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It's a breeze for five-star Addicks

Charlton stormed back to winning ways in terrific fashion on Saturday.

Their closest challengers to the second promotion place at the start of play, Milton Keynes Dons were swept aside on a wind-swept afternoon at The Valley as the Addicks put the misery of two cup exits this week behind them with a 5-1 win.

The hosts actually came from behind on an incident-packed afternoon in SE7, Dave Mooney wiping out Aaron Wilbraham's earlier opener for the Dons with his first goal for the club.

Skipper Nicky Bailey headed the home side in front in the 21st minute and then a burst of three goals in 12 second-half minutes left the visitors reeling.

Lloyd Sam converted the third, Sam Sodje headed home another and top scorer Deon Burton completed the nap hand 13 minutes from time.

It was just the performance that Phil Parkinson and his side wanted at the end of a seven-day spell that had begun in abject misery at Northwich Victoria.

That FA Cup humbling was followed by the departure from the Johnstone's Paint Trophy at the hands of their former manager Alan Pardew at Southampton.

But if Parkinson wanted a reaction from his side, boy did he get one, and in the most important fixture of the lot.

Central to proceedings was skipper Nicky Bailey, literally.

The midfielder was brought inside by Parkinson into his favoured position for the first time since January 31st - and obliged in sensational fashion.

Biting into challenges and driving his side on from the middle of the park, he helped himself to a sixth goal of the season and played a part in two others.

It was a win not without its hiccups, however, and but for the intervention of Kelly Youga after a dozen minutes, life in the Valley garden might have been a touch less rosy.

At this stage of the proceedings the Addicks, knocked out twice in the previous week, were toiling on the ropes.

Aaron Wilbraham's spectacular dipping strike had given the Dons the lead after 10 minutes and the visiting skipper must have thought he had doubled his tally when his goalbound shot was brilliantly hooked off the line by Youga.

A pivotal moment? I should say so.

From their next attack, Charlton won a free-kick, and Bailey's delivery skewed left off one of a host of bodies in the box and there was Mooney, who had ample space and time to level matters with a low drive through the legs of Willy Gueret.

Bailey then headed Charlton in front after the visitors had been cut open on the right by Frazer Richardson and Sam, the latter's low cross looping up for the skipper.

Milton Keynes had loud handball claims against Christian Dailly turned down, but by this stage Charlton had begun to use the swirling wind in their favour.

No matter how far out, or how wide, Bailey's free-kicks were causing chaos in the box, and one hit the bar and another was saved by the legs of Gueret, the keeper also saving brilliantly from his own player in a goalmouth scramble.

At the other end Carl Ikeme saved well from Wilbraham and although the frantic action dried up a little in the first period of the second half, Charlton had the edge when it mattered in the final quarter.

First the excellent Sam cut across the box to dispatch a low drive into the corner with 65 minutes on the clock.

Eight minutes later it was four as Sam Sodje - whose younger brother Akpo entered the fray for a debut after signing on loan from Sheffield Wednesday earlier in the day - powered home his second goal in two Valley matches.

And top scorer Deon Burton set the seal on a thrill-packed afternoon by racing past a dawdling Dons defender to convert Sam's nod down for his seventh goal of the season 13 minutes from time.

In terms of team news, new signing Sodje was on the bench at the outset. The striker, snapped up on a one-month emergency loan on Saturday morning, watched older brother Sam return to the centre of defence as Parkinson made five changes from the midweek Johnstone's Paint Trophy exit at Southampton.

Sodje and Richardson bolstered the backline and there was an important change in midfield as skipper Bailey switched inside to partner Jose Semedo.

Therry Racon switched to the left of midfield and Reading loanee Mooney was alongside Burton up front. Another loan man, keeper Ikeme, made his home debut.

It was second against third at The Valley on a wet and windy afternoon in SE7, and after a miserable week containing two cup exits the Addicks were keen to bounce back to winning ways against their closest rivals.

It also marked a happy return to home territory after a four-match winless streak on the road with the shock FA Cup defeat at Northwich Victoria and the JPT exit against Southampton still fresh in the minds.

