Ben Purrington and Lyle Taylor scored either side of half-time against Blackburn Rovers to get Charlton off to the perfect start in their Championship return.
A bizarre Dillon Phillips bizarre cancelled out Purrington’s opener before Taylor put the Addicks ahead again 13 minutes from time.
Charlton, who have won their opening day fixture away from home for the first time in 14 years, host Stoke City at The Valley next.
Here are five things we learned from their 2-1 win.
Charlton showed resolve to recover from precarious start
There were several moments during the first-half where the visitors were in danger of going behind as Blackburn tried to get on the front foot.
Jason Pearce gave the ball away cheaply but Bradley Dack, a former Addick, couldn’t punish the mistake. Anfernee Dijksteel’s blushes were spared when Adam Armstrong beat him down his flank.
Naby Sarr was hooked after struggling to deal with Rovers’ high pressing but the visitors held their own, hitting Rovers when they least expected it.
Jake Forster-Caskey 90-minute display was promising
The midfielder last started in the play-off semi-final second leg defeat to Shrewsbury Town, in May 2018, before he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
Some 14 months later, he’s completed a full 90 minutes against Blackburn and impressed. Alongside George Lapslie, their energy across the pitch was keenly felt.
Although Forster-Caskey can expect competition for a starting spot, the performance certainly shows he’s a very capable option.
Darren Pratley will be key - again
Pratley is arguably the most experienced player at Lee Bowyer’s disposal, having played in 249 Championship games for four different clubs across a 10-year span.
At 34, the midfielder still has a lot left to give and demonstrated as much at Blackburn. He made life miserable for Bradley Dack and met every ball with conviction.
Bowyer knows how important he is, and if he replicates similar displays across this season then that’ll be a huge boost to Charlton’s survival hopes.
Connor Gallagher cameo encouraged many
The Chelsea loanee had just over 20 minutes to produce an impact and he did. Within minutes, he bore down on Blackburn’s goal before being denied by a last-ditch block.
Described as an all-around type midfielder, the 19-year-old could be a solid addition to a relatively young but energetic midfield – which now has an average age of around 23.
A lot will be expected of him of course, given he was voted Chelsea academy’s player of the season last term, but with enough patience he could provide huge rewards.
Yes, Charlton need more bodies but the current setup is capable at the moment
Bowyer probably feels like a broken record having repeated the same line for the past few weeks. “We need four or five more players” before the transfer window shuts, he has said.
Indeed, Charlton do need more players to come in. The losses of Josh Cullen, Joe Aribo and Krystian Bielik weakened what was a strong point for them last campaign.
But if the Blackburn win is anything to go by then it suggests they could just need to bulk the squad out. Accompish that and they may be just fine.
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