Swansea City 1 Charlton Athletic 0

So proud of that Charlton team tonight, six 20 or under players featuring. They took the game to Swansea on their own patch and dominated the 2nd half. Not one hid, and they moved the ball well and chased every lost cause.

Davison, Dempsey, Morgan, Vennings, Doughty and not forgetting Conor Gallagher were a credit. Again, thank you for your hard work and expertise Steve Avory.

The 1st half we weren’t quite at the races. Our shape was off, not surprisingly as Bowyer fitted young players around the only fit older pros. We gave the ball away cheaply, although the fight was certainly apparent. Swansea’s goal was getting rave reviews on Sky, but it took quite a deflection and I wonder if Phillips would’ve saved it otherwise.

But the Swans could have been further ahead at the break, and I was pleased to hear the whistle. What was unexpected was the non-reappearance of Lyle Taylor. A tight thigh apparently. Why not. Surprised Bow, Jacko and Marsh aren’t injured too.

Doughty came on and I thought we looked more compact after the break. We drove on, with the young offensive players backed by Pearce, Lockyer and Pratley behind them. God, the boy Pratley needs a sit down. How fit he must be.

It was actually very enjoyable to watch 2nd half. The 500 Addicks behind the goal sounded like 5,000, but the ball didn’t quite fall right, and we lacked a little of bit of composure.

Doughty shot just wide after a lightning break and Davison, who battled so hard all game, had a header off target and a very good shot saved at the end. Sarr on late as an emergency striker caused noticeable havoc and on another day may have won a penalty. I wish Sarr had come on earlier.

There were a lot of balls into the box and after a poor run I thought Purrington was excellent as was Adam Matthews.

Despite 7 minutes of injury time, we fall to another defeat, but now get a bit of league respite. Although who plays on Sunday is anyone’s guess.

Quite a day, a day when the future of the club took a big step forward. These kids feel me with even more promise.

Superb Addicks at the Liberty Stadium:
Bow: “There are players in that Swansea side that are top players and the kids were fearless. They didn’t hide, they got on the ball, they tried to make the right decisions.”
Elsewhere: You may not have heard but Wayne Rooney made his debut for Derby. Not sure if they won or not!
Photo: @K_AndrewsPhotos