MATCH REPORT | Charlton 3 AFC Wimbledon 2

Charlton continued their climb up the Sky Bet League One table on Saturday afternoon as Johnnie Jackson’s side recorded a third win on the spin with a 3-2 triumph over AFC Wimbledon at The Valley.

A frenetic first-half saw Ethan Chislett fire the visitors ahead early on before Ryan Inniss restored parity. Conor Washington bagged his second goal in as many games to put the Addicks in the ascendancy soon after the half-hour mark, only for Ben Heneghan to get Wimbledon back on level terms ahead of the interval.

But the Addicks weren’t to be denied and Akin Famewo nodded home his maiden Charlton goal - and his first career goal - on 60 minutes to earn Jackson’s men maximum points.

Jackson named an unchanged XI from our last league outing at Portsmouth, whilst new recruit Scott Fraser was named on the bench having completed a move from Ipswich Town on deadline day.

Just three minutes had elapsed when the visitors raced into an early lead, despite the Addicks’ protests. Anthony Hartigan’s free-kick was nodded goalwards by Will Nightingale and although Craig MacGillivray gathered initially, the stopper fumbled under pressure from Chislett, who met Ayoub Assal’s flick to fire home on the turn from seven yards. 

Undeterred, the Addicks attacked through Alex Gilbey, whose low drive looped onto the roof of the net, via a deflection off Lee Brown.

Jackson was forced into an early alteration moments later as Corey Blackett-Taylor hobbled off, with Diallang Jaiyesimi replacing the left wing-back.

Gilbey’s sprayed diagonal ball soon found the advancing Jaiyesimi, who glided past Paul Osew to deliver a tantalising cross for Gilbey, only for Nightingale’s deft flick to take the ball off the midfielder’s boot.

Albie Morgan expertly delivered the resulting corner to the near post for the towering Inniss to steer home and level proceedings, albeit aided by a deflection off Hartigan.

Morgan’s set-piece prowess caused the visitors further problems on 24 minutes as the academy graduate’s inswinging cross found Washington, though the forward could only head wide.

Washington was involved again soon after the half-hour mark, this time racing in behind Nightingale to latch onto Jaiyesimi’s exquisite outside-of-the-boot pass from inside his own half, before finishing coolly past the onrushing Nik Tzanev.

Wimbledon restored parity just five minutes later as the unmarked Heneghan stooped to head home Hartigan’s deep free-kick, after Inniss had seemingly misjudged the flight of the ball.

As the clock neared half-time, Adam Matthews’ centre found Washington in a promising position, but the latter failed to get the ball under his spell, allowing Heneghan to avert the danger.

Charlton started the second period sprightly and enjoyed an early flurry of corners before Sean Clare forced Tzanev into a smart stop with a side-footed effort from range.

The respite for the Wombles was short-lived, however, as the Addicks deservedly restored their lead just three minutes later. Morgan was the catalyst again, this time delivering a deep corner for Famewo, who rose above Brown to plant a header into the top-right corner in front of the Covered End.

George Marsh flashed a shot wide of MacGillivray’s left upright at the other end, before Jackson handed Fraser his Addicks debut as Morgan made way.

The visitors mustered a flurry of openings in stoppage-time as Nightingale fired tamely at MacGillivray before Heneghan headed well wide from the resulting corner, as the Addicks rose to 11th in the third-tier.

Charlton: MacGillivray; Clare, Inniss (c), Famewo; Matthews, Gilbey, Dobson, Morgan (Fraser 73), Blackett-Taylor (Jaiyesimi 12); Aneke (Burstow 69), Washington

Subs (not used): Henderson, Pearce, Purrington, Lee

Goals: Inniss 18, Washington 31, Famewo 60

Booked: Jaiyesimi 29 (foul on Marsh), Gilbey 54 (foul on Marsh), Inniss 90 (foul on Ablade)

AFC Wimbledon: Tzanev; Osew, Nightingale, Heneghan (c), Brown; Hartigan, Marsh; Rudoni (Ablade 76), Chislett (McCormick 76), Assal; Cosgrove (Cosgrave 67)

Subs (not used): Broome, Csóka, Guinness-Walker, Mebude 

Goals: Chislett 3, Heneghan 36

Referee: Christopher Pollard

Attendance: 22,486 (1,233 from Wimbledon)

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