A young Charlton side put on a fantastic second half performance but were beaten 1-0 by Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium.
Lee Bowyer’s side were without 13 first team players and fielded six players age 20 or below during the game but were unable to overcome and early Yann Dhanda goal in the first game following ESI’s takeover of the club earlier in the day.
The home side controlled the first half but the young Addicks were fantastic after the break and nearly secured what would have been a well-earned point.
Bowyer made five changes from the side that played Derby County three days earlier including handing full league debuts to academy graduates Ben Dempsey and Josh Davison.
Both sides spent the first 10 minutes feeling each other out but after taking a 14th minute lead the Swans really got a grip on the first half.
It was former Liverpool man Dhanda who gave the home side the lead when he cut inside onto his right foot and drove at goal from just outside the area. His effort took a deflection on the way into the bottom corner giving Dillon Phillips no chance.
The openings began to flow from for the Swans and Borja Baston had two chances to double the lead but hit just wide from a cross from the left and then blazed over when he really should have converted a simple two-on-one.
Dhanda almost had his second of the game when he got off a shot from the Swans right but again it went just past Phillips’ goal.
At the other end Tom Lockyer had Charlton’s best chance of the first half but could only head straight at Freddie Woodman from Conor Gallagher’s 18th minute free kick.
Gallagher himself also hit straight at Woodman when the Addicks worked a quick corner into a shooting position for the England U21.
Phillips did well to deny Andre Ayew just after the half hour mark and the effort from the rebound from George Byers bounced back off the Charlton post.
The young Addicks side battled bravely and saw out the first half without conceding a second goal.
With Lyle Taylor still returning from a long spell on the sidelines he was substituted at half-time and replaced by the in-form academy graduate Alfie Doughty leaving five of the Charlton XI on the pitch aged 20 or under.
Doughty nearly made an instant impact when he got on the end of a perfectly-weighted Albie Morgan chipped ball as the Swans played a high line. The winger sped away from the home defence and his shot from a tight angle, across goal, only narrowly wide of Woodman’s goal.
The young Addicks were showing real heart and Davison was next to come close when he headed just wide from a Gallagher free kick.
At the other Phillips did well to claw away a Conor Roberts shot that came through a few Charlton bodies.
Bowyer's boys continued to battle on and very much held their own as the half continued. Substitute Naby Sarr, playing up front, had a late penalty shout turned down as Charlton piled on the pressure.
The Addicks forced a stoppage time save from Woodman when Davison's shot on the turn looked destined for the bottom corner and he then saved comfortably when Gallagher shot straight at him.
Swansea City: Woodman, van der Hoorn (Wilmot 58), Grimes (C), Baston (Fulton 86), Routledge, Dhanda (Celina 65), Ayew, Roberts, Naughton, Byers, Cabango
Subs (not used): Nordfeldt, John, McKay, Celina, Kalulu,
Goal: Dhanda 14
Booked: Naughton 2 (foul on Dempsey)
Charlton: Phillips; Matthews, Lockyer, Pearce (C), Purrington (Sarr 87); Pratley, Morgan (Vennings 71), Gallagher, Dempsey; Taylor (Doughty 46), Davison
Subs (not used): Maynard-Brewer, Solly, Sarr, Oshilaja, Ledley, Vennings
Booked: Morgan 22 (foul on Ayew), Pearce 45 (foul on Byers), Pratley 51 (foul on Cabango)
Referee: P Bankes