Matthews out.
Dickson missed two easy chances. Must be sold NOW
Houghton - Was in defence and we lost so he's rubbish
John Brown - Over his dead body : - )
OK, calm down, Ben. It was a reserve game, we lost. And breathe........
Inexperienced Charlton reserves ended their totesport.com Combination Central league campaign with a 1-0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday night.
Sam Long goes up for a header against BrightonA goal from Kane Wills on the stroke of half-time proved decisive and means the Addicks will finish their season in seventh place.
Damian Matthew's men went into the game having won their last three matches, scooping a 1-0 victory over Aldershot Town last Wednesday when Scott Wagstaff was on target.
And the Addicks dominated the early stages against Brighton, forcing Mitchell Walker into several good saves, only for the Seagulls to take the lead in stoppage time at the end of the first half.
The Addicks huffed and puffed for the remainder of the match but couldn't find a way through, and will be disappointed with their overall display.
Just days after returning from a loan spell with Ebbsfleet United, Rashid Yussuff took to the Stonebridge Road pitch again, starting in midfield for Charlton.
Yussuff joined Fleet for a month in March, scoring once in eight appearances before returning to SE7 after the Blue Square Premier season ended on Saturday.
Whitechapel-based Yussuff has one Charlton appearance to his name after making his debut as a late substitute in the FA Cup third-round replay win at Norwich City in January.
He started in the centre of the park, alongside skipper Alex Stavrinou, with Ben Davisson on the right and Harry Arter on the left, although the latter pair swapped flanks at regular intervals.
Aside from Yussuff and Arter, the only other players in Matthew's side with first-team experience were Darren Randolph and Chris Dickson.
Randolph was named in goal, behind a back four of Tottenham Hotspur trialist Cian Hughton - son of Newcastle United coach Chris - the towering Yado Mambo, Sam Long and Jack Clark. Long recently completed work experience terms with Grays Athletic after learning he will be released by the Addicks in the summer.
Cardiff City striker John Brown was partnered by Dickson in attack, with the bench made up of goalkeeper Jack Binks, Harry Pell, Connor Morris and Lewis Perkins. Freddie Warren was forced to pull out of his place as a substitute after contracting conjunctivitis.
The Addicks started brightly in the evening sunshine and could have gone in front after just a minute when Dickson controlled Hughton's cross but saw his shot parried away by Walker.
Just 90 seconds later Yussuff forced another good save from Mitchell after good work by Brown on the left. Mitchell then made a double stop, first denying Dickson and then getting up to parry away Stavrinou's effort from the rebound.
In the 11th minute, a neat one-two between Hughton and Davisson teed up the midfielder but he screwed his shot well wide of the far post, while the same player was also off target from around 20 yards out.
Trialist Cian Hughton played at right-back Dickson had another opportunity to put the hosts in front in the 23rd minute, racing clear after a quick throw from Randolph but scuffing his shot straight at Walker, who saved with his legs.
On the half-hour mark, Long fired wide after a strong run from the halfway line, while Brown shot weakly at Walker from eight yards after good work by Arter and Dickson.
At the other end, a rare Brighton attack ended with Lewis Ide shooting well over Randolph's goal, while Arter almost scored in bizarre fashion in the 41st minute when his poor free-kick was missed by Walker but headed off the line for a corner by a Seagulls defender.
Despite Charlton's domination, it was Brighton who took the lead in first-half injury time, Wills slotting home from close range after Randolph could only parry a shot from Kane Louis.
The Seagulls could have doubled their lead right at the start of the second period, Louis controlling a cross brilliantly only to shoot weakly at Randolph.
After Brown limped out of the action in the 55th minute, his replacement Perkins failed to connect properly with a header from a Clark cross, while Stavrinou nodded wide of the target after Walker had flapped at an Arter delivery.
The visitors were much improved in the second half and in the 68th minute, Louis volleyed just wide of Randolph's right-hand post after a fine cross from substitute Steven Brinkhurst.
Louis looked to have made it 2-0 with five minutes left when he met a cross from George Barker only to see his header crash off the underside of the bar, and Arter's free-kick from 30 yards rippled the side netting as Brighton sealed the win.
Charlton: Randolph, Hughton, Clark, Stavrinou, Mambo, Long, Davisson, Yussuff, Brown (Perkins 55), Dickson, Arter. Subs (not used): Morris, Binks, Pell.
Brighton: Walker, Cook, Smith, Wills, Pearson, Rowe, Royce (Barker 79), Ide (Thomson 89), Dixon, Louis, Upton (Brinkhurst 46). Subs (not used): Wilkins, Cooper.
Goal: Wills 45
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Comments
With small resources and a relegation decider, i'd love to know just how experience the Brighton team was !
Swine flu it all about the swine flu
prefer to rename the first team