Charlton 2 (Purrington 35, Bauer 90+4) Sunderland 1 (Sarr 5,o.g.).

Kevin Nolan reports from Wembley Stadium.

Considerable slack should be cut when reading this admittedly sketchy account of Charlton's heart attack-inducing victory over arch enemies Sunderland, a town it might be prudent to swerve for the time being. Much of what occurred passed in a daze for your reporter, recumbent as he was for much of the time on the floor of Wembley's press box. But we do our best so here goes.

Let's start at the end where, in the last seconds of four added minutes, the latest in a series of free kicks conceded by the increasingly physical Mackems was quickly taken on the left, with the ball switched short to Josh Cullen. Moving on to his right foot, the indefatigable midfield maestro crossed to the far post, where Patrick Bauer's header bounced back to him off Tom Flanagan and was prodded over the line, again off the helpful Flanagan, by Charlton's big friendly German. Celebrations were mighty, even in the supposedly neutral surroundings of the media centre but we pulled ourselves together promptly. There were, after all, six tricky seconds to negotiate before promotion to the Championship became official. Whereupon, frankly, all bets were off. Everyone went unapologetically garrity.

Now we'll go back to the beginning. The euphoric mood much later was a stark contrast to the disbelief and despair Charlton fans felt when the Wearsiders were given a goal start after just five minutes of this winner-takes-all clash. For once, that over-used word "surreal" can be justified in describing the debacle which, in an almost dream-like sequence, persuaded Naby Sarr to routinely return Dillon Phillips' roll-out to the keeper. Perhaps a confirmatory glance might have spared the Addicks grief but Phillips seemed the guiltier party in taking his eye off the ball and allowing it to trickle almost furtively into his net. "Something we couldn't control" was Lee Bowyer's charitable post-game comment. If Charlton had lost, his reaction might have been saltier.

To his credit, Phillips held his nerve and contributed an important save from Grant Leadbitter as Sunderland sensed an opportunity to put the tie on a safer footing.

Inspired by the calm authority of Cullen and the streetwise experience of Darren Pratley, order was gradually restored with the former passing it about and the latter putting it about, so to speak. The ugly spectre of that disastrous own goal continued to haunt them, though, until an unlikely scorer purged it with a 35th minute equaliser.

Since replacing long-term injury absentee Lewis Page, left back Ben Purrington has operated under the radar, unsung and taken for granted as a solid, unfussy defender. Without a senior goal to his credit, Purington updated that statistic by arriving at the far post, with Pratley at his elbow, to tap in Lyle Taylor's hard low centre across the six-yard box. Coolly impressive Anfernee Dijksteel and Premier League target Joe Aribo had distinguished themselves in the approach play which set up Taylor's assist. And while his goal didn't quite match the quality of Clive Mendonca's magical strikes in 1998, Purrington's name, like those of Chris Duffy and Clive Mendonca, will resonate down the years as scorer of one of the defining goals in the club's Wembley story. He was joined later by another improbable scorer.

Having drawn level, the next imperative for the resurgent Addicks was to come up with a winner to spare us extra-time and, perish the thought, penalties. To that end, old pro Jason Pearce was a sensible interval replacement for Sarr, recipient of a first half yellow card and an obvious target for Sunderland's wind-up merchants.

Stalwart Pearce shored up the defence but it was the 71st minute introduction of Jonny Williams for braveheart Pratley which decisively shifted the momentum in Charlton's favour. A known quantity as far as the Mackems are concerned, their plan to curtail his free-roaming incursions was simplicity itself. Having clearly placed a bounty on his head, they took turns to bash him up, accepting cautions as a fair price to pay to curb his enthusiasm. Brave as a bible, he invited their mistreatment and was fittingly involved in the last gasp free kick which turned the tables on his tormentors. In the process of relishing their ultimate discomfort, the Nolans dangled precariously from the press box like Statler and Waldorf. We couldn't have complained if we'd been aimed out of the stadium. But who cares anyway? We'll always have Wembley May '19 to remember, a magical day when the good guys won through, one which confirmed for us that it's a privilege to support Charlton. See you in the Championship. You're all welcome.

Charlton: Phillips, Dijksteel, Bauer, Sarr (Pearce 46), Purrington, Bielik, Pratley (Williams 71), Cullen, Aribo, Parker, Taylor. Not used: Maxwell, Forster-Caskey, Reeves, Solly, Lapslie. Booked: Sarr.

Sunderland: McLaughlin, O'Nien. Ozturk, Flanagan, Oviedo, Cattermole, Leadbitter, Power (Morgan 9), Honeyman, Wyke (McGeady 72), Maguire (Grigg 57). Not used: Stryjek, Matthews, Gooch, Dunne. Booked: O'Nien, Flanagan, Leadbitter, Grigg.

Referee: Andy Madley. Att: 76,155.

This one is for Betty Hutchins. No explanation is necessary.

When John Marquis put Doncaster ahead during the first half of extra-time last Friday, there was the briefest of pauses - a distinct catching of breath - in the ceaseless wall of sound which had been urging Charlton on all evening.

It was time to face defeat. Enough was enough. The Addicks had given everything. There was no shame in losing. They'd done their best.

But the moment of doubt -and it was only a moment - passed before the Valley Roar spontaneously re-doubled. Twice as loud, twice as fierce, totally illogical, it made spines tingle and hairs stand out on necks. To borrow and bend a phrase, "c'est magnifique...mais ce n'est pas le football".

