Charlton were knocked out of the first round of the FA Cup for the first time since 2009 as a solitary goal from Luke Jephcott was enough to see Plymouth beat the Addicks at the Valley on Saturday.
Despite Charlton being the favorites in this fixture, Plymouth dominated the match and had seven shots on target.
Away team on top
The Pilgrims began the game on front foot, and quickly stated their intentions. In the third minute Ryan Harde found himself free in the Charlton area but his shot was comfortably saved by Australian ‘keeper Ashley Maynard-Brewer.
The Addicks were keen to assert themselves as favourites at home and launched a dangerous attack of their own. In the 12th minute Marcus Maddison drove forward but saw his eventual shot go wide.
Guinea-Bissauan midfielder Panutche Camara was causing havoc for the hosts. However, he was unable to find the target in the 23rd minute as his shot whistled wide of the post
Exciting new signing
Marcus Maddison was making his full debut for the Addicks and was their main attacking outlet. Just shy of the half hour mark the former Peterborough man picked the ball up on the right and drove inside, with his eventual shot flying comfortably over.
All the Plymouth pressure almost took its toll as Luke Jephcott was left unmarked in the Charlton box, but he would have been disappointed not to tuck away a glaring chance as Brewer got down sharp to keep Plymouth at bay.
Old rivalry renewed
In their first meeting in the FA Cup since 1981, Plymouth’s growing control of the game was finally rewarded. Jephcott made up for his earlier miss by capping off a wonderful team move. Byron Moore picked out the Plymouth hitman who continued his fine run of form, his goal highlighting why the young Welsh striker is making a name for himself.
Plymouth defended expertly and frustrated the league one frontrunners. With the hosts playing with increased urgency, the home side did force an opportunity when left back Ben Purrington, replacing Ian Maatsen, saw his header well matched by Pilgrim’s ‘keeper Michael Cooper.
Despite the Addicks crashing out of the competition, head coach Lee Bowyer wasn’t too concerned with the result and added, “Am I disappointed I’m out of the cup? Not really, not in a disrespectful way because I love the cup, but the league is more important to me and always has been”.
Charlton have an east London derby on Tuesday as they host in-form Leyton Orient in the EFL Trophy, meanwhile Plymouth take on League two leader sNewport in the same competition on Tuesday.
“Charlton Athletic” by Ewan-M is licensed under CC BY-SA
