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Addicks slip to Seagulls defeat

Promotion-seeking Charlton slumped to a disappointing defeat as struggling Brighton & Hove Albion gave their survival hopes a massive boost at The Valley on Tuesday night.

Goals either side of the interval from Inigo Calderon and Elliott Bennett consigned Phil Parkinson's side to a fifth League One reverse of the campaign.

Akpo Sodje halved the deficit with virtually the last kick of the game but the Seagulls were well worth their win on their first trip to SE7 for a quarter of a century.

And just to cap a miserable evening, all the Addicks' promotion rivals in action won to further damage their automatic elevation hopes.

Having recorded a much-needed win against Yeovil on home turf on Saturday Parkinson's side went into the match in high spirits but on a heavy pitch decimated by the incessant rainfall of the past few days, it was the visitors who were more light-footed.

Taking the game to their hosts from the get go, they were worthy winners and moved out of the dropzone as a consequence.

Perhaps it had been a win that had been coming too. After all, they had emerged from games against the division's top two, Norwich City and Leeds United, with just a point to show after deserving to win both fixtures.

Thoughts of that dramatic last-gasp leveller from Leeds at the weekend were quickly forgotten, however, as they settled quicker on the sticky surface.

And they eventually opened the scoring in the 36th minute - after Charlton's best moment of the game.

The hosts had conjured up a good opening on the left but ex-Seagull Therry Racon saw his shot charged down by a well-placed defender.

And mere moments later the ball was in the back of the Charlton net after Spaniard Calderon surged down the right and reached the edge of the box before planting a low shot past Rob Elliot and in.

The Addicks, who lost top-scorer Deon Burton to a groin complaint, continued labouring after the break. They saw plenty more of the ball but could fashion little.

And as Parkinson opted for a three-man defensive line in a bid to get something from the game it was Brighton that struck again 12 minutes from time when the ever-lively Bennett thumped home a low shot after some panicky rearguard action from the hosts.

Christian Dailly's header was clawed away soon afterwards while Akpo Sodje's first goal since rejoining on loan from Sheffield Wednesday - and third in total this season - came in the dying seconds and was too late to matter.

In terms of Charlton boss Parkinson named an unchanged side for the Valley clash against Brighton.

Fresh from their victory against Yeovil Town on Saturday Parkinson saw no reason to make changes as the Seagulls swooped in.

And it was an unchanged bench too for the Addicks as the entire matchday squad remained constant against a Brighton side occupying one of the League One relegation slots at the start of play.

Having recently run Norwich City close and lost at home, Gus Poyet's side were denied victory at the death at Leeds United last time out - so there was plenty to play for at both ends of the table.

News that Colchester United's home match against Brentford had been postponed offered Charlton the chance to jump back into third place with a victory as they hosted the Seagulls at The Valley for the first time since New Year's Day 1985.

A quarter of a century ago a first-minute goal earned Brighton a 1-0 win and Addicks keeper Elliot was not even born when that match took place.

Frazer Richardson and Johnnie Jackson, impressive on debut at the weekend after his loan switch from Notts County, flanked Dailly and Miguel Llera at the back.

Lloyd Sam and Kyel Reid, who netted his first goal for the club against the Glovers on Saturday, were out wide for the hosts with ex Seagull loanee Racon and skipper Nicky Bailey the middle of the park.

Deon Burton and David Mooney, who grabbed his fourth goal of the season against Yeovil, were up front.

Darren Randolph was joined on the bench by Chris Solly, Sam Sodje, Jose Semedo, Scott Wagstaff, Leon McKenzie and Akpo Sodje.

There was a pre-match blow for Brighton with the news that striker Glen Murray had been ruled out with illness. The experienced Nicky Forster came in up front as the Seagulls lined up in a 4-5-1 formation.

At the back Adam Virgo was suspended following his red card against Leeds on Saturday so Adam El-Abd deputised in the centre of defence.

Roared on by a vocal visiting support Brighton created the first opening of the evening as Kazenga LuaLua outmuscled Richardson on the Seagulls left and the winger, younger brother of former Newcastle United hitman Lomana, cut inside and sent an angled effort wide of the right upright.

Forster couldn't quite get enough on a dangerous low cross from the right from Elliott Bennett, prodding the ball straight at Elliot as the clock approached 10 minutes.

Moments later Reid cut in from the left and his wayward effort was Charlton's first of the evening but it was Brighton who had started much the better.