Still elated by their success, the visitors were clearly taken aback by the defiant swell of emotion, while Lee Bowyer's band of brothers instinctively tapped into its sheer, bloodyminded rejection of reality, before being swept along on its tide of irresistible momentum. Surrender was not yet an option. The glorious uncertainty of football hadn't done with us yet.

It takes very little to stir Lyle Taylor's juices and he responded immediately. Waspishly possessed of fresh energy, he wriggled free on the right and lashed over one of his patent-pending low crosses which induces panic in defences. Leaving his line, Marko Marosi prepared to deal routinely with the danger but fatally slipped. Managing only to feebly paw the ball to Darren Pratley's feet, he was helpless to intervene as the combative veteran walked the gift into a yawning net. It was obvious that the wretched keeper was tripped from behind by person or persons unknown. Looking down from the press box, I know what I saw. But I'm no grass. And neither were any of the innocents in the crowd behind his goal. There were forces at work beyond our comprehension.

With the noise reaching new crescendos, the North Stand rose further to the occasion during the penalty shoot-out which had seemed likely since Matty Blair's late goal at Keepmoat Stadium five days previously. So did Greenwich Constabulary who, with health and safety issues on their conscience, ordered the kicks to be taken at the home end. It was the least they could do for Keith Palmer.

Impeccably behaved while four Addicks and three Rovers efficiently scored from the spot, the diehards came into their own when Marquis stepped up to take Donny's fourth spotkick. Clearly targeted as a weak link in the visitors' penalty chain, a storm of personal comments, many of them impolitely querying Marquis' curious hairdo, greeted the rattled striker. Almost obediently, he shovelled a meek effort straight at Dillon Phillips before fleeing the scene - a broken man.

The tie was now in Charlton's hands but fifth taker Naby Sarr promptly dropped it. His miss left Rovers' survival down to their skipper Tommy Rowe, a spectacular long range scorer much earlier during this semi-final's bumpy ride but still disgruntled over the arbitrary choice of ends for the shoot-out. His distracted effort flew woefully wide and the suffering was over.

Until Sunday, that is, when we return to earth to confront Sunderland in a grudge final at Wembley. Mackems' manager Jack Ross will have noted how Doncaster successfully threw a disruptive spanner into Charlton's normally smooth works. Constantly in the Addicks' faces, they worked tirelessly to deny them the space they needed to stitch together the instinctive, lightning-fast pass-move-pass combinations which characterise them. And when possession was won, they were incisive and imaginative themselves, counter-attacking skilfully and with purpose. They were the better side at The Valley but their hosts, when push became shove, found a way to win - otherwise known as the hard way. Doncaster caught them on a bad day. Sunderland might not be as lucky.

With an almost fully fit squad available to him, Bowyer must solve several selection dilemmas, among them choices to be made between Dijksteel/Solly, Pearce/Sarr, Pratley/Morgan and assuming Igor Vetokele doesn't recover in time, Parker/Williams. Whoever he chooses, the fans will close ranks behind them in solidarity. Once an Addick, always an Addick, from cradle to grave. Charlton is, after all, the greatest football team the world has ever seen.

Charlton 2 (Bielik 2, Pratley 102) Doncaster Rovers 3 (Rowe 11, Butler 88, Marquis 100). Aggregate score 4-4 (Charlton won 4-3 on penalties).

Kevin Nolan reporting from The Valley.

Providing the climax to an evening in which Charlton and their magnificent fans were served through wringers, mincers and shredding machines, this frantic play-off semi-final simmered down, as so often they do, into the clinically dispassionate format of the penalty shoot-out. From the moment, in fact, when Matty Blair's late goal for Doncaster in the first leg changed the course of this tie, it became almost inevitable it was heading in that direction.

Penalty shoot-outs have a life of their own, whereby players still running on adrenaline after more than 120 minutes in a pressure cooker, are forced back down to earth quickly, to confront their fears and go about their lonely business from 12 unassisted yards. Unlike the lottery, to which these gunfights are lazily compared, luck takes a back seat. Cool judgement, not blind speculation, wins the day.

Following Greenwich Police's flawless call (who says there's never a copper around when you need one?) that, for security reasons, the spotkicks would take place in front of Charlton's raucous covered end, the Addicks also earned the slight advantage of going first. And emerging from their ruck of players in the centre circle came the  reassuring, if unlikely, figure of Chris Solly. He proved an inspired choice.

A 110th minute substitute for battered Krystian Bielik, 28 year-old veteran Solly might -or might not - have been introduced with penalties in mind. His low effort was buried well out of keeper Marko Marosi's reach, calmed local misgivings and provided the template for his teammates to follow. When Dillon Phillips saved John Marquis' fourth penalty, Naby Sarr was handed the opportunity to seal the tie at 5-3 but failed to beat Marko Marosi. No problem really because Rovers' clearly legweary skipper Tommy Owen sent his effort well wide and the pent-up, sell-out crowd erupted like so many corks from pent-up bottles on to the pitch in spontaneous celebration. 4-4 result, followed by penalties... those figures might cause a flutter or two up on Wearside, where 1998 is a year stricken from local calendars.

