Early goals from Tyreeq Bakinson and Wes Burns has given Town a 2-0 half-time lead at home to Charlton in their final game of the season.

Elkan Baggott made his home league debut on the left of the back three for Cameron Burgess, who missed out having suffered an ankle injury in training.

Burns was back at right wing-back having missed last week’s trip to Crewe, also due to an ankle, problem, while Matt Penney was on the left with Dominic Thompson, whose loan from Brentford is up after today, absent from the 18.

Bonne, playing the final game of his loan spell with his hometown club having been with the Blues all season from QPR, was the central striker.

Bersant Celina was also playing the final game of his loan spell as one of the number 10s alongside Conor Chaplin behind Bonne. Sone Aluko was back on the bench after a knee problem.

James Norwood, who has been told he will be leaving the club at the end of the season, was on the bench but there was no place for Tom Carroll, who has also been released.

Midfielder Cameron Humphreys, 18, was among the subs, as were Kane Vincent-Young and Idris El Mizouni.

For Charlton, Nathan Harness made his league debut in goal, one of three changes with Ryan Inniss and Corey Blackett-Taylor returning to the XI.

Former Town loanee Stephen Henderson was on the bench, while ex-midfielder Scott Fraser was absent due to a knee injury.

Burns went looking for his 12th goal of the season in the third minute, smashing over the bar from distance as the game started in an open end-to-end manner but with the Blues presenting the greater threat.

And in the seventh minute they went in front via a brilliant Bakinson goal. The midfielder, another playing the last game of his loan spell, was played the ball 20 yards out by Celina and superbly found the top corner of Harness’s net to the keeper’s left.

It was the midfielder’s second goal of his stint with the Blues and somewhat more spectacular than his first, a one-yard tap-in at Doncaster.

Celina wasn’t far away from the Blues’ second only two minutes later, the Kosovan international curling a shot not too far past Harness’s left post.

Burns didn’t have to wait too much longer for his 12th goal of the campaign, equalling top scorer Bonne’s total for the campaign. The Welshman was sent through one-one-one with Harness by Chaplin’s perfectly-weighted pass in the 11th minute and confidently beat the advancing Addicks’ rookie keeper.

Town kept up the pressure but on 15 there was a moment of danger at the other end when a free-kick ran loose in the box but Christian Walton was quick to pounce on it.

Former Addicks striker Bonne had the ball in the net in the 17th minute but had strayed offside from Janoi Donacien’s pass which actually looked like it had been intended for Celina but had been played behind the on-loan Dijon forward.

The Blues continued to dominate, looking as comfortable as at any stage of any game this season against the team against whom they put in probably their worst 90 minutes of the campaign as they lost 2-0 at the Valley in December.

On 27 Bonne turned a shot against a defender from the left of the box, then three minutes later skipper Sam Morsy struck a low effort wide from 25 yards.

Town continued to keep hold of the ball and pass it around confidently at a high tempo and the Charlton fans began to sarcastically chant ‘we’ve got the ball’ on the rare occasions their team was in possession and ‘we’ve lost the ball’ whenever Town won it back.

Perhaps spurred by their fans’ singing, Charlton seriously threatened for the first time. Adam Matthews crossed from the left and Jayden Stockley rose high and headed goalwards, however, Walton did brilliantly to get across to his right to paw it wide.

From the resultant corner, Baggott suffered a head injury but after treatment was OK to continue.

Chaplin wasn’t too far away from his 12th goal of the season in the 42nd minute when he looped a header over Harness from the left of the box from a deft Bakinson chipped pass but it landed on the roof of the net.

Town were well worth their 2-0 lead at the break having dominated from virtually start to finish with Bakinson and Burns having taken their chances with great confidence.

The Blues might have added to their lead as they continued to prod and probe throughout the rest of the half with Chaplin going closest with his looped header.

Charlton had spend the half chasing shadows with their only real opportunity Stockley’s header from which Walton made the sort of excellent save which has been commonplace in his hugely impressive first season with the club.

Town: Walton, Donacien, Woolfenden, Baggott, Burns, Bakinson, Morsy (c), Penney, Chaplin, Celina, Bonne. Subs: Hladky, Vincent-Young, El Mizouni, Humphreys, Aluko, Norwood, Pigott.

Charlton: Harness, Inniss, Pearce (c), Famewo, Matthews, Gilbey, Dobson, Morgan, Blackett-Taylor, Stockley, Washington. Subs: Henderson, Elerewe, Forster-Caskey, Lee, Jaiyesimi, Aneke, Burstow. Referee: Charles Breakspear (Surrey).

Photo: Matchday Images

Suffolkboy added 13:45 - Apr 30 Sounds like festive stuff ! Keep it up Town , send us away for Summer on a high note ! COYB
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midastouch added 13:50 - Apr 30 That's a pleasant surprise, didn't even realise it was an early kick off today. Came on the site to read about team news only to discover we're 2 up already, COYB!!!
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