1 min
Charlton Athletic’s Play-Off hopes hang in the balance despite a stoppage time equaliser by Chucks Aneke salvaging a 1-1 draw at Accrington Stanley.
Joe Pritchard’s 81st minute strike looked to have earned mid-table Accrington victory before Aneke’s leveller left Charlton needing to win their final two games and hoping results elsewhere go their way.
In a low quality first-half of long balls, Charlton’s Conor Washington and Alex Gilbey had chances to open the scoring early on while Dion Charles’ snapshot for Accrington clipped the bar.
A change in approach from both sides in the second period saw a more passing game with Accrington’s Sean McConville increasingly threatening on the left-hand side.
Ryan Inniss and Jason Pearce were kept busy keeping Accrington’s Charles at bay with the former in particular making a couple of key blocks on the edge of the box.
Accrington then went close with Colby Bishop forcing a scrambled save from Charlton keeper Ben Amos before Joe Pritchard began the late drama with less than 10 minutes left to play.
Key Points
Check out all the key talking points and reaction from London Football Scene below…
Key Moment
Accrington’s decision to drop the long ball tactics meant they started to control the game in the second-half, particularly through Sean McConville on the left-hand side.
Moan of the Match
The first 20 minutes were a tough watch as both teams played rather unsuccessful long balls.
Talking Point
Would a fully fit Conor Washington have made a difference in the last half hour?
Man of the Match
Ryan Inniss – Charlton may have failed to keep a clean sheet, but the defender kept Stanley’s attack at bay and poised an aerial threat at the other end as well.
Tweet of the Match
Referee Watch
Alan Young (Cambridgeshire) – selective in his awarding of free-kicks, and surprising it didn’t wind the players up more.
Atmosphere
A game that started with dull long balls ended up being rather tense as both teams applied more pressure as the niggly fouls increased towards the end.
Verdict
It’s going to be tough for Charlton to dislodge Portsmouth for that final Play-Off spot following today’s draw. With two games to play and four points behind there’s no margin for error now.
