CHARLTON’S run of five straight league wins came to an end with a frustrating draw at home to Bristol Rovers on Tuesday.

A scrappy affair saw the away team take the lead just after an hour played courtesy of a 20-yarder from Wayne Brown.

But although Paul Benson rescued a point a quarter of an hour later from close range with his seventh of the season, the home fans were left disappointed with a hit-and-miss performance from their in-form side.

With club captain Christian Dailly serving the first match of his ban following Saturday’s red card against Yeovil, midfield enforcer Jose Semedo took the armband while Addicks veteran Jon Fortune came into the starting XI to partner Gary Doherty.

The game also featured Scott Wagstaff’s return from illness at the expense of Kyel Reid, who returned to the bench alongside new loan signing Marcel Seip, brought in from Plymouth as defensive cover.

The first attempt on goal in the contest came within the opening sixty seconds, courtesy of Lee Martin – the attacking midfielder stationed just behind lone striker Benson slinked into the box and unleashed a shot into the waiting arms of Mikkel Andersen in the Rovers goal.

Good persistence from the Ipswich forward moments later allowed Therry Racon to aim a similar attempt at the Dane, who almost spilled the second time around before safely clutching the ball to his chest.

Though some static defending allowed Rovers some time on the ball in Charlton’s final third from time to time, it wasn’t until the 18th minute that the visitors really threatened when Jo Kuffour sprinted a good 30 yards on the break to fire off-target.

With twenty on the clock, Martin set Wagstaff free on the right to find Benson with a low cross, but the ex-Dagenham man had to stretch back to connect with the ball and his shot was easily deflected off for a corner.

Halfway through the first period, Matt Fry earned a yellow card for illegally attempting to block a quick throw-in attempt by Rovers, which as his fifth of the season ensures his absence from Saturday’s FA Cup second round game at home to Luton Town.

Seconds before the fourth official revealed that two minutes of stoppage time would be played, Martin was again the architect with a tantalising cross from the right which bounced millimetres ahead of the outstretched boot of Johnnie Jackson.

And within the aforementioned added time, Wagstaff’s deflected shot attempt fell to Benson who forced a brilliant save from Andersen, with Gary Doherty narrowly missing a header attempt from the subsequent corner kick.

A scrappy first few minutes after the break preceded a lovely run by Wagstaff into the Bristol area before firing a low shot just wide of the far post.

No goal had broken the deadlock as the hour mark came and went, but on 63 the visitors went ahead after a corner was only cleared as far as Ben Swallow, who squared for Brown with space aplenty to blast low into the far corner.

Charlton boss Phil Parkinson reacted by sending on Kyel Reid and Akpo Sodje for Fry and Wagstaff respectively – and Reid wasted no time in sending Martin through where, surprisingly, no penalty was awarded when he appeared to be felled.

Despite appearing to lack ideas at stages, the Addicks were nonetheless coming close from time to time throughout the game and with little over 15 minutes remaining, a speculative long ball into the box met the head of Sodje and required a point blank save from Andersen to prevent an equaliser.

And it took some assistance from his own defenders to finally thwart the impressive goalkeeper: following a superlative burst into the danger zone by Racon, his ball into the six yard area eventually found Reid on the opposite flank, whose attempt on goal pinballed off desperate opponents and was tapped in by Benson for his seventh of the season.

But although the home side were looking overall the likeliest to find a winner, they were fortunate not to fall behind with five minutes to spare when slow reactions from the Charlton defence allowed substitute Will Hoskins into a one-on-one with Elliot, only for his chipped effort to bounce inches wide.

And deep into stoppage time, McCormack – who’d grown into the game after replacing a battle-worn Semedo – blasted a parry out of Andersen from long range shortly before Martin screwed an attempt woefully wide from a good position.

The draw nonetheless sees Athletic extend their unbeaten run to six in the league and nine in all competitions and remain in second spot by two points.

Charlton: Elliot, Francis, Doherty, Fortune, Fry (Reid 66), Wagstaff (Sodje 68), Semedo (McCormack 58), Racon, Jackson, Martin, Benson. Subs not used: Worner, Llera, Seip, Abbott. Att: 13,468