PRE-SEASON REPORT | Charlton 2 Cambridge United 2

Charlton shared the spoils with Cambridge United on Tuesday afternoon after contesting 120 minutes of football at Sparrows Lane.

Divided into four games of 30 minutes, the Addicks fielded three separate teams, with Lee Bowyer taking charge of the first 90 minutes and Jason Euell overseeing the final half an hour.

Josh Magennis and Patrick Bauer were on target for Charlton and they are next in action on Wednesday evening when they take on Dulwich Hamlet at the KNK Stadium.

Cambridge took the lead on seven minutes when a Harrison Dunk corner was only half cleared and Jabo Ibehre steered the loose ball into the net from six yards.

Joe Aribo stung the palms of U’s stopper David Forde shortly afterwards, as the Addicks searched for a quick equaliser, and they did then level on 14 minutes. Magennis was tripped inside the box and he dispatched the resulting penalty into the corner of the net.

Dunk blasted a close-range strike into the stomach of Dillon Phillips just before the first 30 minutes concluded and, following a short drinks break, the Cambridge winger sent a tamer strike straight at the Addicks goalkeeper.

Nicky Ajose couldn’t connect with a low Alfie Doughty cross on 38 minutes but moments later Charlton went in front. Aribo wriggled his way into the box and, after his shot had hit the post, Bauer gobbled up the rebound.

Charlton had performed well in the second quarter and Alfie Doughty whizzed a low strike narrowly wide, having been teed up by Nicky Ajose, just before its conclusion.

Both sides made XI changes for the third, 30-minute period and Charlton came close to finding the net again when Karlan Grant sent a low strike towards goal that former Charlton stopper Dimitar Mitov held on to.

Cambridge levelled on 76 minutes when George Maris volleyed home from a corner. The Addicks almost replied instantly with a third goal but trialist Simon Dawkins couldn’t turn the ball home from Lyle Taylor’s cut-back. 

Another nine Charlton changes came at the end of the third quarter, giving Jason Euell’s U23s squad the chance to face a senior Cambridge side, and academy graduate Josh Umerah came close to netting when he thumped a strike at Mitov that the goalkeeper palmed away.

Brendan Sarpong-Wiredu curled a shot off target from the edge of the box with 10 minutes remaining and, two minutes from time, Kenneth Yao struck the post from close range, following a mix-up in the Cambridge back-line.

Charlton (first 60 mins): Phillips, Marshall, Bauer, Sarr, Page, Maloney, Aribo, Morgan, Doughty, Magennis, Ajose.

Charlton (third quarter): Maynard-Brewer, Yao, Bowry, Pearce, Blumberg, Lapslie, Forster-Caskey, Dawkins, Fosu, Grant, Taylor.

Charlton (fourth quarter): Maynard-Brewer, Yao, Cummings, Stevenson, Mascoll, Dempsey, Sarpong-Wiredu, Trialist, Umerah, Trialist, Hackett.

Goals: Magennis (pen) 14, Bauer 40

Cambridge United (first 60 mins): Forde, Davies, Darling, Taft, Carroll, Deegan, Osadebe, Lewis, Dunk, Amoo, Ibehre.

Goals: Ibehre 6, Maris 76

Read Time: 3 mins