Charlton 0 Reading 4

Former Addicks loan striker Leroy Lita was among the goalscorers as Charlton's reserves were beaten 4-0 by their Reading counterparts at Stonebridge Road on Monday evening.

The Royals, fielding an XI brimming with first-team experience in the form of players such as Lita, captain Alex Pearce and Shane Long, overpowered the hosts for the majority of the match, and opened the scoring on the half-hour mark when Long pounced on a soft back pass.

Three second-half goals from Lita, Jem Karacan and a second for Long from the penalty spot then sealed victory for Brian McDermott's men.

There were five changes to the Charlton second XI from the side that played Queens Park Rangers a fortnight ago, with Rob Elliot starting in goal in light of Darren Randolph's promotion to the number one jersey at Hillsborough the previous Saturday.

Chris Solly moved from right-back to assume the absent Josh Wright's midfield role - and the captain's armband - with trialist and former Reading defender Ulises de la Cruz filling in on the flank opposite Kelly Youga.

Carl Jenkinson partnered Aswad Thomas at the back, with Yado Mambo settling for a place on the bench, while Ben Godfrey moved in the opposite direction to start the game up front alongside Svetoslav Todorov.

Scott Wagstaff, part of the squad recently victorious over Norwich City in the FA Cup, retained his wide man double act with Ishmel Demontagnac, a second trialist and Charlton youth product now back at the club, with Rashid Yussuff, the utility midfielder of the quartet, slotting into the middle with Solly.

But while some individual performances and an energetic team effort will have pleased coach Damian Matthew and first-team coach Phil Parkinson, watching from the stands, the visitors assumed the role of aggressors right from the off, and Lita would have drawn first blood on 10 minutes had he not clumsily felled marker Thomas in the process.

Wagstaff's pace proved a threat throughout, and the winger could only watch his dynamic run and low centre find nothing but hooped shirts in the danger zone halfway through the first period.

However, in such a hard-fought, see-saw contest, one mistake from either side would always be enough to shift the momentum, and Yussuff's back pass under pressure slowed on the soaking wet pitch, allowing an alert Long to nab the loose ball and round Elliot for a tap-in.

The Addicks kept their spirits up despite such a cruel turn of events, and after Lita saw a goal struck off, this time for offside, Todorov came agonisingly close to sending his side in level at the break, only for his intelligent short cross to miss the unmarked head of striker Ben Godfrey by a whisker.

The Royals turned things up a few notches after the interval, however, and despite the introduction of Mambo, Alex Stavrinou and Sam Long, it was the visitors who began to dominate possession and shots at goal, and after having a penalty claim waved away, Lita finally got his goal two minutes later, beating two defenders before slotting in at the near post.

Elliot showed exactly why he was selected to start six senior games in recent weeks with an excellent save to deny Lita his second, and three-quarters into the game, only a brave interception from left-back Oliver Bozanic prevented Wagstaff from connecting with Demontagnac's low cross.

With 12 minutes remaining, Reading wrapped up the three points when midfielder Karacan blasted home a rebound after Elliot had saved from James Henry, and five minutes later Elliot's clearance fell short to an unmarked Long, forcing Jenkinson to concede the penalty which made it four - and two for the Republic of Ireland international.

Charlton: Elliot; de la Cruz, Jenkinson, Thomas (Mambo 46), Youga (Long 70); Wagstaff, Solly, Yussuff, Demontagnac; Godfrey (Stavrinou 63), Todorov. Subs (not used): Lee, Lozano-Calderon.

Bookings: Youga 8 (foul on Henry), Jenkinson 82 (foul on Long), de la Cruz 83 (foul on Lita).

Reading: Andersen; Kelly, Pearce, Sigurdsson, Bozanic; Henry, Karacan, Church, Robson-Kanu; Lita, Long. Subs (not used): Hateley, McCarthy, Kamdjo, Frewen, Spence.

Goals: Long 30, pen 82; Lita 53, Karacan 78.

Booking: Sigurdsson 87 (foul on Demontagnac).

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