Charlton 0-1 Town - Match Report Saturday, 29th Nov 2014 14:38 Debutant sub Noel Hunt netted an injury time winner as Town beat Charlton 1-0 at the Valley to end the Addicks' unbeaten home record and climb to second in the Championship table. Hunt, who had come off the bench in the 84th minute after signing on loan from Leeds on Thursday, shot home from the edge of the box after a David McGoldrick cross had been half-cleared. Jonny Parr and Jay Tabb came into the Town side for the suspended Christophe Berra and injured Kevin Bru. Parr started at right-back with skipper Luke Chambers moving into the centre of the defence alongside Tommy Smith, while Tabb took over from Bru in the middle of midfield, with Teddy Bishop, who has been suffering with a hip flexor problem, missing from the 18. The Blues lost Luke Hyam to an achilles injury sustained in the warm-up and Stephen Hunt was a late addition to the starting line-up. New signings Noel Hunt and Sean St Ledger were both on the bench, despite the central defender appearing to have picked up a knock during last night’s 1-1 U21s draw with Millwall. Charlton included former Town academy schoolboys Nick Pope - a Portman Road season ticket holder as a boy - and Morgan Fox from the start, while ex-Blues loan keeper Stephen Henderson missed out with a shoulder injury. Town, shooting towards their large following in the first half, forced a corner in the opening minute. Hunt whipped the ball over from the left and Daryl Murphy headed only just wide ahead of Chambers. The Addicks created their first chance within a minute, Callum Harriott fed Johann Gudmundsson in space to his right and the Icelander scuffed over when he ought to have done better. On four Anderson, who was playing on the right of midfield with Hunt on the left and David McGoldrick dropping deep behind main striker Daryl Murphy, forced Pope into an early save with a low 25-yard strike which the keeper claimed at the second attempt. The game quietened down a touch after a frenetic start, but on 14 Harriott shot wide of Bartosz Bialkowski’s goal from distance. Charlton were having the better of it and a minute later Jordan Cousins cut in from the left and hit a shot which was blocked. The loose ball fell to Harriott, whose strike was well saved down to his right by Bialkowski. Harriott brought the ball in from the right and hit a shot straight at Bialkowski on 23 with the home side on top and looking very much the more dangerous team. A minute later, Harriott threatened again, tricking his way into space past Tyrone Mings and Tommy Smith before shooting across the face of goal. Fox hit a deflected effort through to BIalkowski on 28, then at the other end Murphy took down a long ball then struck a powerful shot from the edge of the box which Pope rather uncomfortably bundled behind. On 33 Hunt whipped a very dangerous freekick across from the left which only just evaded Murphy amongst others. Had any Town player added a touch and they would have been in front. A minute later Bialkowski did well to keep the scores level, the Polish keeper rushing off his line to block from Francis Coquelin at point blank after Chris Solly had cleverly threaded the on-loan Arsenal man in on goal. In the 38th minute Hunt and Skuse played a well-rehearsed freekick from the right 30 yards out across to the left to McGoldrick, who struck a low effort which flew just wide of Pope’s left post. The Addicks were still looking the more likely scorers and two minutes before the break Harriott fed the breaking Solly, who hit a shot which Bialkowski blocked. As the half moved into its final moments, Parr crossed from the right and McGoldrick forced Pope into a sharp save down at his right post. From Hunt’s corner, Murphy headed the ball back across goal and Smith sent an overhead kick wide. Town would have been happiest to go in level at the break, the home side having been on top for the most part with Bialkowski much the busier of the two keepers. Despite that, the Blues were never entirely out of it and created one or two opportunities of their own with inexperienced Charlton keeper Pope not always looking entirely comfortable. McGoldrick curled an early second-half effort well wide before Mings almost scored a Goal of the Season candidate, bringing the ball in from the left past a number of defenders before lashing a right-foot shot only just wide. The Blues left-back was in defensive action within a minute after Chambers got under a header and the ball fell to Igor Vetokele on the edge of the box. The Charlton top scorer looked to be in on goal until Mings got across to nod the ball away from him. On 62 Chambers did well to get in ahead of Vetokele from Solly’s right-sided cross, however, Town had largely been on top since the break. Three minutes later, McGoldrick played in Murphy on the left and, after the Blues’ top scorer’s return pass had been blocked, he curled a right-footed shot which deflected just wide. At the other end, Smith blocked from Gudmundsson after Harriott had made a swift break through the middle. McGoldrick was presented with a chance in the 70th minute when a Hunt freekick from the right hit a Charlton defender and landed at his feet just inside then box. Fortunately for the home side his instinctive shot flew straight to Pope. Charlton had an even better opportunity moments later when Vetokele cut the ball back from the left to Harriott, who failed to make significant contact. Hunt slid in to take the ball away from Gudmundsson at the far post. Soon after, the Icelander shot over from distance. Town switched Hunt for Conor Sammon and Charlton Johnnie Jackson for one-time Town trialist Lawrie Wilson in the 77th minute, just prior to Vetokele scuffing a shot through to Bialkowski. Wilson threaded Vetokele in on goal on 79 but Parr got back quickly to get ahead of the rather leaden-footed Angolan international. New loan signing Noel Hunt was handed his Ipswich debut for Anderson with six minutes remaining, then George Tucudean took over from Harriott, moments after the 20-year-old had sent a shot well over. McGoldrick hit a low shot which failed to test Pope on 88 then a minute later the Irish international created an even better opportunity for sub Sammon. McGoldrick played in Sammon on the left of the area but Andre Bikey got across to block as the on-loan Derby man unleashed a shot he had perhaps delayed too long. As the game moved into injury time Sammon missed a Parr cross from the right which struck the unsighted Murphy behind him before being cleared. The ball eventually dropped for McGoldrick, but his volley flew wide. Deep, deep in injury time the Blues went in front. Mings found McGoldrick with a superb cross-field pass. The striker’s ball across the box was cut out and fell to debutant Noel Hunt, who took a touch before hitting a low shot across Pope and into the corner of the net. The loan signing from Leeds, without a goal since netting for Reading in an FA Cup tie in January 2013, while his last league goal came in October 2012, ran over to celebrate with his brother Stephen and the rest of the players on the Blues’ bench. There was no time for Charlton to hit back and the Town following of almost 2,500 were soon celebrating the Blues’ third away win of the season. The home side were the better team in the first half, but Town improved after the break, although Charlton also had opportunities. However, it was the Blues who were pressing towards the end and in injury time and Sammon probably should have done better with his opportunity. Despite his lack of recent goals Hunt, who was wearing a numberless shirt having suffered a nosebleed shortly before netting his goal, took his chance confidently when it fell to him. The result moves Town up to second in the table just one point behind leaders Derby, who were beaten 2-0 away against Leeds United, who are at Portman Road next Saturday. Charlton: Pope, Solly, Fox, Bikey, Ben Haim, Gudmundsson (Bulot 90), Cousins, Coquelin, Jackson (Wilson 77), Harriott (Tucudean 85), Vetokele. Unused: Etheridge, Gomez, Onyewu, Ahearne-Grant. Town: Bialkowski, Parr, Mings, Chambers (c), Smith, Skuse, S Hunt (Sammon 77), Tabb, Anderson (N Hunt 84), McGoldrick, Murphy. Unused: Gerken, Bajner, St Ledger, Clarke, Henshall. Referee: Darren Bond (Lancashire). Att: 16,613.
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