Charlton 3 Wycombe 2

Last updated : 08 August 2009 By Matt Fricker

Making hard work of it. Heart rendering football. Edge of you seat stuff.

None of these phrases really do Charlton Athletic's first victory in League One justice.

First half domination was the game for Charlton as phase after phase of confident passing football led to some encouraging attacking opportunities early on.

But, in a move reminiscent of last season's opener against Swansea City it was the new Charlton defender Christian Dailly who opened the scoring on 21 minutes, towering over the Wycombe defence to head home from a Jonjo Shelvey corner.

Charlton kept the intense attack pressure of the first half going and within two minutes had made the score 2 - 0. Lloyd Sam and Frazer Richardson combining beautifully on the right flank to set up Nicky Bailey who skilfully slotted home on the 23rd minute mark.

Lloyd Sam nearly made the game 3 - 0 on 27 minutes but the shot on his weaker left foot went high and wide of the far post.

The Addicks stayed in control of the game for the rest of the first half until the 43rd minute when Chris Zebroski scored a looping header past Rob Elliott against the run of play to make the score at half time 2 -1 .

After some early pressure from Wycombe at the start of the second half it was a Charlton counter attack which led to a free kick being given for a foul on Lloyd Sam, Jonjo Shelvey swung in the free kick towards the back post where both Miguel Llera and Nicky Bailey were waiting unmarked, Llera got to the ball first and put the Addicks back into the driving seat with a 3 - 1 lead.

Charlton continued to control the match at 3 - 1 until the 67th minute when Izale McLeod and Andy Gray were introduced to the fray as replacements for Deon Burton and Lloyd Sam.

Although McLeod and Gray started with real threat and were both very unlucky not to increase Charlton's goal tally (Gray having a shot cleared off the line at 69 minutes) the change in formation from 4 - 5 - 1 to 4- 4- 2 seemed to put a sense of unease on the Charlton defence.

Indeed it was Wycombe who struck the next blow after some good periods of play from the Chairboys Chris Zebroski broke through the Addicks defence to find himself one on one with Rob Elliott and he was able to calmly slip the ball into the net to bring the game to 3 - 2.

Wycombe then proceeded to really turn on the pressure against Charlton, playing four up front for the final ten minutes, it took some real old fashioned heroics from the Charlton defence to save the game for the Addicks. Kelly Youga, Nicky Bailey and Rob Elliott all clearing the ball off the line within the space of a five minute period.

Wycombe had a fantastic opportunity to tie the game in the 90th minute, Matt Phillips finding himself with space in the area, drilled the ball towards the near post, only to be denied by the nose of the flying Rob Elliott.

In the end Charlton managed to hang on to the game and guarantee the three points in a game which showed that when they play well, Charlton can be one of the best teams in the league however, with some questionable defensive errors, it is most definitely going to be one very long year.