1 min
Charlton Athletic lost ground in the League One Play-Off race with a 1-0 defeat to fellow promotion rivals Peterborough United at The Valley.
Jonson Clarke-Harris netted inside 10 minutes as he curled a low effort past Ben Amos from outside the box to give Posh the advantage.
Around 10 minutes later, Sammie Szmodics could have doubled the visitor’s lead but Amos made an excellent fingertip save to turn his effort away.
At the other end, Charlton’s best chance to equalise came just after the half-hour mark when Frankie Kent fouled Alex Gilbey inside the area, only for Peterborough keeper Josef Bursik to superbly deny Jayden Stockley from the spot.
Szmodics had another chance on the hour mark from a Siriki Dembele pass but could only shoot over and the attacking midfielder was then perhaps unlucky not to win a penalty minutes later when Jason Pearce seemingly fouled him in the box.
And Szmodics came close again late on, hitting the post in injury-time after a defensive mix-up.
The result sees Charlton drop out of the Play-Off places, two points behind but still with four games to play.
Key Points
Check out all the key talking points and reaction from London Football Scene below…
Key Moment
Jonson Clarke-Harris’ 31st goal of the season in all competitions was enough for Charlton to taste defeat for the first time in 11 games.
Moan of the Match
Charlton were too negative in the opening period – their first instinct was often to play backwards or sideways despite forward passes being available.
Talking Point
Charlton put six past Plymouth in midweek but never looked like beating Peterborough’s defensive resolve in a tepid display – is it this inconsistency that will ultimately see them miss out on a Play-Off place?
Man of the Match
Sammie Szmodics – got on the ball in good areas throughout and was always a threat to Charlton’s backline.
Tweet of the Match
Referee Watch
Keith Stroud (Hampshire) – made the right call to award Charlton a first-half penalty but arguably Peterborough were unlucky not to have one of their own midway through the second period.
Atmosphere
The Valley faithful would not have been pleased at such a below-par display and would have made their feelings well-known, which may have livened up the affair.
Verdict
Charlton’s ineptitude in attack for much of this game showed they still have plenty of work to do if they are to win promotion via the Play-Offs.