It was Bielik whose second minute goal apparently simplified Charlton's task in exploiting the narrow lead brought back from Yorkshire five days earlier. Fouled by Owen, he headed Josh Cullen's cleverly feinted free kick irresistibly past Marosi and The Valley's relief was palpable. Not for long, unfortunately, as Owen redeemed himself by finding the space he needed to leave Phillips helpless from over 20 yards. Phillips promptly averted early collapse by saving smartly from Marquis as Donny pressed home their advantage.
Sensing the tension undermining their hosts, Grant McCann's men took over. While not exactly playing Charlton off the park, as McCann claimed, they were the better side and should have levelled the tie long before spiky centre back Andrew Butler turned the trick with just two minutes remaining. Meeting Ali Crawford's left wing corner at the far post, Butler's header found the bottom right corner and Sunderland's Wembley opponents were as far from being identified as they had been at Keepmoat Stadium at 12.15 p.m. five days previously.

The smart money was now, of course, on Donny and they duly justified their narrowing odds by moving in front for the first time in the tie ten minutes into extra time. The close range finish was provided by Marquis but its inspiration was provided by the increasing influence and trickery of Leeds loanee Mallik Wilks. Feinting on to his left foot to shake off a bemused Anfernee Dijksteel, Wilks darted to the right byline before standing up a delicious cross which made scoring a 3-yard headed formality for the prolific Marquis.

Out of sorts, beset by nerves and unable to string together the impressive pass-and-move football which has so often characterised them this season, the Addicks dug deep and refused to quit. A frustrated Lyle Taylor was in no mood to concede defeat and while the visitors were still basking in their success, wriggled free on the right before hammering over one of his trademarked low crosses. Diving outwards, Marosi fumbled, leaving interval substitute Darren Pratley to prod home the point blank rebound. His somewhat startled effort hardly matched the quality of the resounding volley he netted at Shrewsbury back in January but outclassed it in every other respect. In two words, it was scruffy but priceless.

Still juggling with his formation -3-5-2 reverted to a 4-4-2 diamond after the break - Lee Bowyer has an almost full squad and key decisions to make before the rematch with Sunderland next Sunday. Here's one man's opinions...for what they're worth.

Re-deployed in both semi-final legs, Bielik must surely start the final in midfield; Solly's old pro nous should get him the nod at right back over the the irreproachable Dijksteel, whose day will come; if willing to be patched up, Igor Vetokele picks himself to partner Taylor up front; if not, Jonny Williams has to be considered behind Taylor, with Josh Parker the sole forward on the bench. Discuss among yourselves.

Charlton: Phillips, Dijksteel, Bauer, Sarr, Purrington, Bielik (Solly 110), Aribo, Morgan (Pratley 46), Cullen, Parker (Williams 96), Taylor. Not used: Maxwell, Pearce, Forster-Caskey, Lapslie. Booked: Bielik, Aribo, Pratley.

Doncaster: Marosi, Downing, Blair (May 86), Butler, Whiteman, Andrew, Rowe, Coppinger (Sadlier 96), Wilks (Wright 105), Kane (Crawford 80), Marquis. Not used: Lawlor, Anderson, Beeston. Booked: Marosi, Butler, Whiteman, Downing.

Referee: Gavin Ward. Att: 25,428 (1,351).

Doncaster Rovers 1 (Blair 87) Charlton 2 (Taylor 32, Aribo 34).

Kevin Nolan reports from Keepmoat Stadium.

At the risk of sounding churlish, let's begin this otherwise positive account of Charlton's vital victory in South Yorkshire with a minor gripe. Better make that a medium-to-major gripe because Matty Blair's scruffy, ungainly but potentially priceless goal for Doncaster changed the dynamic of Friday night's second leg at The Valley. There's a world of difference -psychologically for openers - between starting the second leg 2-1 rather than 2-0 down, especially when you've scored so late. Blair's lucky strike gave gritty Rovers a boost at a pivotal time.

And the gripe? That comes with the suspect, what-we-have-we-hold attitude Charlton adopted during a second half they virtually conceded to their inferior hosts. As they gradually gave ground, there was already an ominous whiff of legweariness about them by the time Mallik Wilks' left wing cross spiralled, via a wicked deflection, to the far post where right back Blair popped up to bundle the ball over the line. Significantly, it came as no surprise to either side. But it gave this semi-final fresh legs.

If he was irritated by the late setback, Lee Bowyer manfully hid his feelings."It's disappointing," he allowed, "because I think we worked so hard and shut up shop well." True enough, in which case Blair should have his collar felt for shoplifting.

With last March's fortunate 1-1 draw in mind, Bowyer set his troops out in a fit-for-purpose 3-5-2 shape, with full backs Anfernee Dijksteel and Ben Purrington advanced on the flanks to counter the raids on the break with which Donny caught them out so often during the contentious league fixture here. The adjustments did mean, however, that Krystian Bielik spent most of the game behind Dijksteel in what appeared to these tactically archaic eyes to be an orthodox right back position. There were none of those rampaging runs from his own half which instil panic in opposition ranks and frequently turn games on their heads. A newly swashbuckling Bielik might be unleashed on unsuspecting Rovers in Friday's second leg.

Until Blair's inconvenient intervention, a disciplined first leg performance was on offer for a packed away end, which held its collective breath when left back Danny Andrews free kick, awarded for Patrick Bauer's bookable foul on Kieran Sadlier, beat Dillon Phillips but clipped the bar on its way to safety. They also saluted their brilliant young keeper for diving full length to keep out veteran James Coppinger's venomous low drive. At the other, far distant end, the ineffable Lyle Taylor drew a similarly sharp save from Marko Marosi and Josh Parker headed Purrington's perfect cross wastefully off target.Just past the half hour, Taylor gave the Addicks a precious lead. And who better than the serial scorer himself to describe the goal?

