SAM Sodje and Scott Wagstaff each scored their third league goal of the season as Charlton saw off battling Stockport at Edgeley Park.

In a fixture which was only given the green light at 9:30 that morning, the Addicks scored once in each half to inflict an eighth successive league defeat on a Hatters side who played nothing like a club who currently sit at the foot of League One.

Boss Phil Parkinson made two changes as expected from the home victory against Southend, with Elliot Omozusi coming in for Fraser Richardson who continues to struggle with a hamstring problem and Jose Semedo returning from a suspension at the expense of Therry Racon.

Troubled County surprisingly got off to the better start, though the first serious chances fell to Dave Mooney, who tested keeper Owain Fon-Williams twice in the space of sixty seconds around the ten minute mark.

Moments later, a through pass from Lloyd Sam sent Mooney clear out on the right whose cross to Burton had to be scrambled away for a corner.

And from the set-piece, Charlton were able to draw first blood as Basey’s inswinger was cleverly nodded across goal and into the far corner by Sodje for his third goal of the season.

The visitors remained in the driver’s seat, and on 17 minutes a dangerous centre from Sam had to be headed to safety over the bar by centre-back Matty McNeil.

Halfway through the first period, Stockport began to regain their initial spark and a chance for forward Peter Thompson had to be intercepted inside the box.

Charlton continued to threaten on the break, however, with Basey and Wagstaff’s sequence of clever short passes teeing up Deon Burton to fire marginally off target.

On the half hour mark, County should have equalised when David Poole surged forward on the right and provided a dangerous low cross that would have been converted by Nicholas Bignall had it not been for Omosuzi’s last-ditch interception.

The end-to-end action continued, with Mooney again venturing wide to deliver a superb centre and Burton’s diving header almost slipped under Fon-Williams.

Stockport ended the half with their best spell of pressure yet, with Paul Turnbull’s long range drive rattling the angle and Rob Elliott providing a good save from Bignall on the follow-up.

In stoppage time for the first 45, a long clearance found a somehow onside Mooney one-on-one with Fon-Williams only for Adam Griffin to catch up and push the ball away just as the Reading loanee was about to pull the trigger.

Griffin again foiled Mooney just before the end of an action-packed half when he cleared a goalbound shot lobbed over Fon-Williams.

County continued to pressurise for an equaliser after the interval with some impressive possession play, but the next crucial chance again came to the visitors and again to Mooney who latched onto another clearance only to have his low shot parried by Fon-Williams.

With little over twenty minutes remaining to end their long league losing streak, the hosts continued to surge forward against a hesitant Charlton side and skipper Nicky Bailey put his body on the line to close down a 20-yarder from Carl Baker.

Moments later and much as they had for the majority of the game, the Addicks broke free on the counter with Mooney putting sub Akpo Sodje clean through, but another great block from Fon-Williams prevented a goal for each sibling while Scott Wagstaff could only fire the rebound over.

The in-form youngster wouldn’t make the same mistake twice, however, as man of the match Grant Basey strode forward to find Mooney whose excellent first-time through pass sent Waggy racing through to clinically slot the second beyond Fon-Williams.

But the home side got a deserved yet bizarre consolation in stoppage time, as Griffin sent a ball into the Charlton box which appeared to hit the post and trickle over the line off Elliot.

The drama continued as Baker found himself sent off after a tussle with Bailey while the Addicks made a time-killing substitution, and the Reds eventually saw things out to the final whistle.

Charlton: Elliot; Omozusi, S Sodje, Dailly, Basey; Wagstaff; Semedo, Bailey, Sam (Spring 90); Burton (A Sodje 68), Mooney.

Subs not used: Randolph, Llera, Racon, Shelvey, McKenzie.