Stevenage 1 Charlton 1 (Charlton win 5-4 on penalties)
Charlton struck late to book a place in the Fourth Round of the Carabao Cup in a thrilling penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw at Stevenage.
The home side led for much of the game but supersub Chuks Aneke scored with four minutes remaining and Ben Garner’s side won a very good penalty shootout 5-4, with Scott Fraser calmly sliding home the decisive penalty after Joe Wollacott had saved from Jake Taylor.
The win was met with jubilation from a sold out away end who cheered the Addicks on throughout.
Garner made four changes from Charlton’s 4-1 win at home to Coalville Town on Saturday with Albie Morgan playing just off Jayden Stockley in a 4-4-1-1 formation.
In a frantic start it was the home side that nearly opened the scoring when Luke Norris blasted over from just inside the Charlton penalty area in the sixth minute.
Stevenage did take the lead in the 22nd minute, with Norris making amends for his early miss, sending Joe Wollacott the wrong way from the penalty spot. Addicks defender, Richard Chin, was booked for the handball for which the penalty was given.
For Charlton, it was Jes Rak-Sakyi, down the Addicks right that caused most problems in the opening half, with two Stevenage players picking up yellow cards for fouls after being beaten by the tricky winger.
It was from the right that the Addicks best chance of the opening half came. Sean Clare’s lovely, long through ball found Albie Morgan breaking into the box. The academy graduate’s dinked effort went just wide of the Stevenage post.
The away side had chances to double their lead before the break, with Jake Taylor’s cross bouncing back off the Charlton upright after a goalmouth scramble.
Ben Garner opted to change things up on the hour mark, bringing on Steve Sessegnon, Charlie Kirk, Corey Blackett-Taylor and Chuks Aneke.
Despite the changes the home side were still able to create chances, with Joe Wollacott forced to make a good, low save to keep out a shot from Danny Rose.
With the game closing Jake Forster-Caskey came on for the Addicks, as the Charlton pressure really began to ramp up. Ryan Inniss saw his header bounce off the crossbar and in the resulting melee Kirk had a shot blocked and the referee awarded a free kick in favour of goalkeeper Aaron Chapman with the Addicks trying to bundle the ball into the net.
Clare then headed over Kirk’s cross from close range with eight minutes to go but the Addicks weren’t giving up.
The pressure told and Charlton levelled four minutes from time when Rak-Sakyi fed Aneke and the supersub smashed a powerful, right-footed shot past Chapman at the goalkeeper’s near post.
Both sides tried for a winner but the game was to be decided by penalties and after eight excellent spot kicks, Wollacott made a superb save to deny Taylor, leaving Fraser to finish the game off and put Charlton’s name in the hat in Thursday’s Fourth Round draw.
Stevenage: Chapman, James-Wildin, Clark (Earley 65), Piergianni, Sweeney, Taylor, Norris (Amoo 74), Vancooten, Read (Campbell 84), Bostwick, Rose
Subs (not used): Ashby-Hammond, Reid
Goal: Norris 22
Booked: Read 25 (foul on Rak-Sakyi), Rose 30 (foul on Rak-Sakyi)
Penalties: Rose (scored), Campbell (scored), Sweeney (scored), Bostwick (scored), Taylor (saved)
Charlton: Wollacott; Clare, Lavelle, Inniss, Chin (Sessegnon 61); Dobson (Forster-Caskey 76), Fraser, Morgan (Kirk 60); Rak-Sakyi, Stockley (c) (Aneke 60), Payne (Blackett-Taylor 61)
Subs (not used): MacGillivray, Elerewe, Henry, Campbell
Goal: Aneke 86
Booked: Chin 21 (handball), Clare 90+4 (foul on Taylor), Lavelle 90+5 (foul on Rose)
Penalties: Clare (scored), Forster-Caskey (scored), Rak-Sakyi (scored), Aneke (scored), Fraser (scored)
Referee: Tom Nield
Attendance: 3,515 (1,137 from Charlton)