They call him 'Red Adair' but the flames engulfing Nottingham Forest at the
bottom of the Premiership are proving too hot for even football's master
fire-fighter, Ron Atkinson.
This latest draw against fellow-strugglers Charlton leaves Forest in a furnace
the contents of the River Trent would struggle to quell.
Sure, it ended a run of three consecutive defeats but with fellow-strugglers
Coventry winning and Charlton staying 10 points clear of his club, a point is
scant consolation for Atkinson.
The mathematics say a rescue mission is still possible but with just 11 games
left Forest look doomed.
It seems they are a club without conviction, lacking confidence, without shape
or form and, despite Atkinson's Messianic presence, without the wit or the will
to haul themselves clear of danger.
But they do have Mark Crossley - and they have him to thank for this point
which they barely deserved and which does nothing to ease their precarious
position.
Crossley, playing his first game for almost two years after a chronic back
injury and lack of form, was quite simply magnificent. He saved a second-half
penalty from Neil Redfearn. He threw himself athletically to every point on the
south London compass to pull off a string of spectacular saves. At one point he
must have felt like General Custer with arrows flying all around him as
Charlton's strikeforce were almost allowed to shoot at will.
When you think that Forest have let in 54 goals this season it does make you
wonder what a fit and able Crossley would have done for their Premiership
survival hopes.
But, it has to be said, it was a one-man band. When the likes of loyal servant
Steve Stone announces that he is on his way next season if they are relegated
it's a fair indication that the towel has been thrown in the Forest dressing
room.
Add the still divisive influence of the persistently-jeered Pierre van
Hooijdonk and the ineffective contributions of much of this Forest side and
there is precious little hope of survival.
On this form, however, Charlton should have no such problems. They battled for
every ball, always looked the better side, were swifter of thought and full of
the fire and fervour you might expect from a side which had won its last three
games.
They could have taken the lead as early as the fifth minute when Martin
Pringle, their Swedish striker on loan from Benfica and who has already
contributed four goals to the Londoners' cause, blasted over the bar from 12
yards when completely unchallenged.
But you don't expect too much quality from two sides who have struggled all
season - and, in truth, we didn't get much.
Except that is from Crossley, who showed just what Forest have been missing in
a season when they have persisted with the frailties of veteran Dave Beasant.
First, Crossley threw himself acrobatically to his right to claw away a Carl
Tiler header which was bound for the top-left corner. Then, with Charlton
beginning to assert their authority, he again took off Superman-style to tip
away a blistering 20-yard drive from Charlton's tireless captain Mark Kinsella.
Both those saves came in a poor first half. But he saved his best for the
second half. And they came thick and fast. A superb stretch low down to deny
Redfearn, a brilliant block on a Keith Jones piledriver, a wonderful save from
Tiler and then that spot-kick.
Forest captain Steve Chettle brought down John Robinson with one of those
clumsy tackles which have dogged Forest's season and referee Steve Lodge had no
choice but to point to the spot.
Redfearn, a £1m signing from Barnsley, stepped up quickly, perhaps too
swiftly, but his crisp shot was still wonderfully pushed away by Crossley.
Even so Charlton would still have snatched it in the dying moments when Clive
Mendonca's shot from close range was brilliantly blocked by Stale Stensaas.
There were five bookings - Matthieu Louis-Jean, Jean-Claude Darcheville and
Carlton Palmer for Forest and Carl Tiler and John Robinson for Charlton, though
it was far from a dirty game.
It leaves Alan Curbishley's side still heading in the right direction, though
they have much work to do, especially in attack, if they are to retain their
Premiership status.
Forest, meanwhile, are bankers to go down - their plight needs a miracle not
even Atky in his prime could provide.
Teams
Charlton: Royce, Mills, Powell, Jones, Tiler, Redfearn, Robinson,
Brown, Kinsella, Hunt (Mendonca 72), Pringle.
Subs Not Used: Petterson, Bright, Barness, Barnes.
Booked: Tiler, Robinson.
Nottm Forest: Crossley, Jean, Stensaas, Chettle, Bonalair,
Gemmill, Stone, Edwards, Palmer, Van Hooijdonk, Darcheville (Shipperley 62).
Subs Not Used: Beasant, Quashie, Hjelde, Woan.
Booked: Palmer, Darcheville.
Att: 20,007.
Ref: S Lodge (Barnsley).
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