There were signs of progress against the Saints in midweek, however, and despite scoring his first goal for the club, Leon McKenzie remained on the bench as Mooney retained his place up front.

Rob Elliot's adductor injury prevented him from playing in goal so Wolves loanee Ikeme continued between the posts.

Richardson, who had missed the previous three games with a thigh injury, was back at right-back, allowing Youga to move back to the left.

Sam Sodje partnered Christian Dailly in the middle while there were further changes in midfield as Bailey returned to his favoured central position.

Racon and Lloyd Sam, who played on the left in midweek, were out wide, with Burton and Mooney a new-look strike partnership.

Dons, whose manager Paul Ince took charge at The Valley for the first time, had won four of their last five League One fixtures ahead of kick-off.

Centre-back Darren Powell spent time on trial with the Addicks at the start of last season, while free-kick specialist Jason Puncheon was out wide.

Jermaine Easter, who netted for Wycombe Wanderers to dump Charlton out of the Carling Cup quarter-finals, was on international duty with Wales so the visitors' goal threat came from Sam Baldock and Aaron Wilbraham.

Skipper Dean Lewington was suspended so Sol Davis deputised at left-back.

Bailey won a couple of early challenges in midfield as the home crowd started in good voice, and Davis was booked in the sixth minute after sliding through late on Sam.

The tricky Lewis Gobern then bamboozled the Addicks on the right, nipping along the byline and pulling the ball back to Luke Chadwick whose shot was brilliantly blocked by Sodje.

It was a wake-up call for the hosts, but they were behind in spectacular fashion in the tenth minute.

After the ball was only half headed away by the hosts, Wilbraham picked up the scraps and sent a terrific curling, swerving effort sailing over Ikeme and in.

It was a terrific strike, tailor-made for such blustery conditions, and the visitors almost doubled their money two minutes later.

Indeed, it was only some fine defensive play from Youga that denied Wilbraham as the left-back heroically cleared off the line at the far post.

After Bailey had dragged Charlton's first chance wide of the mark, the nippy Baldock combined with Luke Chadwick and the latter found Gobern who skipped into space in the box and laid the chance on a platter for his skipper.

Wilbraham must have thought he had scored after connecting on the right side of the box but had reckoned without Youga who got back to make a desperate block.

It proved a pivotal moment, as the Addicks drew level from their next attack.

Having forced a free-kick on the left side, Bailey's set-piece into the dangerzone spun left off one of a cluster of players in packed penalty box and there was Mooney all alone to slam a low shot into the back of the net.

It was the perfect response from the hosts, and there was more danger at the back for the Dons in the 16th minute as a long ball forward was contested by both Burton and Davis.

The net result was the ball spinning away from Gueret and Davis had to sprint back to clear the ball away for a corner.

There was no relenting in the action, and the Addicks went in front in the 21st frantic minute.

Richardson's pass down the right channel defeated the Dons offside trap and allowed Sam to motor clear and sent a fizzing low cross into the dangerzone.

The ball looped up off a defender in the middle and was as appetising as you like for skipper Bailey to head in at the far post.

Wilbraham headed a Gobern cross wide at the far post two minutes later when he ought to have done much better and referee Hill was surrounded by gold shirts on 25 minutes as they claimed a penalty.

All were thrusting out their hands to suggest a Charlton player - Dailly it was revealed afterwards - had handled a Puncheon corner but Hill shook his head.

The swirling wind was creating a compelling affair as rubbish flew around the pitch, and a gust-assisted free-kick from Bailey from way out on the left two minutes later beat all and sundry in the middle and bounced down off the bar.

The ball was eventually scrambled to safety, and the Dons had an amazing let-off three minutes after the half hour mark.

Good play between Richardson and Sam again opened the visitors up on the right and the latter's low cross was sliced towards his own goal by Mathias Kouou-Doumbe only for Gueret to miraculously claw the ball away.

Mooney couldn't quite convert the rebound and MK were next to threaten in the 37th minute as a slip at the back allowed Wilbraham to curl a shot towards the bottom right corner.

But Ikeme was equal to the task, diving to his left to turn the ball away and behind for a corner.

Still there was no relenting in the play - events were happening every two minutes it would seem - and Mooney slalomed into the box six minutes before the break but his pass towards Racon was wayward when the Irishman might have opted for a shot.

