Tunnel-Jumping and Tree-Pulling: Breakdown of the Goal that Saw Charlton Claim a Huge Win at Forest
Charlton don’t normally do tunnel-jumps away from home. Yet, there they were, Naby Sarr and Lyle Taylor, leaping out of the Nottingham Forest tunnel to celebrate a first away victory since the bright summer days of August.
Depending on who you ask, the traditionalised show of gratitude may have begun with Mark Kinsella’s fist-pumping towards the Covered End, but it appears to have been Chris Powell who established the tunnel-jump as a regular feature.
While the act has become a quintessentially “Valley” tradition, it got its start in a pair of rather remarkable away days. In 2000 at Ewood Park, a Charlton draw coupled with Manchester City’s failure to win saw the Addicks crowned First Division champions and Powell’s contribution to the raucous celebrations was a jump out of the tunnel towards the adoring visiting supporters.
That was quite possibly the high-profile moment needed to put the tradition firmly on the map, but Powell actually did it three months before that joyous day in Lancashire, christening another famous away performance with the tunnel-jump.
The 5th round of the 1999/2000 FA Cup sent Charlton on a tough away trip to then-Premier League Coventry and when the Addicks found themselves 2–0 down after 21 minutes, defeat appeared a near-certainty. However, at full-time it was Charlton who were celebrating passage to the 6th round having turned the tide to win 3–2 through Andy Hunt’s 88th minute winner. In the celebratory aftermath, Powell jumped out of the tunnel towards the traveling Addicks, for seemingly the very first time. Powell’s leap became a recognizable tradition throughout the rest of his time at the club, even demonstrating his token celebration while donning the mascot’s head after the final game of the 2003/04 season, a 2–1 victory at home against Southampton, also the defender’s final match of his first Charlton spell.
Following Powell’s final departure from the club’s playing staff in 2008, it was Rob Elliot who took up the left-back’s mantle, utilising the celebration on numerous occasions after breaking into the first team in the 2008/09 season.
After Elliot, Johnnie Jackson became the next to take on the tradition, oftentimes with Powell after the legend returned to the club in a managerial capacity. Powell departed under a dark cloud in 2014 and the tunnel-jump largely vanished for a few years as the turmoil under Roland Duchatelet reached its nadir. To some, the disappearance of the celebration was yet another signal of the frustrated and divided state of the club. If that’s the case then it’s hardly a surprise to see the tradition return to its full glory under the guidance of Lee Bowyer. The tunnel-jump at its core is an opportunity for supporters to pay gratitude to their players and for the players to thank the supporters in return. But with the club, unfortunately, bearing a sharp, divisive, edge, this show of affection became less and less frequent.
The spirit has returned to SE7 during Bowyer’s enthralling reign, and with it, the tunnel-jump has re-established itself to become a regular sight in front of the Covered End. Most recently it was Andre Green who toasted his first home goal with a well-received rendition after the 2–1 win against Barnsley.
And finally, at approximately ten minutes before ten on a frigid Tuesday night in Nottingham, the tunnel-jump was again rolled out, this time Taylor and Sarr commemorating a massive moment in Charlton’s season.
So, Charlton don’t normally do tunnel-jumps away from home. Except for the biggest moments, apparently. And this, well this, felt like a massive moment.
The celebratory duo were the obvious choices for the honour. Not only had they created and scored the crucial goal, but in many ways, they represented everything that this victory was about and all the qualities that made it possible.
Sarr was aggressive, audacious, and positive, while Taylor was determined, zealous, and ruthless. The goal, of course, needs more than a brief mention. It was truly a beautiful sight, the kind of aesthetic football perfection that will be excitedly rewatched and reposted down the years.
Broken down, the goal explains so much about Sarr and Taylor’s performances and even more about Charlton’s glorious night.
Act 1: The Set-Up
Having picked the ball up 20 yards into his own half Tom Lockyer lifts his head, searching for a pass upfield. Taylor, coming deep from centre-forward presents Lockyer with an option ten yards inside Charlton’s attacking half. The Welsh defender duly obliges and hits Taylor in the chest, the 29-year old’s knock-down falling to Adam Matthews after Tiago Silva’s miscontrol.
That brief passage, needing a touch of fortune to end with Charlton still in possession of the ball, says a great deal about Taylor’s performance. Always attempting to be involved and constantly demanding the ball, Charlton’s top scorer was seemingly everywhere on the pitch, presenting himself as a viable outlet pass while never shying away from a physical battle as he simply bullied the Nottingham Forest defence.
Earlier this week, in the main interview feature for Saturday’s Blackburn matchday programme, Taylor spoke of the weakness he’s noticed in many Championship defenders.
