CARABAO CUP REPORT | Charlton 0 Forest Green Rovers 0 (Forest Green win 5-3 on pens)

A young Charlton side went out of the Carabao Cup on penalties following a 0-0 draw with Forest Green Rovers at The Valley.

Jake Forster-Caskey saw a second half penalty saved as the Addicks weren’t able to score in regulation before the away secured a place in tonight’s second round draw with a 5-3 penalty shootout win. 

Bowyer opted for 11 changes from the team that beat Stoke City 3-1 at the weekend, handing full debuts to summer signings Deji Oshilaja, Sam Field, Chuks Aneke and Macauley Bonne, as well as academy graduates Brendan Wiredu and Alfie Doughty. 

The home side started slowly but their League Two opponents rarely tested the Addicks goal in the first half, in part thanks to some stellar defending from skipper Naby Sarr and Oshilaja.

At the other end it took Charlton some time to get into their collective stride playing some nice football with the time allowed to them by Forest Green.

Aneke had a header easily gathered from a scooped George Lapslie cross before Albie Morgan saw a sliding shot go wide from the Addicks move of the first half after getting on the end of a first-time Doughty cross. 

Charlton looked to have opened the scoring in the 29th minute but were denied by the face of Forest Green’s Joseph Wollacott. The goalkeeper somehow managed to get in the way of a well-struck snap shot from birthday boy Naby Sarr before he was helped out by one of his defenders to deny Field on the rebound. 

Charlton started the second half in similar fashion with Oshilaja heading just over from a Forster-Caskey corner after some dominant possession play from the home side. 

It was a brilliant passing move that saw the Addicks awarded a 67th minute penalty when Sarr was hacked to the crowd. Forster-Caskey stepped up confidently to take the penalty but saw his effort comfortably saved by Wollacott. 

After a very quiet second half Ben Amos was called into action in the 74th minute when he made a very good reaction save to deny Junior Mondial. 

The visitors saw the game out and were able to clinch a penalty shootout win, scoring all five of their penalties, with Morgan striking the post with the Addicks third penalty. 

Charlton: Amos; Wiredu, Oshilaja, Sarr (C), Doughty; Forster-Caskey, Lapslie, Field (Ocran 78), Morgan; Aneke (Quitirna 62), Bonne

Subs (not used): Phillips, Stevenson, Dempsey

Booked: Aneke (56, foul on Bernard)

Penalties: Bonne (scored), Sarr (scored), Morgan (missed), Oshilaja (scored)

Forest Green Rovers: Wollacott, Bernard, Stevens (McCoulsky 69), Allen (Grubb 64), Adams, Morton, McGinley, Kitching, Godwin-Malife, Mills (C), Mondial

Subs (not used): Smith, Winchester, Collins, Dawson, Covil

Booked: Bernard (86, deliberate handball)

Penalties: Mills (scored), Grubb (scored), Adams (scored), Morton (scored), McCoulsky (scored)

Referee: J Busby

Attendance: 2,693 (159 from Forest Green)

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