After receiving treatment and trekking to the sidelines, Sodje found himself as an auxiliary winger when waved back on as the ball broke on the right.

Luckily for the Dons his low cross was just too close to Gueret who clutched the ball ahead of the advancing Mooney.

There was still time for another wind-assisted free-kick from Bailey to sail straight through again and Gueret saved well with his legs before the danger was eventually cleared.

That was the last action of an incredible first-half although Ince made his feelings clear to the officials as he walked off the pitch.

When the action resumed there was some respite as both goals enjoyed a breather with Ikeme's first task to collect a low cross-cum-shot from Puncheon on 58 minutes.

Richardson had treatment on the far side to his troublesome thigh, and was clearly struggling as he attempted to run it off.

Bailey made a great sliding block in Wilbraham after the Addicks had been caught out by a quick short corner, and the unlucky Richardson eventually made way for Basey on 63 minutes.

The newcomer went straight to left-back with Youga switching to the right, and Charlton had a left off a minute after the restart as Baldock shot wide when the ball span up nicely in a crowded area.

But it was Charlton that struck a telling blow on 65 minutes as Sam made it 3-1.

The winger latched onto a touch from Burton on the right side of the box after Bailey's deep free-kick, and tricked his way inside in some style before dispatching a low shot into the bottom left corner.

It gave the hosts a much-needed two-goal cushion and Ince replaced Chadwick with Jemal Johnson soon afterwards.

Sam almost added another, lunging in to meet a curling Bailey free-kick after Burton was upended by Powell.

The winger couldn't quite get enough contact at the far post, however, with Gueret flopping on the ball.

As the visitors looked for a way back into the game Charlton were looking slick on the break.

And after forcing a corner on the right they added a fourth goal on 73 minutes.

Bailey sent in the flag-kick and there was Sodje to leap majestically and bullet home a header.

An exuberant celebration followed as the defender toasted a second goal in successive home matches.

And things got even better on four minutes later as Sam headed down an angled pass from Basey and Burton had far more desire than a defender in a far better starting position, sprinting past him and lifting a shot through the grasp of Gueret and in.

After his Usain Bolt celebration, Burton immediately made way for McKenzie and Akpo Sodje came on for the hard-running Mooney.

It meant Charlton had two brothers on the field for the seventh time in their history, and the first since the Kimble twins, Gary and Alan.

As the fans appealed for a sixth goal McKenzie almost got in on the act but his header amid a ruck of players at a Bailey free-kick bounced across goal and wide.

The Dons were a spent force by this stage and Basey crashed an angled effort just over the bar from the left edge of the box, and after sub Danny Woodards was booked, another Bailey free-kick from way out was flipped over by Gueret.

There was still time for a late dust-up between the players as McKenzie was caught late by Puncheon, and even later by Powell.

The striker tussled with Powell on the floor as players from both sides waded in and the net result was three bookings for the main protagonists.

And there was scarcely time to restart the game as Hill blew for time and the Addicks celebrated a comprehensive victory.

Northwich who.......

Charlton: Ikeme; Richardson (Basey 63), Youga, S Sodje, Dailly; Sam, Semedo, Bailey, Racon; Burton (McKenzie 77), Mooney (A Sodje 77).

Subs (not used): Randolph, Llera, Wagstaff, Shelvey.

Goals: Mooney 13, Bailey 21, Sam 65, Sodje 73, Burton 77

Booked: Sam 24 (foul on Chadwick), McKenzie 90 (tussle with Powell)

MK Dons: Gueret; Kouo-Doumbe, Davis (Woodards 74), McCracken, Powell; Gobern (Ibehre 83), Leven, Puncheon, Chadwick (Johnson 69); Wilbraham, Baldock.

Subs (not used): Swailes, Morgan, Carrington, Howell.

Goals: Wilbraham 10

Booked: Davis 6 (foul on Sam), Leven 81 (unsporting behaviour), Woodwards 90 (foul on Sam), Puncheon 90 (foul on McKenzie), Powell 90 (tussle with McKenzie)

Ref: K Hill

Att: 17,188

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