Addicks’ smash and grab breaks white hearts

Tottenham 0 Charlton 1

Charlton became the latest side to prove too much for Spurs winning 1-0 at White Hart Lane to join Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Manchester United and Portsmouth as recent victors over Pleat and Co.

The Addicks' success was of the classic smash-and-grab variety. They soaked up piles of pressure and prevailed thanks to a combination of off-target Spurs shooting, superb goalkeeping by Dean Kiely and Carlton Cole's towering headed goal in the 69th minute.

Tottenham were booed off, and a minority of fans chanted for the exit of chairman Daniel Levy outside the ground.

Caretaker boss Pleat intriguingly admitted he "could not be sure" he would remain in charge until the end of the season, as previously agreed.

But despite the string of defeats, he is confident the person who takes over on a full-time basis in the summer will not inherit a team playing in the Nationwide League.

"I can't change the result but if I keep getting the same effort from those players, the club and the new manager who comes in will have no problems," Pleat said.

"I'm not low; I'm not low at all. We can see the danger, and every club is entitled to be nervous if they're in that position. But there are 19 games to go, and it's up to us. If we continue like we played today we'll be okay.

"We're having a cruel time and have to live with it and fight our way out of it. You have to keep looking forward."

Spurs created enough chances to win this action-packed contest several times over. But Charlton, now fourth in the table, escaped unpunished as Pleat's team bossed the first hour.

Cole then met Paolo di Canio's corner with a crashing header which Spurs debutant Stephen Kelly could only direct against the underside of his bar and into the net.

The goal was on-loan Cole's first for the club and Charlton boss Alan Curbishley said: "Carlton needs a stage, and it's clogged up for him at Chelsea.

"I wanted to shake up my forward line, so I got Carlton and Paolo in. Carlton came on against Everton but then got injured.

"He's desperate to play now, and I always knew Jonatan Johansson or Paolo wouldn't play the whole game today. I was delighted with Cole's performance."

Curbishley challenged his players to maintain their excellent form in the Nnew Yyear, saying: "I know I have a squad who can compete and look at the top 10.

"It's been a super Christmas, and we're delighted to be fourth. The boys are very, very happy.

"We put in a monumental effort in our 4-2 win against Chelsea and we couldn't get going in the first half today. But we got stronger in the second half, and I thought we would be get two or three goals in the end."

TOTTENHAM: Keller, Kelly, Richards, Gardner, Taricco (Mabizela 90), Poyet (Postiga 81), King, Jackson, Ricketts (Zamora 72), Kanoute, Keane.

CHARLTON: Kiely, Kishishev, Fish, Perry, Hreidarsson, Holland, Parker, Konchesky, Euell, Di Canio, Johansson (Cole 45).

Referee: P Durkin (Dorset).