Lyle Taylor needed an injection to face his former side reveals Charlton boss Lee Bowyer

Charlton boss Lee Bowyer revealed that striker Lyle Taylor played against his former side despite failing a fitness test on the morning of the game.

Taylor opened the scoring in the 2-0 win over AFC Wimbledon, the club he left to join the Addicks in the summer.

The 28-year-old suffered a bruised foot after a challenge from Millwall-loanee Ben Thompson during Tuesday’s win at Portsmouth, but had an injection to ensure he could face his former employers.

“He was outstanding,” said Bowyer of his frontman, after he notched his fourteenth goal of the campaign.

“No one else probably knows this but he had to have an injection in his toe. He couldn’t feel his toe out there. He had a fitness test at the training ground this morning and failed that. We said the only way he can play is if you have an injection. Fair play to him, he knows how important every game is for us and what a big impact he makes for us.”

The game was played with ten men apiece after Naby Sarr’s red card in the opening minute was followed up by Mitchell Pinnock being given his marching orders just beyond the half-hour mark.

Charlton had to wait until the second-half to find the breakthrough through Taylor, before Mark Marshall added a second in the dying embers.

“I’ve not looked at it but he’s an honest lad,” explained Bowyer when asked about the challenge from Sarr that lead to his dismissal.

“I’ve said to Naby, it happens in football. You make an honest challenge and try to win the ball. It’s mistimed. It could maybe be a yellow, not a straight red. I’ll have a look at it and see if we can appeal it but it happens.

“It was difficult. They came here to play a certain way, sit in there and make it difficult for us. They did for a good part of the game in tough conditions. Overall, we thoroughly deserved it. Even when we went down to ten men we were still the better side. Moving the ball and creating the odd chance here and there. We just had to be patient today.

“The most important thing is we’ve got the three points. Teams know that we’re a good side, especially at home. They came here and tried to make it difficult and I understand why.”