Town’s pre-season friendly at Charlton remains goalless at half-time, Brett Pitman coming closest for the Blues with a shot against the crossbar.
Mick McCarthy’s starting line-up included a fresh face in the form of Belgian international winger Roland Lamah. The 28-year-old trialist, who spent a season and a half with Swansea City, has played his football in Hungary with Ferencváros for the last two years and began on the left wing with Town still short of orthodox wide options.
David McGoldrick partnered Pitman up front while, in perhaps the clearest indication of McCarthy’s thinking ahead of the upcoming campaign, last season’s first-choice back four all started, while Andre Dozzell lined up on the right of midfield.
Kevin Bru and Jonathan Douglas made up the central pair, with Luke Hyam missing out due to the twisted knee he sustained at Cambridge.
Experienced Charlton defender Roger Johnson was quickly across to prevent McGoldrick latching onto a Bru ball in the second minute as Town knocked the ball around in the opening minutes. The rangy Lamah then earned himself some early applause from the 300-strong away following in the Jimmy Seed Stand with a sharp tackle on right-back Chris Solly.
Town had controlled the opening 10 minutes and came within inches of scoring a superb opener through Pitman. Christophe Berra sent Jonas Knudsen away down the left and Pitman met his low cut-back, aimed towards the ‘D’, on the half-volley. It was a fine piece of technique but, with goalkeeper Dillon Phillips well beaten, the ball thudded off the crossbar and away.
Six minutes later a long Knudsen throw, flicked on at the near post by Luke Chambers, caused mild consternation in the home box before Bru hooked the half-cleared wall wide. Bru had seen plenty of the ball early on with Charlton, whose manager Russell Slade was making his home debut in the dugout, struggling for meaningful possession.
The Addicks began to settle and Pitman blocked a full-blooded drive from Callum Harriott, who had received a short freekick that he had won after being fouled by Knudsen. Berra was then alert to snuff out a Johnnie Jackson pass that fleetingly looked to have slid Nicky Ajose, Charlton’s central attacker, through on goal.
Lamah had his first real chance to excite the Town fans in the 26th minute, eating up the ground with a dangerous 40-yard run through the middle before his ball for Pitman was cut out.
Town put together the slickest move of the half shortly afterwards; Dozzell, previously quiet, moved infield and fed Lamah on the edge of the area. His touch back to Pitman was met by a first-time ball for McGoldrick, in space on the right of the area, who moved the ball onto his left foot before shooting narrowly over.
Town were now on top again and, from their first corner of the match, Ezri Konsa bravely stopped Berra converting Bru’s delivery. McGoldrick then seized on an error from Kevin Foley and reached the left byline but Johnson, who had defended well all half, reached his cross ahead of Lamah.
Ricky Holmes curled a cross-shot well wide for Charlton before the end of a half that Town had generally dominated without creating too many clear chances, with Pitman’s effort by far the most noteworthy.
Trialist Lamah’s appetite for hard work will have pleased McCarthy although he made little major impact further forward.
Town: Bialkowski, Chambers (c), Berra, Smith, Knudsen, Douglas, Bru, Dozzell, Pitman, McGoldrick, Lamah. Subs: Crowe, Digby, Kenlock, Emmanuel, Malarczyk, Bishop, Skuse, Blanchfield, Sears, Murphy, McLoughlin, Webster, Stewart.