“I’ve found that centre-halves in this league are less ready to have a fight than when you go lower down the leagues,” he said.
“They are better defenders, but they are less ready to want to go toe-to-toe and really have a scrap. It makes it easier in some instances because you can try and impose yourself physically on them.”
Charlton’s number nine certainly imposed himself on the Forest defenders who, as Taylor may have predicted, did not seem ready for the kind of physical battle he was bringing. The striker won four headers, more than any Forest defender, while no player earned more fouls than his three. Finding no other way to stop him, the hosts resorted to illegal means, and even that didn’t work as he was heavily involved throughout.
Whereas the striker had just 34 touches against Stoke, third-least amongst the game’s 22 starters, he recorded 49 touches against Forest, fourth-most in an Addicks side that actually touched the ball 34 times less than at the weekend. Taylor was drawn to the play, constantly seeking it out, coming very deep to collect Lockyer’s pass and start the move for the eventual breakthrough.
With Taylor leading the way, Charlton found themselves able to dominate Forest physically, beginning in the earliest stages when the hosts embarked on an attack down the left side. A ball was aimed to the back-post and Alfie Doughty was left to fend off the cross on his own, somehow leaping high enough to put off the much-taller Forest forward. It may have been a forgettable moment, but it signaled from the outset that Charlton’s physical supremacy was going to be a major theme. In the end, the Addicks won 67% of the game’s aerial duels while also winning 14 tackles to Forest’s 11.
Act 2: The Immaculate Interception
Following Taylor’s knock-down, Matthews played to David Davis whose pass to Tomer Hemed found the Israeli surrounded by no less than five red shirts. After fighting off a few half-challenges, Hemed was tackled and the ball spilled out to Carl Jenkinson.
Eyeing Joe Lolley in space to counter on the right-flank, Jenkinson played a pass in his direction, but the ball was significantly under-hit. Lolley hung back waiting for the pass to reach him, and in that split-second pause, Sarr came hurtling in to pick up the loose ball.
This timely intervention from the left-sided defender can be credited to Sarr himself, but in reality, it was a group effort. Naby is a high-risk, high-reward kind of player; he plays to make things happen not to keep the status quo. Sometimes that risk leads to moments of madness in which he mistimes a run and ends up out of position. But other times it’s the necessary wager to create spectacular moments of magic.
Sarr is a gamble for the same reasons that make him such an exciting player and personality. He’s aggressive and positive, always aiming for the spectacular, and off of it, that positivity radiates into his relationships with teammates, coaches, and supporters alike.
It’s something that Bowyer appreciates in his volatile defender, saying after the victory on Tuesday; “We had to be brave on the press — if Naby wasn’t brave on the press then we don’t score the goal. He was really high — he was right in front of myself.
“I like him as a person. He is a lovely fella and great around the place.”
The Charlton manager left Sarr on the bench at Stoke, preferring Jason Pearce and Lockyer in a back-four, likely afraid of the kind of positionless wandering the former Sporting Lisbon man is frequently drawn to. But, devoid of the urgency and eagerness Sarr can provide, Bowyer went to five-at-the-back for the trip to the City Ground.
With Sarr stationed on the left of the central defensive trio, he enjoyed the freedom to burst forward and play on the front foot. The success of this set-up was due to Sarr’s naturally effervescent style, but also to the good work of his defensive partners. Lockyer and Pearce played significantly closer to goal, while Doughty provided a surprisingly effective safety blanket. The diligence from the rest of Bowyer’s defensive set-up allowed Sarr to embark on his brave forays up the pitch, the Addicks still able to provide the defensive numbers to thwart any potential counters.
Below is Sarr and Doughty’s heat maps from the victory against Forest. The central defender is positioned high up the pitch, nearly occupying a role in the left side of midfield, while Doughty’s presence is clear both ahead of Sarr, and more crucially, behind him. Doughty’s residence in Charlton’s defensive box is a positive for both the youngster and Sarr, the 20-year old demonstrating his dedication to the defensive side of the game while also giving Sarr the freedom to roam. The third map, shows the pair combined, the entire left-side of the pitch occupied by the effective duo.
Afforded the best circumstances to be brave and press high, Sarr ended the match with the second-most interceptions after Davis, as well as a pair of tackles.
The interception for the goal was a thing of beauty in itself. Lurking in his own half, approximately at the exact spot highlighted on his heat map, Sarr saw the ball hold up on the grass. He made the snap decision to charge at it, beating Lolley as he bounded forward at full speed. Had Sarr arrived too late, Charlton would have been left light at the back, giving Forest’s dangerman the space to run at a depleted defence.