"The ball came in (from Albie Morgan), it's flicked off Butler and I just saw Josh Cullen stood on the line and I thought 'what's he doing there?' It's gone straight to him. It popped back in the box and I thought 'I'm going to have my head taken off here but I need to score, I have to score. I'm going to have to head this,' so I just threw myself at it and thankfully didn't get volleyed in the head." And there you have it -the anatomy of a goal by its owner. No sub-titles necessary.

Two minutes later, Taylor had a hand in the Addicks' second goal. In the throes of another hectic goalmouth scramble, his adroit pass set up Joe Aribo to finish off Marosi's hand from an awkward position not dissimilar to Cullen's on the right byline. "Definitely a shot, not a cross", as clarified by Taylor by way of claiming an assist for Aribo's fourth goal in as many games and tenth of the season. Not for charismatic Lyle those guarded interviews favoured by so many players; when he's got something to say (and that's pretty often), he comes right out and says it without worrying if it frightens the horses.

With their two-goal lead nicely tucked away, Bowyer's talented troops embarked on their ultimately damaging safety first policy, with both second half subs statements of defensive intent. It might have been a welcome change to chomp on a cigar (unlit of course), sit back with feet up and relish watching them toy with Donny in an academic second leg but that was never going to happen. It's just not the Charlton way. So sit tight, folks, strap yourself in and get ready for a white-knuckle ride. It's worth more that way. Trust me.

Doncaster: Marosi, Blair, Butler, Downing, Andrew, Whiteman, Kane, Coppinger ((Rowe 46), Sadlier (May 84), Wilks, Marquis. Not used: Jones, Crawford, Anderson, Smith, Lewis.

Charlton: Phillips, Dijksteel, Bauer, Sarr, Purrington, Bielik, Morgan (Pratley 61), Cullen, Aribo, Parker (Pearce 66), Taylor. Not used: Maxwell, Page, Forster-Caskey, Williams, Lapslie. Booked: Bauer.   

Referee: Oliver Langford. Att: 11,140 (3,688 vocal visitors).

Gillingham 0 Charlton 2 (Aribo 24, Cullen 42).

Kevin Nolan reporting from Priestfield Stadium.

With one eye trained warily on the play-offs, Lee Bowyer's recent team selections have tightrope-walked the finest of lines in brinkmanship. His competitive reluctance to concede defeat has been carefully weighed against the need to tackle the post-season melee with a fully-functioning squad. And apart from his ill-fated use of Chris Solly at left back, his choices have been intuitive.

Judging correctly that Gillingham would approach this fixture with less than their usual fervour once League One survival had been assured, Bowyer made four changes from the side which demolished Scunthorpe. Lyle Taylor and Patrick Bauer were rested, with Ben Reeves and Albie Morgan dropped to bench duty. Starts were given to George Lapslie, Darren Pratley, Jonny Williams and Jason Pearce.

Both performance and result vindicated the manager's decisions. Gillingham were airily dismissed and routinely beaten by first half goals scored significantly by midfielders. The opener was Joe Aribo's eighth of a barnstorming season but even more pleasing was Josh Cullen's first for the club, a close range finish which rewarded the talented West Ham loanee's instinct for regularly supporting his forwards in the opposition's penalty area.

In a dominant midfield, among which 34 year-old Pratley was admirably "down with the kids", Aribo was frequently unplayable. A ceaselessly mobile bundle of effective energy, he was impossible to dispossess; his range of passing imaginative; his will to win no doubt especially dear to his manager's heart. His was a "horse" of a game. A protective rest next Saturday might be advisable since the loss of Charlton's driving force prior to the play-offs, though unthinkable, starts as a racing certainty in this injury-ravaged campaign.

Pratley and Williams, meanwhile, brought contrasting measures of pragmatism and dash to a hustling, bustling midfield which outclassed Gills. Pratley "won it and gave it" in deference to his more expansive colleagues, Williams ran exuberantly with the ball, drawing fouls as usual but needing a goal to rubberstamp his enthusiastic contributions. His solitary chance was deftly laid on by Aribo but was blasted high over the bar.

At the back for the relaxed visitors, an innovative three-cum-four set-up comprising the dramatically improving Anfernee Dijksteel, Pearce, Naby Sarr and Ben Purrington were unruffled by Gillingham's progressively feeble incursions. Behind them, Dillon Phillips was required to make only one noteworthy save, a spectacular tip-over of Tahvon Campbell's potent strike on the turn before the interval. A fifth clean sheet in Charlton's last seven games was effortlessly achieved against hosts prematurely celebrating another season in League One.

Aribo's goal virtually ended Gills' token resistance. Before he scored, Igor Vetokele, a livewire up front without Taylor's galvanic presence, had broken away but was overhauled by Barry Fuller, one of three former Addicks in the home side. Phillips' fine save from Campbell followed, then Aribo crucially struck. Combining with Purrington on the left, he received the left back's pass via a faint deflection off Max Ehmer before placing a crisp low drive beyond Tomas Holy's reach inside the right post. Now adding goals to his impressive repertoire, Aribo was unforgivably omitted from the League One All-Star team as selected by his peers. You might have expected fellow professionals to appreciate his all-round excellence but, in this instance, you might also be disappointed. The chosen eleven was Barnsley-dominated and Addick-free, much to Bowyer's disbelief.

Cullen's overdue goal arrived three minutes before the break. He was perfectly placed to convert the rebound after Holy found Williams' low drive too hot to handle.

