REPORT | Charlton 4 Scunthorpe United 0

Charlton were in ruthless form as they swept aside relegation battlers Scunthorpe United at The Valley to extend their unbeaten home run to 16 games.

The win was the Addicks biggest of the season with Anfernee Dijksteel, Joe Aribo, Igor Vetokele and Lyle Taylor all finding the net as Charlton crushed the Iron 4-0.

The three points takes the total of league points under Lee Bowyer to 101 points meaning he became the quickest Addicks manager to pass 100 points. 

The visitors squandered several point blank chances but the home side were comfortable from start to finish to ensure they bounced back from Good Friday’s loss at Oxford United in dominating fashion.

Bowyer made four changes from the side that lost to Oxford United as he returned to the diamond formation. Naby Sarr, Ben Purrington, Albie Morgan and Vetokele came in with Jason Pearce and Jonny Williams moving to the bench. Krystian Bielik missed out as a precaution with a shoulder injury and Chris Solly began the first of a four-game suspension after being sent-off on Friday. 

Dijksteel and Ben Reeves combined well to manufacture the Addicks first opening in the third minute. The latter cut inside from the right and cleverly threaded in Morgan whose left-footed effort just inside the area went just wide of the Scunthorpe goal.

Patrick Bauer had the next half chance when his header, from a Reeves corner, was blocked behind as the Addicks seized control of the opening half hour.

Reeves was again involved as Charlton took the lead. He turned nicely near the corner flag this time on the left wing. He played back to Taylor who was occupying a position you’d expect to see a central midfielder in. The striker showed creative vision to chip the ball in behind the Scunthorpe defence where Dijksteel’s first touch set him up beautifully to drag the ball across the goalkeeper into the goal with his second touch for the academy graduate’s first professional goal of his career. 

The visitors were kept quiet for much of the first half but maybe should have equalised in stoppage time when former Addick Lee Novak nodded into the path of Funso Ojo who scuffed his effort wide. 

After half chances for Josh Cullen and Morgan at the start of the second half, the Addicks doubled their lead in the 55th minute through Aribo. Again Reeves was involved, his corner from the Charlton right was whipped perfectly to the edge of the six yard box where Aribo got in front of his marker to power his header home despite the best efforts of a Scunthorpe defender on the line.

Aribo turned provider for Charlton’s third when he seized on a loose ball after some good pressure by Reeves. He strode forward and smartly played in Vetokele who slid in with his right foot to guide past the onrushing Jak Alnwick in the 63rd minute.

Taylor finished the scoring with his 23rd goal of the season and it was some goal. The Addicks front man won a free kick to the left of the box and promptly curled his effort, from around 20 yards out, straight into the top corner of Alnwick’s goal.

Scunthorpe did have some golden chances as the game came to an end. The best fell to George Thomas who really should have scored when he blasted over, unmarked, from eight yards out.

There was also time for a ten-minute cameo from Jake Forster-Caskey, getting his first minutes of action of the season after getting injured in the run-up to the season opener against Sunderland.

Charlton: Phillips; Dijksteel, Bauer (C), Sarr, Purrington; Cullen, Reeves (Pratley, 71), Morgan, Aribo (Forster-Caskey 79); Vetokele (Williams, 65), Taylor

Subs (not used): Maxwell, Pearce, Lapslie, Parker

Goals: Dijksteel 24, Aribo 55, Vetokele 63, Taylor 67

Scunthorpe United: Alnwick, Borthwick-Jackson, Webster, Ojo, Morris (Hallam 82), Perch, Lewis (Lund, 74), Novak, Thomas, McCardle (C), Hammill (Van Veen, 64)

Subs (not used): Flatt, Sutton, McGahey, Wootton

Booked: Morris (68) 

Referee: B Huxtable

Attendance: 11,973 (309 from Scunthorpe) 

Read Time: 4 mins