Wycombe Wanderers 0-1 Charlton Athletic: Addicks battle to victory that brings them within four points of top two
Charlton climbed to within four points of the automatic promotion places in League One with a narrow victory at Wycombe Wanderers.
Jason Pearce’s strike ten minutes before half-time was enough for the South Londoners to take the victory on an untidy evening in Buckinghamshire.
Second-placed Sunderland drew at home to Burton which means the Addicks are now just four points behind the Mackems, although they do have a game-in-hand on Lee Bowyer’s men.
The Addicks have now gone over seven hours without conceding a goal.
The relegation-threatened Chairboys came out battling as they looked to try and help preserve their League One status. Scott Kashket forced Dillon Phillips into a save at his near-post inside the first minute before Ryan Allsop was called into action in similar circumstances by Igor Vetokele at the other end.
It was a fractious start to the game, with chances few and far between, but Vetokele did find himself bursting through on goal again after a quarter-of-an-hour. The Angolan was denied by a last-ditch covering challenge, with Joe Aribo denied at the near-post as he pounced on the loose ball.
Stocky forward Adebayo Akinfenwa lofted a volley comfortably over Phillips’ crossbar for the hosts before the South Londoners edged ahead ten minutes before the break.
The big men were up from the back for a Josh Cullen set-piece, which was cleared back to the West Ham loanee who floated the perfect cross for Pearce to attack at the far-post and slam beyond Allsop as the Addicks captain bagged his second strike of the campaign.
Lee Bowyer’s side held that slender advantage at the interval but the Chairboys were a whisker away from drawing level soon after the restart.
Alex Samuel worked space for a cross on the left-hand side and found Kashket who was denied by an instinctive Phillips save as he fired at goal from six yards out.
The hosts were pushing for a leveller but Charlton looked to exploit any space left behind on the counter. Aribo came close to adding a classy second as he weaved his way beyond three or four blue shirts but his drive was charged down on the edge of the area.
Gareth Ainsworth’s men continued to go in search of an equaliser but Akinfenwa found Phillips equal to his flying header as he beat Bauer to a deep cross.
The former AFC Wimbledon man then fluffed his lines as Phillips palmed a dangerous cross into his path – the forward mis-hitting when it looked easier to score from eight yards.
Phillips was called into action again as he pushed Adam El-Abd’s header wide in the closing stages, before Patrick Bauer nearly put the result beyond doubt at the other end – Allsop’s boot denying the German’s nod at goal from a corner, but the Addicks held on to claim their 6th win in eight games.