After Dijksteel's breakthrough last week, a 13th name was thus added to Charlton's list of 2018-19 goalscorers, a total Purrington came close to swelling when he arrived at the far post early in the second half to meet Williams' right wing centre. His volley was venomously struck but marvellously kept out by Holy. The keeper also pulled off a double save to deny Vetokele reward for an industrious, bighearted performance.

With the naming on the bench of long-term absentees Jake Forster-Caskey and Lewis Page, Bowyer's squad is dangerously close to being at full strength. Forster-Caskey will find it difficult to break into the Addicks' well-stocked midfield, to which the almost indispensable Krystian Bielik is expected to return next Saturday against Rochdale. Likewise, Page's recall to the starting line-up will surely be delayed by the fine form of Purrington, an unsung, discreetly acquired signing who has made the left back berth his own. They are problems, so we are told, that a manager loves to solve. He may also be mulling over the fact that Rochdale beat his side 1-0 at their place in October. Play-offs or not, he owes 'em one. So first things first.

Charlton (3-4-2-1) Phillips 7, Dijksteel 7, Pearce 8, Sarr 7, Purrington 7, Cullen 8, Pratley 7, Lapslie 6 (Morgan 86), Williams 7 (Parker 78), Aribo 10, Vetokele. Not used: Maynard-Brewer, Forster-Caskey, Reeves, Page, Doughty.

Charlton 4 (Dijksteel 24, Aribo 55, Vetokele 63, Taylor 67) Scunthorpe United 0.

Kevin Nolan reporting from The Valley.

Seeking to balance the pressure for short-term results with the longer term imperative of preparing his squad for the play-offs, Lee Bowyer adroitly shuffled his pack for the visit of relegation haunted Scunthorpe United. Already without Chris Solly, whose ill-advised appeal against his Good Friday red card was predictably dismissed, he was also deprived of midfield maestro Krystian Bielik through a minor shoulder injury.

Solly's absence was brilliantly taken care of by Anfernee Dijksteel, who crowned a fine contribution with his first goal for the club; solid citizen Ben Purrington returned at left back, with fans' favourite Naby Sarr preferred to Jason Pearce as Patrick Bauer's partner at centre back. There were starts for Ben Reeves and teenage prospect Albie Morgan, not to mention the sooner-than-expected re-appearance on the bench of Jake Forster-Caskey. Bowyer's hand was also enhanced by the quick recovery from injury of Igor Vetokele, whose recent return to scoring form provides a timely boost for Charlton's promotion ambitions.

The resourceful manager, who so often during this arduous campaign has found himself between a rock and a hard place, was rewarded for his handling of another tricky situation by his side's biggest win of the season. A catalogue of close range chances missed by the visitors somewhat compromised his claim that "we were outstanding from start to finish" but he was spot-on that Scunthorpe had been "blown away", never more so than during the three-goal salvo that destroyed them within twelve explosive second half minutes.
Quickly out of the blocks, the Addicks showed early aggression as bright spark Morgan took Reeves' pass in his stride and fired forcibly into the sidenet. Bauer's far post header from Reeves' corner deflected unluckily wide off an unwitting defender but the breakthrough was not long delayed. Again Reeves was involved by alertly combining with Lyle Taylor near the left corner flag.

Turning sharply on to his right foot, Taylor's accurate cross was effortlessly controlled by Dijksteel, whose second touch was a firm finish into the bottom left corner.

Although looking like the relegation candidates they are, the Irons had opportunities of their own during a low key first half. Dillon Phillips was required to make competent saves from Funso Ojo and George Thomas before Ojo missed a sitter in added time. Set up at close range when Lee Novak expertly nodded down Adam Hamill's left wing cross at the far post, Ojo, with an "m" critically missing from his mojo, made a stumbling mess of prodding his shot miserably off target.

Taking up briefly as they'd left off, United began the second period brightly with Novak's near post flick sending Josh Morris' low cross narrowly wide, then Hamill's driven centre barely eluding Novak on its untouched way to the opposite touchline. At which point, the roof fell in on the unfortunate visitors.

Enjoying himself immensely, Reeves' inswinging right wing corner was emphatically bulleted into the roof of Jak Alnwick's net by Joe Aribo's head to begin the onslaught. Scunny were sitting ducks now and Aribo's deft pass sent Vetokele through to neatly steer his 4th goal of the season (all scored in 11 back-to-form appearances since February 23rd) past an onrushing Alnwick.
Working ceaselessly, meanwhile, and with one magical flash of ball control drawing bravos from his appreciative public, the inevitable Taylor provided a fitting flourish to the goalscoring. His crossfield run in search of a shooting chance was interrupted by James Perch's crude foul. From a position at the left angle of United's penalty area, Taylor exacted poetic revenge with an unstoppable free kick which soared into the top right corner. Celebrations of his terrific strike were long, loud and personally conducted by the ultimate performer.

If Scunthorpe manager Andy Dawson -their third of the season - seeks consolation for their heavy defeat, he will surely be comforted by the chances which his beaten side continued to create. Before the end, though perfectly placed, Thomas wildly volleyed effective substitute Kevin Van Veen's deep cross over the bar; Van Veen himself soloed through to unluckily hit the post; Novak marred an industrious shift by unforgivably nodding the point blank rebound over the bar after a wickedly swerving strike from marauding left back Cameron Borthwick-Jackson (twice a spectacular scorer in Scunthorpe's chaotic 5-3 win over Charlton back in November) was spilled on to his napper by a startled Phillips.

