Hull City Under-21s’ unbeaten record finished after a 4-2 defeat at home to Charlton Athletic.
Despite Zane Myers and Pharrell Brown netting for the Tigers in each half, City would suffer defeat for the first time this season at Bishop Burton College, with Noah Wadsworth being sent off in second-half injury time.
Conor Sellars made five changes to his starting XI to the one that drew 1-1 away at QPR last time out. First-team forward Enis Destan started, replacing captain Hugh Parker, while Archie Howard, Cathal McCarthy, Aidon Shehu and Josh Ocaya all came in for Callum Yam, Stan Ashbee, Nathan Tinsdale and Tyrell Sellars-Fleming respectively.
Weathering early attacks from Charlton, with Calvin Okike blocking well to stop Jacob Safa’s effort, the Tigers opened the scoring after 15 minutes. Destan headed Brown’s cross into the path of Okike, who in-turn found Myers. The winger cut inside and placed his left-footed finish into the far bottom corner.
Charlton searched for an equaliser as a short corner routine from Kai Enslin found Henry Rylah. His cross found the full-back Oliver Hobden who fired narrowly wide. The visiting defender wasn’t to be denied four minutes later as Emmanuel Sol-Laza set up Hobden to fire his powerful finish past Howard.
A minute later, Charlton received a penalty as Howard caught Reuben Reid. Rylah stepped up and despite Howard getting a hand to the spot-kick, the ball found the bottom left corner.
Prior to half-time, City crafted good opportunities to equalise. First, Destan and Brown linked up well, with the latter seeing his effort blocked by Ty Ewens-Findlay, before Myers flashed his curling drive just wide past the post. Okike was next to take aim from range, with George Hardy saving.
In the second half, Howard saved well to stop Sol-Laza’s cross shot while Hardy denied half-time substitute Parker in the other goal. Wadsworth then cleared Rylah’s effort off the line while Howard produced a fingertip save to push over Safa’s dipping drive.
At the other end, after Hardy punched Wadsworth’s corner, Myers found Parker who in-turn set up Harry Revill, who narrowly poked the ball wide from close range.
Howard continued to be the busier of the two keepers as he produced two brilliant saves to keep out Charlton, but he could do nothing for Charlton’s third as Reid rounded the onrushing keeper to score the visitors’ third.
Five minutes later, City reduced the deficit with a moment of individual brilliance from Brown, curling his left-footed finish into the far corner with precision and power, before Howard again produced heroics to deny Sol-Loza from point-blank range.
However, Charlton would secure the win with eight minutes to play as substitutes Ethan Brown and Shia-Lee Burnham linked up well, with the latter prodding the ball past Howard inside the penalty area.
In stoppage-time, the Tigers were reduced to 10-men after Wadsworth’s mis-timed challenge saw the defender receive a straight red card.
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Leeeeee-burn
Currently top of the league but Swansea have two games in hand
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