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Opening-day defeat for Addicks

Charlton's opening friendly of the summer ended in a 2-0 defeat at Kingsmeadow on Saturday.

Two second-half goals from Javon Molloy and Lee Minshull gave the Blue Square Premier Dons victory as the Addicks stretched their legs for the first time in match action ahead of the 2010/11 campaign.

Molloy hit the opener on 50 minutes, reacting smartly to turn the ball home from close range after Rob Elliot saved well from Ismael Yakubu.

And the towering Lee Minshull tapped home the second from close range after blistering work on the left from Andre Blackman.

The closest the Addicks came to breaking though came late in the first period when Icelandic trialist Gunnar Thorvaldsson nipped around home keeper Jack Turner, only to see his shot cleared off the line by the covering Brett Johnson.

The Dons had also been denied by some last-ditch defending earlier in the game as the dangerous Jon Main stung the fingertips of Elliot and watched the ball loop towards the empty net, before Grant Basey stormed in to make a terrific clearance.

In a second period littered with changes, Charlton's best chance fell to another trialist, right-back James Mulley, whose drive from 25 yards flew narrowly wide.

New signing Alan McCormack made his first appearance in midfield for the visitors in South London, while Spanish trialist Guillen Bauza showed some good touches in attack, his hold-up play particularly impressive.

Basey came though 67 minutes, his first action since the horror injury sustained at Bristol Rovers in February, and there was a first senior outing for 16-year-old Jordan Cousins in the second period.

There were five other trialists on show over the 90 minutes, while new professionals Carl Jenkinson, Yado Mambo, Ben Davisson, Lewis Perkins and Tamer Tuna all featured.

Fellow youth-team graduates Chris Solly, Basey, Scott Wagstaff and Alex Stavrinou also got their first taste of seasonal action, along with Elliot, and a lack of senior Addicks players was illustrated by the presence of just Miguel Llera, Semedo, McCormack and Racon.

The Dons were well worth their win, but the defeat will mean little in the leg-stretching nature of pre-season, although Phil Parkinson will surely be looking to add some more experience to his ranks as the build-up to August 7th continues.

New signing McCormack made his debut at Kingsmeadow after arriving at the club in midweek as a free agent.

The former Southend United man took his place in central midfield, but fellow new recruits Gary Doherty and Johnnie Jackson did not feature in the squad.

There were four trialists in the shape of former Chelsea youth product Lee Sawyer, ex-Sheffield Wednesday winger Etienne Esajas, Spanish striker Bauza, formerly of Swansea City, and Icelandic frontman Thorvaldsson, who spent time last season on loan at Reading.

There was a welcome return from injury at the back for Basey; the left-back the victim of a season-ending ankle injury at the hands of Bristol Rovers midfielder Dominic Blizzard.

Elliot took his place between the posts, with Solly and Basey flanking Llera and new professional Jenkinson. Sawyer and Esajas supplied the width either side of McCormack and Jose Semedo, with Bauza and Thorvaldsson up top.

The Blue Square Premier hosts fielded former Addicks youngster Rashid Yussuff in their starting line-up, while Danny Kedwell and the highly-rated Main were up front in the first period.

Bauza showed some fine early touches, holding the ball up well and spreading the play, with Sawyer a lively outlet on the right.

The first opening went Wimbledon's way on nine minutes as Steven Gregory's pass was seized by Jon Main on the left and he sped forward before stabbing over the bar from an acute angle.

Four minutes later Main, the club's record scorer and back from a cruciate knee injury, caused more problems cutting in from the left. Again with plenty of grass at his disposal in front of him, his shot was finger-tipped by Elliot but was heading in before Basey got across to brilliantly hook the ball off the line.

After a loose back header Thorvaldsson's snap shot was saved routinely by Jack Turner.

The action stopped on 25 minutes for a drinks break and soon after the resumption Kedwell teed up Luke Moore, whose well-struck drive flew just wide of a diving Elliot's left upright.

Llera headed a deep Basey free-kick into the side-netting on the stretch and the Spaniard set up Charlton's best chance of the game seven minutes before the break.

His filtered pass picked out the intelligent run of Thorvaldsson and the Icelander nudged the ball away from the onrushing Turner and steadied himself before letting fly with a shot that was expertly hacked off the line by Brett Johnson.

There was a spell of pinball in the box at the resulting corner, and then moments later, Thorvaldsson was left totally alone to meet a Jenkinson centre from the right but his header flew straight at Turner.

Esajas, who had switched flanks with Sawyer midway through the half, forced his way down the right but his cross was dealt with, and McCormack's low skidder flew wide just before the break.

Bauza wriggled away from his marker to curl a shot wide, and that was the last action of a scoreless opening period.

The second half saw a much-changed Addicks line-up - and there was a first appearance in senior colours for 16-year-old defender Cousins.

The England U16 skipper operated in the centre of defence alongside Yado Mambo, with Hayes and Yeading triallist Mulley and the retained Basey the full-backs ahead of Elliot.

Fresh from signing a new contract at the club, Wagstaff was out wide right, with young professional Davisson on the left.

Stavrinou joined Racon in central midfield and two more youngsters, Perkins and Tuna, were up front.

The hosts made plenty of changes at the break, and after Mambo headed a Basey cross into the side-netting, the Dons opened the scoring five minutes in.

Newcomer Molloy was the scorer, reacting quickest to poke the ball over the line from close range after Yakubu's shot - following some fine composure form the centre-back in the box - was splendidly repelled by Elliot.

Moments later towering midfielder Lee Minshull looped a header over Elliot only to see the ball bounce behind off the bar.

Wagstaff was giving Andre Blackman a torrid time on the right, and the Dons substitute was given a final warning from the referee after hacking the winger down.

Basey's 61st minute curling free-kick from the right was clutched high by new keeper Seb Brown and after a drinks break, Elliot made way for triallist keeper Ross Kitteridge, a former Reading youngster, midway through the half. Second-year scholar Joe Carter also replaced Basey.

Amid the changes there was attention for Mark Nowekeji, who sadly left the action on a stretcher.

A lull followed, but the game burst back into life eight minutes from time as the hosts struck again. Blackman was the architect, bursting in from the left in superb fashion and cutting the ball back for Minshull to tap the ball home from close range. The big man couldn't miss.

At the other end Mulley took aim from 35 yards and his effort was not far wide, although it caused minor panic amid the Addicks fans behind the goal.

Tuna's placed effort from a fine Wagstaff pull-back was well blocked by a home defender as the game drifted into stoppage time.

And that proved the last significant action as a warm summer's afternoon ended with the Dons enjoying South London bragging rights.

Charlton (first half): Elliot; Solly, Basey, Jenkinson, Llera; Sawyer, McCormack, Semedo; Esajas, Bauza, Thorvaldsson.

Charlton (second half): Elliot (Kitteridge 67), Mulley, Basey (Carter 67), Mambo, Cousins; Wagstaff, Racon, Stavrinou, Davisson; Perkins, Tuna.

Wimbledon (first half): Turner, Jackson, Noone, Franks, Johnson; Moore, Hun Kim, Gregory, Yussuff, Kedwell, Main.

Wimbledon (second half): Brown, Hatton, S Moore, Yakubu, Harris, Blackman (Noone 89), Jones, Minshull, Nwokeji (Martin 67), Jolley, Molley.

Goals: Molloy 50, Minshull 82

Ref: L Collins

Att: 1,417

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