Alli 59’), Grant (Rankin-Costello 73’); Godden (Leaburn 59’).

Unused substitutes: Brooks (GK); Mwamba; Apter, Knibbs.

Derby (3-4-2-1): Zetterström (GK); Langås, Sanderson, Taylor; Ward (Johnston 84’), Fraulo (Brewster 83’), Travis (C) (Salvesen 84’), Forsyth (Blackett-Taylor 83’); Szmodics (Mowatt 54’), Clark; Morris.

Unused substitutes: Vickers (GK); Nyambe; Bilbija, Eames.