No late consolation was to be allowed Dawson's desperate Irons. There was an additional boost for Bowyer, though, in the 20-minute stint accomplished by Forster-Caskey. He won't be tempting fate by mentioning it but with Lewis Page in full training again, a full-strength squad might be available to him for the play-offs.

Charlton: Phillips, Dijksteel, Bauer, Sarr, Purrington, Cullen, Aribo (Forster-Caskey 79), Reeves (Pratley 72), Morgan, Vetokele (Williams 65), Taylor. Not used: Maxwell, Pearce, Parker, Lapslie.

Scunthorpe: Alnwick, Borthwick-Jackson, Webster, Ojo, Morris (Hallam 64), Perch, Lewis (Lund 74), Novak, Thomas, McCardle, Hammill (Van Veen 64). Not used: Flatt, Sutton, McGahey, Wootton. Booked: Morris.

Referee: Brett Huxtable. Att: 11,973 (309 visiting).

Oxford United 2 (Nelson 19, Garbutt 23) Charlton 1 (Taylor 5, pen).

Kevin Nolan reporting from the Kassam Stadium.

In ill-tempered, frequently chaotic circumstances, Charlton's 11-game unbeaten streak -and with it any last, lingering hope of automatic promotion - was shattered by Karl Robinson's admirably motivated Oxford. With results later in the day confirming that the Addicks were heading for the play-offs anyway, defeat was not hugely significant. You can't win 'em all as Luton discovered last week. But the avoidable nature of this loss might smart for a while.

Showing no signs of mid-table malaise, Oxford absorbed one or two crippling setbacks before eking out a victory they clearly prized. Recovering after falling behind to Lyle Taylor's early penalty was no problem. In next to no time, they had not only equalised but forged ahead, both goals the product of expertly delivered setpieces. But having goalkeeper Simon Eastwood sent off with the second half barely underway effectively handed the initiative back to the visitors - who promptly fumbled it.

But let's briefly put Charlton's cart before Oxford's horse. First things first. And first up was Joe Aribo, who picked ex-Addick Ahmed Kashi's pocket in the centre circle before making a beeline for the penalty area, where he was unceremoniously brought down by Curtis Nelson. Taylor employed his new stop-stop-go technique to give Eastwood no chance from the spot and the visitors, it seemed, were on their way to another routine away win. A tuneful travelling contingent -the choir visible as it were - understandably thought so.

Undeterred by their disastrous start, United had other ideas. They almost drew level when Cameron Branagan's goalbound drive was headed over the bar by Jason Pearce but were inconvenienced only by the time it took Everton loanee Luke Garbutt to swing over the resultant corner from the right. Arriving late beyond the far post with nobody tracking his run, Nelson blasted a venomous volley past a helpless Dillon Phillips.

Five surprising minutes later, Oxford were in front. The free kick Krystian Bielik conceded for a clumsy foul on Mark Sykes to the right of goal was perfectly sited for Garbutt's left-footed setpiece skills. His expertly judged delivery swung away from Phillips' despairing dive and found the top right corner with practised ease. Booked for his violent celebration of the dramatic turn of events, Kashi clearly doesn't buy into any of that "respect your old club" malarkey. Quite right, too. It's cobblers and causes hernias.

Out of sorts and inspiration, Charlton's response was stodgy. Having lost Igor Vetokele to a knock sustained during his bravura performance against Luton, Lee Bowyer's decision to play Taylor up front on his own seemed unduly negative. His deployment of Chris Solly to replace unwell left back Ben Purrington, meanwhile, with Anfernee Dijksteel continuing at right back, created imbalance and unsettled a normally sound back four. Solly is among League One's best right backs but is no more than adequate on the opposite flank. And Dijksteel, still an improving work in progress, is no Solly. The simpler solution would have seen the charismatic Naby Sarr deputising for Purrington with Solly staying in his rightful place. No square pegs in round holes to complicate matters there.

So the width-starved Addicks struggled fitfully, with Solly turning instinctively back on to his left foot and Ben Reeves doing likewise but in reverse on the right touchline. Progress was laboured, with subdued contributions from the usual midfield powerhouse of Josh Cullen, Jonny Williams and Bielik in keeping with the general malaise. Occasional chances were made, none clearer than the one skied haplessly over the bar by Williams after Taylor's blocked effort fell kindly to him at close quarters.

Even the 54th minute dismissal of Eastwood failed to ignite these passive visitors. Leaving his line in a race with Taylor to reach Solly's volleyed pass down the middle, the keeper stepped over the 18-yard line before almost furtively catching the ball. His dismissal was inevitable, with Sykes sacrificed to make way for deputy goalie Jack Stevens. Though Stevens was to distinguish himself during a hectic goalmouth scramble by clawing Patrick Bauer's point blank effort to safety from almost behind his goalline, there was little else to trouble Karl Robinson's spirited troops.

There was time, though, for Solly's uncomfortable afternoon to take a disastrous turn for the worse. Appealing fruitlessly for a penalty after his shot was blocked, the incensed skipper pursued Jamie Mackie and lunged into an unwise, wretchedly timed challenge on the substitute. Sent off for serious foul play, his unavailability for the three remaining league games at least simplifies Bowyer's selection problem, should Purrington miss out on Easter Monday. It also has the added silver lining of protecting Solly from injury before the play-offs commence. Small mercies...

Oxford: Eastwood, Garbutt, Dickie, Nelson, Brannagan, Sinclair, Ruffels, Henry (Hanson 80), Long, Sykes (Stevens 54), Kashi (Mackie 63). Not used: Carruthers, Mousinho, Graham, Napa. Booked: Kashi, Garbutt, Brannagan. Sent off Eastwood.