After a good move, when the Seagulls moved the ball quickly from right to left, Sam got in a good challenge on the lively LuaLua and Charlton cleared the danger.

Better for the hosts came on 14 minutes as Llera strode forward and found Burton who swapped passes with Mooney and unleashed a rasping drive that was turned behind by the faintest of touches by keeper Brezovan.

After some mild panic at the edge of the Brighton box, Racon's chip flew narrowly over while Sam produced another good defensive contribution to foil LuaLua.

Forster wriggled into space but saw his shot saved by Elliot on 24 minutes and there was a change for the Addicks just past the half hour mark after Burton left the pitch in some discomfort with Akpo Sodje coming on in his place.

Sam again produced some timely retrieval work to keep out a cross from Bennett that deflected dangerously across and after Charlton dealt with two Brighton corners, the winger found Reid at the other end but he shot high and wide.

Tommy Elphick put the ball in the net for the visitors on 35 minutes, illegally hooking the ball out of Elliot's reach as the keeper prepared to kick clear.

It was chalked off, but Elliot would be beaten again - for real - moments later.

It came after Charlton's best chance of the game, and proved how football fortunes can change in the blink of an eye.

Mooney and Reid combined well on the left and the overlapping Jackson reached the byline before clipping the ball back across goal.

An acrobatic Sam could not quite connect, but the ball span loose to Racon whose goalbound shot was blocked by a defender.

The midfielder was still holding his head as the Seagulls broke and grabbed the lead as right-back Calderon surged down the flank and kept going, and going, before letting fly with a low shot that might have taken a slight deflection before flying across Elliot and nestling in the bottom left corner of the net.

Parkinson was far from happy as Marcos Painter's challenge on Sam in the box was not deemed a foul by Andy D'Urso and Bailey shot straight at Brezovan for the hosts.

When the second half resumed Charlton showed early purpose, but the first shot went the way of Brighton four minutes in as Bennett cut in from the right and shot against the backside of his own teammate Forster.

Mooney shot high and wide from an acute angle after collecting a low centre from Reid, while Elphick got on a great challenge on Mooney in the middle as the striker looked to get on the end of Sodje's low cross.

There was another glimmer for the hosts just past the hour as a long ball reached Sodje in the box and his first touch saw him move between two defenders but his second was a prodded effort wide of the right post.

Charlton were certainly asking more questions in the second period but they were still not as searching as their manager would have wanted.

Mooney, possibly being tugged back on the far side by Painter, spun and shot over the bar before Richardson made way for McKenzie.

The hosts reverted to what appeared a 3-4-1-2 formation and Solly was readied on the touchline before Parkinson instead summoned Sam Sodje to replace Jackson.

It was definitely three at the back now but confusion continued to reign for the hosts as they fell further behind 12 minutes from time.

Panicky play at the back saw the hosts rush to clear the ball and Bennett seized possession and drove through before cracking a fine shot past Elliot and in.

After McKenzie bludgeoned his way through and lost possession - the striker might have gone own under El-Abd's challenge - Crofts' effort was clutched by Elliot.

McKenzie certainly added a different attacking dimension in the closing stages, and when his persistence won a free-kick on the left for Elphick's challenge, Dailly met the 87th minute free-kick only for his header to be clawed away by Brezovan.

Seconds remained when the hosts pulled a goal back.

A long ball forward picked out Akpo Sodje and as Brezovan came out to meet him, his touch took the ball away from the keeper and instinctively prodded the ball into the vacant net from the edge of the box.

There was scarcely time to restart, however, and the boos rung out at the final whistle before being drained out by the gleeful Seagulls fans celebrating their much-needed win.

Charlton: Elliot, Richardson (McKenzie 70), Jackson (S Sodje 75), Llera, Dailly; Sam, Bailey, Racon, Reid; Mooney, Burton (A Sodje 31).

Subs (not used): Randolph, Solly, Semedo, Wagstaff.

Goal: A Sodje 90

Brighton: Brezovan; Calderon, Painter, Elphick, El-Abd; Bennett, Crofts, Dicker, Navarro, LuaLua (Hart 71); Forster (Holroyd 57).

Subs (not used): Kuipers, Hoyte, McNulty, Cook, Carole.

Goals: Calderon 36, Bennett 78

Ref: A D'Urso

Att: 17,508

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