Town come out on top in a thriller
Town: Jayson Leutwiler, Mat Sadler, Shaun Whalley, Stephen Humphrys (Freddie Ladapo 83), Louis Dodds (Alex Rodman 92), Junior Brown, Jack Grimmer, Ryan Yates, Gary Deegan, Aristote Nsiala, Tyler Roberts (Adam El-Abd 89)Subs: Mark Halstead, Dom Smith, Bryn Morris, AJ Leitch-Smith,
Charlton Athletic: Declan Rudd, Johnnie Jackson (Jay Dasilva 77), Andrew Crofts, Josh Magennis (Tony Watt 68), Ricky Holmes, Jordan Botaka (Carlan Ahearne-Grant 68), Ezri Konsa, Nathan Byrne, Lee Novak, Joe Aribo, Jorge Teixeira
Subs: Lewis Page, Dillon Phillips, Fredrik Ulvestad, Aaron Barnes
Referee: Michael Salisbury,
Assistants: Peter Gooch and Nigel Smith
Fourth Official: Simon Mather
Attendance: 4913 (351)
Shrewsbury Town completed a pulsating victory at the Greenhous Meadow as they beat Charlton Athletic 4-3 on Tuesday night. Ricky Holmes scored a hat-trick for the visitors, but goals from Dodds (2), Roberts and Whalley gave Town a deserved win.
Team News:
Paul Hurst makes three changes to the team which started against MK Dons on Saturday. Stephen Humprhys starts up front after scoring as substitute. Stefan Payne, Freddie Ladapo and Alex Rodman drop out with Louis Dodds and the fit again Tyler Roberts coming in.
First Half:
Town almost made the worst start possible as some neat build up play put Lee Novak into space and his shot was well saved by the foot of Jayson Leutwiler inside the opening 10 seconds.
Charlton had made a bright start and their crisp passing game was making things difficult for the Town back four. Some good work from Jordan Botaka down the left saw him release Ricky Holmes, but his shot was comfortable saved by Leutwiler.
An action park opening five minutes also saw Town have an early effort as Louis Dodds, who was making his first start since Bradford back in January, put a volley well over the bar from the left edge of the box.
Leutwiler had been called up to the Canadian National side on Monday and he was forced to show exactly why he had been called up when got down well to his left to keep out a Jordan Botaka shot.
Despite Charlton’s early dominance it was Town who would take the lead on 11 minutes. A good one-two between Tyler Roberts and Stephen Humphrys saw the former make room down the right before playing a deep cross which Louis Dodds brought down well before curling in a shot past the despairing dive of Norwich loanee Declan Rudd.
Charlton came close to equalising almost immediately as Jordan Botaka once again caused problems for Jack Grimmer down the Charlton left and his cross met Josh Magennis’ head six yards out, but Leutwiler was there to palm it away.
Town’s front four of Roberts, Dodds, Humphry’s and Whalley were causing problems for the Charlton backline and Dodds almost scored a second as Town broke quickly and Roberts played a lovely 50 yard pass into Dodds’ path, but his shot was well saved by Rudd low to his left. Town recycled the ball and it fell to Gary Deegan on the edge of the box, but his powerful shot was well blocked by a Charlton defender.
The Addicks then got back on level terms out of nothing when Ricky Holmes left fire from well outside the box and the ball arrowed into the top corner, past the hapless Leutwiler to make it 1-1 on 24 minutes.
Charlton captain and left back Johnnie Jackson hadn’t been involved in recent weeks and his rustiness was showing as Shaun Whalley caused chaos down the right. Stephen Humphrys was the next man to come close when Whalley picked him out with a perfect cross, but his unmarked header went wide from 10 yards.
Ryan Yates was doing an industrious job in the middle of the park and he came close himself just before half time when he took it past two players before unleashing a left footed shot which went wide from a tight angle.
However, it was Charlton who would find the net before half time as Ricky Holmes doubled his account for the evening with a fine free-kick on 44 minutes. Mat Sadler handled the ball on the edge of the box and was booked in the process, before Holmes stepped up and placed a curling effort into the top corner of Jayson Leutwiler’s goal.
Half Time: 1-2
Second Half:
Charlton made a bright start to the second half and Holmes almost scored his third of the evening directly from a corner. Holmes had done just that in the reverse fixture back in August, but this time Junior Brown came to Town’s rescue at the back post.
Tyler Roberts then brought Town level when he beautifully chested down a long ball from Mat Sadler before racing away from the Charlton backline and finishing past Rudd on 51 minutes.
Town’s start to the second half got better two minutes later when Ryan Yates won the ball well in midfield and Town broke quickly. Stephen Humphrys played a perfectly weighted through ball for Shaun Whalley who cut inside before curling an effort past Rudd from the edge of the box.
Roberts’ confidence was certainly high and he stung the palms of Rudd with a powerful drive after bringing Louis Dodd’s firm pass under his spell. However, the young striker was booked 17 minutes into the second period when he brought down Josh Magennis with a late tackle.
Ryan Yates was the next Town man to come close when he skipped past a Charlton man, but he was unable to scoop the ball over the oncoming Rudd.
Town were working really hard in forward areas and Stephen Humphrys won the ball back well up the pitch before playing it to Whalley whose 25 yard shot was tipped over the bar by the busy Rudd.
However, the goalscoring wasn’t done yet and Holmes would score his hat-trick on 69 minutes when Town’s defence appeared to react slowly to a Charlton throw and Holmes met it at the back post to fire home his third of the evening.
In a pulsating game for the neutral Town would get themselves in front for the third time of the night with quarter of an hour to go. Shaun Whalley sprung away down the right before cutting inside and feeding Louis Dodds. Dodds’ initial shot was well saved by Rudd but he was the first to react to the rebound and finished with aplomb as Town went 4-3 ahead.
Town made their first change of the evening with just under ten minutes to play when Freddie Ladapo replaced the hard working Stephen Humphrys who had put in a real shift without the goal to go with it.
The game became a quieter affair in the final few minutes and Town made a second substitution with Adam El-Abd coming on to replace Tyler Roberts as Town went to five at the back.
There were groans from those around the Greenhous Meadow when the fourth official indicated five minutes of added time and Town made their final change in added time as Alex Rodman replaced Louis Dodds.
Town could have put the game to bed when Shaun Whalley played in Freddie Ladapo, but his shot was saved by Rudd. However, Town held on for a repeat of their 2010 Carling Cup victory over the same opponents.
Full Time: 4-3