MX23RW : Saturday, February 25 09:55:19| >> :600:699308:699308:
[monks data]
Nov 30, 2019 at 12.30pm UK at The Valley
Attendance: 18,338

1-3

Bonne (26')
FT(HT: 1-1)
Fletcher (17', 80' pen.), Nuhiu (93')

Steven Fletcher brace sinks Charlton as Wednesday inch up table

Steven Fletcher brace sinks Charlton as Wednesday inch up table
© Reuters
The Addicks are now without a win in seven matches.

Steven Fletcher scored twice to help Sheffield Wednesday secure their first victory in London in nine games as they beat Charlton 3-1 at The Valley.

After Fletcher netted either side of Macauley Bonne's equaliser, Atdhe Nuhiu headed a late third to move the Owls closer to the Championship play-off places.

Injury-hit Charlton mounted a late assault on the Wednesday goal to no avail, but the home faithful were able to draw consolation from matters off the pitch.

Buoyed by the news of the impending takeover by Abu Dhabi-based corporation East Street Investments, the pre-match atmosphere was one of celebration that the reign of Roland Duchatelet at The Valley will soon be over.

What will not be so quickly resolved is Charlton's injury crisis which grew to 14 players prior to kick-off when Ben Purrington was forced to pull out.

So limited are the options of manager Lee Bowyer that his place at left-back was taken by Alfie Doughty, a 19-year-old left winger who was recalled earlier this month from a loan spell at non-league Bromley.

It was from that flank that Fernando Forestieri curled over a free-kick after five minutes onto the head of Nuhui, who coaxed the ball into the corner of the net only to look up and see the assistant's flag raised for offside.

That ought to have served as a warning for the home side. It went unheeded after 17 minutes when Morgan Fox and Barry Bannan combined on the left before the latter curled over a delightful cross which Fletcher glanced into the far corner.

Forestieri then missed a glorious opportunity to put Wednesday 2-0 ahead in the 24th minute.

This time the cross was swung over from the right by Kadeem Harris. Again Fletcher's header was true, but Charlton keeper Dillon Phillips pushed it into the path of the onrushing Forestieri four yards out. Somehow the Italian sliced his shot high and wide of the waiting net.

The true impact of that miss was felt less than two minutes later. A rare Charlton attack saw Doughty send over a low cross to the feet of Bonne, whose stabbed shot bounced up off the leg of Wednesday defender Tom Lees and wrongfooted keeper Cameron Dawson as it spun over the line for the equaliser.

Wednesday resumed their domination but Bannan just failed to dink the ball over the onrushing Phillips as half-time approached.

The Scot went even closer four minutes into the second half with a curler from the edge of the area which forced a flying save from Phillips.

At the other end, Bonne's flicked header was held by Dawson before his opposite number Phillips was required to make a smart stop low down to palm away a Harris shot.

The game's pivotal moment arrived after 79 minutes when Erhun Oztumer felled substitute Jacob Murphy. Referee Tim Robinson took his time before awarding the penalty which was tucked away neatly by Fletcher.

Charlton responded defiantly but the closest they came was when Deji Oshilaja's sweetly-struck shot rose just over the bar.

Wednesday's victory was sealed in the final seconds when the unmarked Nuhui headed home Adam Reach's cross.

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Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds31208358223668
2Plymouth ArgylePlymouth32208457322568
3Ipswich TownIpswich321612460312960
4Bolton WanderersBolton33178848242459
5Derby CountyDerby31169650252557
6Barnsley30175845271856
7Wycombe WanderersWycombe311651044291553
8Shrewsbury TownShrewsbury32146123934548
9Peterborough UnitedPeterborough301521348381047
10Portsmouth30101283736142
11Charlton AthleticCharlton311010114543240
12Port Vale33117153347-1440
13Fleetwood TownFleetwood32912113534139
14Exeter CityExeter32109134243-139
15Lincoln CityLincoln3081572931-239
16Bristol Rovers32108144455-1138
17Oxford UnitedOxford Utd3399153641-536
18Burton Albion3197154058-1834
19Cheltenham TownCheltenham3196162540-1533
20Morecambe32710153352-1931
21Accrington StanleyAccrington3079142647-2130
22MK Dons3285193051-2129
23Cambridge UnitedCambridge3285192652-2629
24Forest Green RoversForest Green3357212563-3822

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