However, Doughty’s defensive presence allows for the added risk. As seen in the image below, Doughty is facing towards his own goal, already in the process of chasing back as Sarr meets Jenkinson’s pass. Perpetually, a risk-driven player, Sarr’s natural game was encouraged to flow by his defensive partners who compensated for the element of randomness the big defender brings.
Part 3: The Bulging Net
While Sarr’s immaculate interception was being ogled by the traveling Charlton support, Taylor had followed the play and was 35 yards from goal as the defender beat Lolley to the ball.
As Sarr chased his initial touch down the line, Taylor reacted quicker than the Forest defenders and sprinted towards the box, displaying the tireless work rate, pace, and desire to get to the ball that was such a huge part of his tunnel-jump-worthy performance.
24 minutes after Charlton’s goal, deep into first-half stoppage time, Forest piled on the pressure as the Addicks looked to take their slender lead into the break. Taylor chased the Forest attack back to the left side of his own defensive third, ending their momentum with a seemingly perfect sliding challenge. The piece of exceptional defensive graft was sullied by referee Darren Bond’s decision to blow up for a foul, but it was a moment that summed up Taylor’s epic work rate on the night. He appeared a half-instant quicker and sharper than the Forest players throughout, even in the late stages of the match.
Bowyer and his striker are a match made in heaven with Taylor’s mental fortitude and perseverance key reasons as to why their relationship has flourished.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s clash with Blackburn, Bowyer said; “You could see on Tuesday that Lyle is getting back to where he was. He’s a robust player, closing people down and running around in the 89th minute.”
Taylor defined the Addicks determined cause and it was no different for his crucial goal. Sarr got to his touch just as Taylor was reaching a full sprint on the edge of the penalty box. With a tiny pause, the defender spotted Taylor’s back-post run, a recovering defender far in his wake.
The last act of this special goal; the climax, the finale, the denouement of this epic moment, revolves around ruthless brilliance, yet another hallmark of this Charlton side.
Frequently presented with limited goalscoring opportunities, averaging a Championship-low 8.8 shots per game, Charlton have had to create goals out of nothing and take the few chances they do make. Fortunately for the Addicks, they have one of the more clinical finishers in the league, Taylor averaging a goal every 128 minutes, third-best in the Championship.
Ranking 12th in total goals scored, despite the low shots total, Charlton have continuously defied the statistics and found ways to score. Whether it’s a set-piece against the run of play, such as Josh Davison’s equaliser against West Brom, or a perfect finish to an extremely difficult chance, Macauley Bonne’s brilliant lob against Bristol City an obvious example, the Addicks have conjured up a bevy of surprising vintage moments. Buoyed by their positive approach, unwavering spirit, and dalliance for the spectacular, Charlton always carry a significant degree of danger.
The goal here, no less than Charlton deserved for their unflinching start, had everything; the positivity, the spirit, and the touch of genius necessary to earn the Addicks a priceless win and possibly lock down the club’s goal of the season prize just 11 days into February.
As Sarr picked his head up and swung his left boot at the ball, Taylor’s eyes lit up, as did the eyes of every watching Addick, a perfect curling arc sending the cross careening into the path of the striker to slide home.
Taylor and Sarr will rightly take the plaudits and the tunnel-jumping, but there were countless impressive displays in what could end up being a watershed moment in this see-saw season. Dillon Phillips bailed out his defence just moments after Charlton took the lead with a truly spectacular save, while the necessity to only make two saves speaks volumes about the effectiveness of the defenders in front of him.
Matthews absolutely dominated the right side of the pitch and Doughty attacked with his usual verve while defending resolutely before being replaced by Ben Purrington who shut down Matty Cash and greatly limited Forest’s influence down the left flank.
The central-midfield axis of Davis and Cullen played their roles to perfection, Davis controlling the middle of the pitch with his physical presence, while Cullen put in a metronomic passing performance, dictating the Addicks play as he made 44 passes, more than any other visiting player.
With Jonny Williams rested, Oztumer stepped into his place and fought through 58 minutes of thankless defending while leading numerous counter-attacks. Aiden McGeady replaced Oztumer for his debut and despite looking relatively anonymous in patches, still managed to find a Charlton shirt with nine out of his ten passes, doing a fairly good job of retaining possession as the Addicks closed the game out late on.
Even Hemed, who has frustrated large sections of the Charlton support, put in his best display yet, some wayward finishing notwithstanding, getting into dangerous areas while frequently finding himself up front on his own.
As for Taylor and Sarr? Well, they were quite sublime, leading the Addicks cause from the back and from the front, pushing their team to victory and earning their well-deserved moment of adulation at full-time.
So, Charlton don’t normally do tunnel-jumps away from home. Except for the biggest moments. And this, well this, felt like a massive moment.
Photos: Kyle Andrews