Charlton: Phillips, Dijksteel (Lapslie 68), Bauer, Pearce, Solly, Aribo, Cullen, Bielik, Reeves (Parker 46), Williams, Taylor. Not used: Maxwell, Pratley, Morgan, Sarr. Booked: Bielik. Sent off: Solly.

Referee: Darren Drysdale, Att: 8,680 (1,806 visiting).

Charlton 3 (Taylor 54 pen, 72, Vetokele 70) Luton Town 1 (Cornick 15).

Kevin Nolan reporting from The Valley.

They turned up mob-handed to take over the Jimmy Seed Stand, full of themselves and full of Luton Town, a club whose recent colourful history you couldn't make up.

Chucked out of League Two with a 30 points penalty for "financial irregularities" after the 2008-09 season, the Hatters began the road back to the big-time five years later by winning the Conference Premier. A period of comparatively calm consolidation ended last May when they were promoted automatically from League Two but what they've gone on to achieve in the dizzying heights of League One so far this season makes you pinch someone in disbelief.

Unbeaten in 28 games since Barnsley saw them off 3-2 at Oakwell on October 10th, Town arrived at The Valley to settle unfinished business with Charlton. A tetchy 2-2 draw in September featured a last kick equaliser from improbable marksman Chris Solly who saves his goals for the road (Brisbane, Bloomfield and crucially Kenilworth). The unflappable skipper's excellent strike abruptly silenced the locals who, moments before, had complacently amused themselves by delaying a last chance corner from Josh Cullen and were reminded of their folly by, if memory serves, an ear-cupping Joe Aribo among others.

So there was an edge but no genuine antipathy between two sides who served up a reminder that genuinely attractive football is not confined to the Premier League. In an evenly contested first half, the runaway league leaders showed why they are on their way to the Championship and how that awesome unbeaten streak was put together. Mobile and finely tuned, the visitors retired at half-time deservedly a goal to the good but the Addicks though down were far from out.

Without any of the usual early sparring, battle was joined immediately. Lyle Taylor scuffed wide from Igor Vetokele's set-up while at the other end, Naby Sarr began another impressive contribution with an urgent intervention to clear James Justin's dangerous low cross from Charlton's six-yard box. On the quarter hour the visitors, bristling with menace, took the lead. Pelly Ruddock-Mpanzu's powerful run scattered the home defence and with Ben Purrington drawn out of position, his well-timed pass was drilled first-time into the roof of the net by Harry Cornick.

Conceding for the first time in five games, rattled Charlton were briefly at the mercy of Mick Harford's marauders and not for the first time recently were indebted to Dillon Phillips for staying in contention. Their brilliant young keeper twisted in mid-air to claw George Moncur's wickedly deflected shot to safety. A second goal at that point might have lowered a conclusive boom but Phillips was having none of it.

Up front, meanwhile, Vetokele and Taylor were irrepressible. The Angolan's pass was smashed against the bar by his Montserratan colleague before, minutes later, Phillips' quickly released delivery sent Vetokele haring clear to confront James Shea at the edge of Town's penalty area. Beating the keeper to the ball, his lob drifted agonisingly wide as Shea ruthlessly mowed him down. The argument about covering defenders is specious. The foul itself deserved red rather than the yellow card brandished by wishy-washy referee Gavin Ward.

Charlton's hard-done-by mood was hardly lightened a minute after the break by Ward's decision that Jonny Williams was fairly tackled, rather than crudely brought down from behind in the area by Matty Pearson. Possibly beset by pangs of guilt, Ward promptly compensated with a contentious ruling in the Addicks' favour. It certainly seemed harsh on skipper Sonny Bradley, who was suckered by Taylor's artful habit of backing into an innocuous shove in the striker's back. After peace was restored, Taylor casually converted the spotkick, described post-game by Harford as "disgraceful." The decisions involving Shea and Pearson, of course, went uncontested by the morose manager.

Boiling with indignation at the equaliser, the Hatters fell apart and were all at sea as their hosts battered them with a lethal one-two combination midway through the second session. Needless to say, Vetokele and Taylor were responsible for their downfall. So too was midfield maestro Krystian Bielik who between regular bouts of treatment for what physios tactfully refer to as the "groin area" ("knackers" to us laymen but what do we know?) conducted a masterclass in turning solid defence into lightning attack. Bielik's irresistible surge through the heart of Luton's clinically gutted defence was completed by the ideally judged pass which found Vetokele in space to his left. The resurgent forward coolly gave his side the lead by placing a low drive across Shea into the far corner, his timely return to scoring form greeted with extra-warm acclaim by teammates and crowd alike. Karlan Grant's departure begins to dim into insignificance as Vetokele grows in confidence.

On fire now, the scorer turned provider two minutes later with a tasty cross from the left which Taylor turned past Shea for his 21st goal of a prolific season. By then, the Hatters had disintegrated into rabble, with Andrew Shinnie's petulant dismissal evidence of total surrender. The corner flag keep-ball routine, skilfully conducted by the cheeky Taylor, Aribo and George Lapslie, seemed almost sadistic but was hugely enjoyed by an ecstatic crowd, which brought their jubilant celebrations to the streets outside the ground. Note to surly Plymouth manager Derek Adams: it ain't timewasting, it's part of prudent game management, mate, something Charlton took time to master but which they've now made a frequently hilarious artform. It didn't go down as well in the Jimmy Seed Stand where it's fair to say the end of their team's heroic unbeaten run was greeted with generous appreciation of their marvellous feat.

