Charlton will be in the draw for the 5th round of the FA Cup with Budweiser tomorrow after they beat Huddersfield Town 1-0 in front of a crowd of 10,120. The winning goal was scored in the second half by Simon Church on 54 minutes after the home side has been opened up on the right by Lawrie Wilson. Ben Alnwick kept the Addicks in the game with a number of excellent saves and got a score of 8 from the Football League Paper on Sunday. Harry Lennon on in place of the injured Evina played well.
Yann Kermorgant was ruled out before the game, although he had travelled.
In the first half it was handbags at six paces after players from both sides faced off after the Dale Stephens went in late on Huddersfield's Adam Hammill on 29 minutes. Stephens was booked for the foul while Town's Anthony Gerrard and Addicks defender Michael Morrison saw yellow for their roles in the scrap which followed. Just beforehand, Huddersfield's Danny Ward was lucky to escape a booking for leaving his foot in on Cedric Evina. The Charlton full-back and Hammill were both injured and had to be substituted with the tension simmering. It came close to boiling over when Stephens brought down Oliver Norwood soon afterwards but he escaped with a warning.
Ward was denied a goal on 26 minutes by a smart parry from the goalkeeper Ben Alnwick after Paul Dixon put the home forward through. His fellow striker James Vaughan, making his first start after five games out injured, had a shot blocked after a neat one-two with Gobern. The Town wing-back Tommy Smith retrieved the ball and crossed from the right only for Norwood to head over from close range on 21 minutes. At the other end the closest Charlton came was a Johnnie Jackson header, which flashed just wide from a free-kick curled in by Stephens.
In the second half Alnwick denied Smith with a parry at his near post just before Church scored at the other end. Ward fluffed the chance to equalise by missing an open goal after the substitute Sean Scannell pulled the ball back from the byline on 62 minutes.
It was a dogged and resilient performance by the Addicks who showed considerable 'gumption' according to the Radio Leeds commentators. It is worth noting that the often overlooked Dorian Dervitte got a 7 from the FLP: 'An excellent performance from the defender who was a rock at the back.'
Unfortunately the draw secured by Doncaster has pushed Charlton into the relegation places.
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