Charlton were knocked out of the FA Cup after losing 2-0 at home to Doncaster Rovers on Saturday Afternoon.

Here are Five Things we learned from the fixture

Lee Bowyer’s Is Looking At The Bigger Picture

Ahead of the match, the Charlton manager expressed that he was going to use the cup fixture to rotate his squad as he believed that some players deserved a well-earned rest following their four straight league victories.

This saw him make nine changes from the side that beat Burton Albion 2-1 Tuesday night while Doncaster lined up at full strength. Some will say that Bowyer’s actions goes against everything that the FA Cup is about but the manager would turn his nose up at his critics.

He would say that he is looking at the bigger picture, as he said a thousand times post-match. His aim is to get Charlton promoted, not win the FA Cup and while a cup run would be entertaining for the fans they have to face realities. Charlton simply do not have the quality in depth so it is impossible to do both.

READ: Player Ratings from Charlton's FA Cup defeat

Charlton’s Academy Is Continuing to Produce Potential Stars

Charlton’s academy has a reputation of churning out players of good quality.

The most recent batch of graduates have seen the likes of Joe Gomez, Ademola Lookman and Ezri Konsa all leave the club in multi-million pound deals while Karlan Grant and Joe Aribo are both shining for the current first team.

The most recent batch of graduates seem to be aiming to follow in their former teammates footsteps as manager Lee Bowyer put faith in youth against Doncaster. George Lapslie, Reece Hackett-Fairchild and Toby Stevenson, who are all under the age of 21, all started the game and did not look out of their depth. It would not a surprise to see them all playing at a higher level in a couple of seasons if they are given more first team opportunities.

Ben Reeves and Billy Clarke Still Are a Way Away From Being 100% Fit

Both midfielders made their return from injuries against the Donnie’s, with Reeves injuring his hamstring against the visitors back during their league fixture in November and Clarke tearing his ACL in December 2017.

Reeves looked off the pace during the match despite digging in 65 minutes. Clarke however, showed moments of brilliance, the first was a chest and a volley in the first half and then a free-kick that skimmed the bar in the second.

However, he went missing at times and failed to find the pockets of space that Bowyer wants him to find. Once back to full fitness both will be a boost for Charlton but do not expect to see them hit their stride till after the New Year.

Set Pieces are a vital part of the game

The game was evenly matched with chances being created either end despite the lack of first team players in Charlton’s line up. Doncaster had that little bit more composure in the final third compared to the Addicks but both teams had an equal share of possession.

What set’s experiences players apart from novice ones is positioning and making set pieces count.

It was no surprise then that both of Doncaster’s goals came from dead balls being headed into the back of net.

Over a third of goals scored in the Premier League last season came from set pieces and it is not different the other professional leagues and below.

Set pieces are a vital part of the game and even the best footballing sides use them to their advantage.

READ: Charlton Calendar: A look at Anfernee Dijksteel 

Doncaster Rovers Could be Dark Horses For The Play Offs

After finishing 15th last season, not many would have tipped the Rovers to be challenging for a play-off spot this season.

However, they sit just two points behind the Addicks in 7th place and are putting pressure on them.

They are in a run of good form as of late, having won 4 and drawn 1 of their last five matches and you could see why they fielded a strong team against Charlton. Manager, Grant McCann will be impressed with his current crop of players but he sees the FA Cup as transfer funds to strengthen in January.

Ex-Lion John Marquis has scored 51 goals in 111 appearances for the Rovers and if they can pair him with a pacey striker in January then expect them to be in and around them play-off spots come the end of the season