See you on Friday in Oxford, where they're still a bit sore about the Boat Race.

Charlton: Phillips, Solly, Bauer, Sarr, Purrington, Bielik (Pratley 88), Cullen, Williams (Dijksteel 90), Aribo, Taylor, Vetokele (Lapslie 76). Not used: Maxwell, Pearce, Parker, Reeves. Booked: Taylor, Vetokele.

Luton: Shea, Stacey, Pearson, Bradley, Austin, Shinnie, Lee (Cummings 81), Cornick (Connolly 68), Berry (Sheehan), Moncur, Mpanzu. Not used: Isted, Baptiste, Thorne, Panter. Booked: Shea, Shinnie, Berry, Sheahan. Sent off: Shinnie.

Referee: Gavin Ward. Att: 16,449 (3147 visiting).

Charlton 2 (Taylor 5,pen, Reeves 33) Burton Albion 1 (Akins 18,pen).

Kevin Nolan reporting from The Valley.

Though war weary Charlton were mere shadows of the stylish side which outclassed Portsmouth three days previously, they got the job done by more pragmatic means against spirited Burton Albion. The loss of key players (hamstring injuries to Krystian Bielik and Jonny Williams being the price they paid for their thrilling victory over Pompey) has tested their resilience all season but, as Lee Bowyer observed, "sometimes you've just got to dig in and grind out results." Down among the muck and nettles, his gutsy squad answered the call and gamely ground their way to an identical outcome.

It helps the collective cause, of course, when individuals raise their game to meet the challenge, something Ben Reeves singularly did when replacing the massively talented Bielik at the weekend. Reeves continued the good work against Burton, scored a wonderful winner and otherwise acquitted himself with distinction. Yet it was his equally diminutive midfield colleague, Josh Cullen, who almost took on the Brewers singlehandedly, hoisted the Addicks on his shoulders and carried them over the finishing line.

As a multi-purpose midfielder himself, Bowyer is uniquely qualified to appreciat Cullen's prodigious contribution. Football's a statistics-laden business these days and the West Ham loanee certainly stacked up impressive figures on this frigid Tuesday evening. With the ball magnetically attracted to him, his number of tackles, interceptions and passes was phenomenal while his obvious will to win inspired his depleted team to see the job through. Some player, this kid. Mark him 10 out of 10.

At the heart of defence for Charlton, meanwhile, massive Naby Sarr has been in superb form recently. He continued in similar vein against Burton but not before he had lapsed briefly into the kind of absentminded errors which would try a saint's patience, much less that of his all too human manager. After only 30 seconds, he allowed himself to be dispossessed by Marcus Harness, whose clear run on goal was halted only by Patrick Bauer's alert intervention. A spate of errant passes followed before he pulled himself together and performed solidly at Bauer's elbow.

Up front for Charlton, Lyle Taylor was his usual feisty self. An early chance following a smart exchange with Ben Purrington was scuffed wide but a second opportunity arrived promptly. Played into the penalty area by Cullen's threaded pass, his quick feet lured John Brayford into a rash, lunging challenge in full view of referee Thomas Bramall. Taylor stuttered-stepped up to the spotkick before burying it into the bottom left corner. Lippy Lyle also kept a lid on the verbals and avoided the booking which would have brought with it a two-game suspension.

Charlton's lead lasted little more than 10 minutes, the time it took Bramall to rule that David Templeton's goalbound shot was handled by Bauer. Lucas Akins' somewhat harsh penalty was dispatched with all the authority of Taylor's effort. It left the Addicks with it all to do again, a task they approached with endearing enthusiasm.

A quarter hour after equalising, the visitors found themselves behind again. A multi-pass movement along the Addicks' right flank found Taylor foraging intelligently in space. A hip-high cross was delicately curved around left back Jake Buxton and was buried by Reeves' spectacular diving header at the far post. In a classic case of role reversal, Taylor claimed the assist while it was the scorer's name which, as usual, appeared unadorned in the papers.

Reeves' fine 33rd minute strike left his side with an hour to protect their lead, a historically daunting task unless, that is, a third goal could be added along the way. Given the fact that they last scored more than twice eight games ago at Shrewsbury on January 12th, that was, frankly, an unlikely proposition. But there's a new bloodymindedness about Charlton, a freshly acquired determination to hold on to what they have, which has seen them concede only five times in those eight games. They defended efficiently and were threatened only rarely, most dangerously by Brewers' 58th minute substitute Liam Boyce, whose near post header glanced Harness' accurate cross narrowly wide and whose low crosshot produced Dillon Phillips's only meaningful save on an otherwise untroubled evening. Charlton's progress towards three valuable points was steady, uneventful and acceptably routine. Just what the doctor -not to mention their manager - ordered.

Charlton: Phillips, Solly, Bauer, Sarr, Purrington, Cullen, Reeves (Marshall 90), Aribo (Lapslie 73), Fosu (Vetokele 80), Parker, Taylor. Not used: Maxwell, Pearce Dijksteel, Pratley.

Burton: Collins, Brayford, Buxton (Clarke 84), Allen, McFadzean, Fraser, Akins, Templeton (Boyce 56), Harness (Miller 76), Quinn, Daniel. Not used: Bywater, Bradley, Hutchinson, Wallace.

Referee: Thomas Bramall. Att: 9,505 (156 visiting).