Charlton and Boro fail to break deadlock

Charlton 0 Middlesbrough 0

The last FA Cup semi-final spot remains unclaimed after Charlton and Middlesbrough failed to produce a goal at the Valley.

The two sides must go through it all again in a Riverside replay on April 12, by which time both sets of fans will know whether a clash with Chelsea, Liverpool or West Ham awaits the eventual winners.

Not since 1947, when they went on to lift the famous trophy, have Charlton made it as far as the semis; at least they will now feature in tomorrow’s draw.

Cup runs have become a commonplace for Boro, although they have yet to win the FA Cup, and the beaten finalists of 1997 also have the UEFA Cup quarter-final first leg with Basle next week to look forward to.

But, as the scoreline suggests, this was indeed the least glamorous of the four midweek ties which had been so controversially arranged to speed up the end to a pre-World Cup season and few neutrals will be relishing watching it all over again next month.

Beforehand, Boro boss Steve McClaren made no fewer than seven changes from the side which had lost to 10-man Blackburn last week and the new-look side made the better start.

Aiyegbeni Yakubu wasted an excellent early chance however, heading over in the third minute after Franck Queudrue had found him unmarked from just eight yards out.

Matt Holland soon established himself as the home side’s most influential man in the middle and sent a rasping long-ranger just wide as well as trying to supply the ammunition for strikers Darren Bent and the recalled Shaun Bartlett.

Both were busy but kept in check by the experience of Gareth Southgate and Ugo Ehiogu and it was their Charlton equivalent, Hermann Hreidarsson, who came closest to breaking the deadlock before the break.

First the Iceland defender saw goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer dive to collect a 20-yard free-kick that the wall had failed to block and then, in the 36th minute, the Australian produced an even better stop to deny him.

Hreidarsson had slid in behind the Boro defence to deflect a cross goalwards but somehow Schwarzer reacted in time to stick out his left glove to make a vital reflex stop.

By this time Radostin Kishishev had sent a volley so wildly off target it ended up in the upper tier of the stand behind the goal – but Boro had been living dangerously too often for their fans’ liking.

There was also a worry just before the break when Schwarzer appeared to jar a knee making a punch and collapsed in his goal making a valiant attempt to stop a Bent effort that dropped just wide of a post, with the flag up anyway.

Schwarzer was able to continue following treatment and the same applied to Ehiogu soon after the restart after he suffered a cut to the head following a clash with Bartlett, whose use of an elbow was deemed accidental by referee Mike Dean.

Charlton made the first change of the night when Dennis Rommedahl replaced Kishishev in the 62nd minute and Boro followed suit a minute later when James Morrison came on for the disappointing Gaizka Mendieta.

Mark Viduka came on for Yakubu in the 68th minute and Jay Bothroyd for Bartlett eight minutes later as both sides sought a solution to the problem of another unwanted fixture.

Rommedahl came close with a swerving effort from the edge of the box which just cleared the crossbar and Bryan Hughes saw a snapshot on the turn saved but time was running out for Charlton, who can at least be consoled by the fact they won both Premiership clashes this season, to enjoy home advantage.

Queudrue was booked for a foul on Rommedahl before Morrison dragged a passable chance wide for Boro but the substitute did better with his next effort, which required a near-post tip round from the previously underemployed Thomas Myhre.

Queudrue was perhaps lucky to remain on the pitch after he punched the ball goalwards in a melee but Rommedahl had been on the line to hack clear anyway as the game was destined to remain scoreless.