MATCH REPORT | Ipswich Town 4 Charlton 0

Charlton concluded the 2021/22 campaign with a 4-0 defeat at Ipswich Town on Saturday afternoon.

Wes Burns' double came either side of strikes from Tyreeq Bakinson and James Norwood as the hosts ran out victors at Portman Road.

Johnnie Jackson handed Nathan Harness his senior league debut, while Ryan Inniss and Corey Blackett-Taylor also returned to the starting XI.

The Addicks were given an immediate mountain to climb in Suffolk, as Bakinson rifled into the top corner from 20 yards with seven minutes played. 

And Ipswich doubled their advantage on 11 minutes, when Burns raced onto Conor Chaplin’s through ball before coolly converting past the onrushing Harness with the outside of his right boot.

Only the heroics of Christian Walton prevented Charlton from halving the arrears, as the Town stopper produced a superb reaction save to steer Jayden Stockley’s header wide from a pinpoint Adam Matthews cross.

Into the second period and the hosts added a third within five minutes of the restart, Burns turning home Macauley Bonne’s centre from close range.

Alex Gilbey was replaced by Chuks Aneke moments later and the substitute was soon involved, lofting a ball in behind the Tractor Boys’ backline for the advancing Conor Washington, though the forward lifted his first-time effort over Walton’s crossbar. 

At the other end, Jason Pearce was on hand to hook Luke Woolfenden’s goalbound effort off the line, before the hosts crafted another gilt-edged opening.

Substitute Kane Vincent-Young exchanged a one-two with Burns before pulling back for Sam Morsy, only for the hosts’ skipper to fire wide from 10 yards with the goal at his mercy.

The Addicks looked to rally and Stockley crashed a header off the underside off the crossbar from Blackett-Taylor’s deep centre, before Matthews recycled the ball for Jake Forster-Caskey to cross for Inniss at the far post, though the towering defender headed into the side-netting. 

Walton produced a scrambling save to thwart Blackett-Taylor, before Norwood compounded the Addicks’ frustrations with a neat finish on the angle two minutes from time.

Ipswich Town: Walton; Donacien (Vincent-Young 56), Woolfenden, Baggott; Burns, Bakinson, Morsy (c), Penney; Chaplin (Humphreys 75), Bonne (Norwood 85), Celina

Subs (not used): Hladky, El Mizouni, Aluko, Pigott

Goals: Bakinson 7, Burns 11, 50, Norwood 88

Charlton: Harness; Inniss, Pearce (c), Famewo; Matthews, Gilbey (Aneke 54), Dobson, Morgan (Forster-Caskey 68), Blackett-Taylor; Stockley, Washington (Lee 75)

Subs (not used): Henderson, Elerewe, Jaiyesimi, Burstow

Booked: Dobson 48 (foul on Chaplin)

Referee: Charles Breakspear

Attendance: 26,002 (1,972 from Charlton)

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