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Steve Bruce was dealt a blow before kick-off with Darren Purse failing to shake off an ankle injury, and as a result Steve Vickers returned to the side following his injury in the only change to the side that won so impressively at Fulham just 6 days ago. This meant that American Jovan Kirovski kept his place in the side, playing on the right hand side of midfield, but appearing to be offered the opportunity to roam in a free role.
Neither side was able to get a foothold on the game in the early stages, with defenders on top, and midfielders doing battle, with both sets of forwards receiving little or no service. The only real chance of the first half an hour fell to Horsfield, who did wel to control a Kirovski pass, before turning and firing a weak effort straight at Dean Kiely.
Blues were looking slightly uncomfortable at the back at times, and were given warning of what was to follow when a Paul Konchesky ball was threaded through to Kevin Lisbie in acres of space, though Lisbie wasted the opportunity thanks to good work from Nico Vaesen. Just minutes later though, Charlton took the lead through Danish playmaker Claus Jensen. Following a poor throw-out by Vaesen, aimed at Robbie Savage following a Charlton corner, Jensen swapped passes with Scott Parker, before superbly dummying the ball past Vaesen and rolling the ball into the empty net.
Blues went close themselves when a Kirovski free kick was headed off the line by Konchesky, before Kirovski again took control at a set-piece some 25 yards out, though on this occasion his effort was 10 feet too high. In the end, however, Blues didn't really deserve anything out of the first half following a poor display which highlighted the lack of a real cutting-edge player that can convert possession into chances.
Blues came out for the second half struggling to find any sort of pattern to their play yet again. Matters hardly appeared to have been helped in the 54th minute when Horsfield was harshly dismissed for a mistimed challenge on Luke Young. Whilst Horsfield certainly caught Young, it did genuinely appear to be an attempt to play the ball, and perhaps only a yellow card offence. Still, Rob Styles has never really been the epitome of consistency in the refereeing stakes, so maybe there shouldn have been such an element of surprise when he brandished the red card in Horsfield's direction. The decision obviously upset many of the Blues players, and as a result there was something of a melee between opposition players which resulted in shrinking violet Clinton Morrison, and equally quiet and shy Scott Parker both having to be separated and consequently booked.
Rather than dampen Blues spirits, this appeared to galvanise both players and supporters alike. Bruce threw on wingers Stan Lazaridis and Devlin, and switched to three at the back, with Kirovski moving up front alongside Morrison. Devlin was immediately involved as he drove at Chris Powell and shot agonisingly wide via a deflection.
As Blues continued to mount the pressure on the Charlton goal, they were finally rewarded for their efforts in the 66th minute. Aliou Cisse went down under the challenge of 3 Charlton defenders in their penalty area, and though there appeared to be little contact, Styles pointed to the spot - possibly in an effort to 'even things' up after Horsfield's dismissal. Paul Devlin took on penalty taking responsibilities, and made no mistake hammering the ball past Irish 'keeper Kiely to equalise.
Blues, despite their reduced numbers, continued to press for a winner, though Charlton had opportunities themselves, one through Konchesky who was denied well by Vaesen, and also Parker who fired wide from 15 yards out. Blues looked to utilise both Lazaridis and Devlin on the flanks, but never really tested Kiely as the likes of Savage, Cisse and Lazaridis all failed to hit the target with shots and headers alike. Come the final whistle, it appeared that both teams were happy to share the spoils following yet another game in which the referee stole the show.
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Personally I felt that Eddie Wolstenholme did a fairly decent job of refereeing Blues versus Spurs at St Andrews a month or so back. Well, a fortnight ago, I found it refreshing to see the same referee appearing on TV in the evening explaining his decision to send off David Unsworth following a clash with Chelsea's Jesper Gronkjaer. Now, I personally felt the decision was wrong, but at least Mr Wolstenholme went on TV, did an interview, and explained what he had felt had occured after discussions with his assistant, and at least attempted to justify his decision - rightly or wrongly. It will be interesting to see if Mr Styles appears on TV tonight explaining some of his baffling decisions - which effected both sides. As much as this may sound a bitter and biased rant, I felt that the Blues penalty was never a penalty, and was surprised that Gary Rowett was booked late on when he and Savage merely exchanged pleasantries before laughing them off.
Anyway, back to the football. Other results went very well for Blues, but that does slightly put a dampener on this result in that three points would have seen them climb a few places and put 10 points between themselves and the dreaded drop zone. However, at least none of the teams below Blues were able to make up any ground, and after battling back from a goal down with just ten men, perhaps this result wasn't so bad after all.
PLAYER RATINGS:
Vaesen - Poor throw led to their goal, but made some vital saves
Tebily - A mixed bag - started very poorly but got better
Kenna - Struggled at times and was substituted
Vickers - A calming influence at the back
Cunningham - Another good performance and even adopted an attacking role late on
Kirovksi - Drifted in and out of the game, but obviously has talent
Johnson, D - Average. All too keen to use his right foot
Savage - His usual all action self
Cisse - A key factor on Blues dragging themselves back into the game
Horsfield - Adequate until dismissal
Morrison - Worked hard and unfairly treated by Rowett who fouled throughout
SUBS:
Lazaridis - Might have done more, but did have an impact
Devlin - Ditto Lazaridis, but a great penalty strike