Charlton’s fine start to the new season continued this evening with an entertaining 3-2 Valley win over last year’s beaten play-off finalists Derby County.

George Tucudean fired the Addicks in front on 11 minutes but the Rms were back on terms just after the half hour courtesy of Jamie Ward.

Steve McClaren’s side finished the first half strongly but went in at the break trailing 2-1 after Richard Keogh tripped Tucudean deep in stoppage time and Yoni Buyens made no mistake with the penalty.

Charlton looked to have made the game safe in the 78th minute.

Johnnie Jackson whipped in a delightful cross from the right, which was glanced on by Lawrie Wilson before Igor Vetokele converted from close range.

However, Ward’s 85th minute effort went through the legs of home keeper Nick Pope to set up a tense finish which Charlton survived to collect all three points.

Head coach Bob Peeters

I don’t think we attacked very well first half.

We started well in the first 20 minutes.

I think this is the best I’ve seen us play.

Derby didn’t have an answer. We were very sharp between the lines, scored a fantastic goal, we were passing the ball very well and as soon as we made it 1-0 a few minutes later we start backing off.

We didn’t win second balls, we didn’t stay close to each other, we lost our composure and Derby played fantastic.

They scored a deserved goal to make it 1-1 and just when I was telling my players it is 30 seconds to play with injury time I tried to hold on, because we needed to talk some things through at half-time, Tucudean makes some superb movement and we scored to make it 2-1.

Then at half-time we did some changes tactically and we came well out of the dressing room.

We said we needed to put more pressure on them and try to win the midfield again. I think we did that.

I always told them we were going to get chances and we need to punish them because they were attacking with a lot of people and brought another striker on.

At the right moment we scored to make it 3-1 and then normally you need to go, sit back in the dug-out, have a cigar and enjoy the game.

We gave an easy goal away and then everybody starts getting nervous, but again if a goalkeeper makes a mistake it is a goal.

He is a young guy, he is working very hard and I’m so happy that everybody puts everything into it to keep the result so he is liberated because if this costs you two points then you have a bad feeling.

Now we need him back on Saturday so he needs to learn out of this mistake, start working from Thursday again and hopefully he can help us on Saturday.

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