Leaders Charlton win at Brentford
Brentford 0 Charlton 1
Bradley Wright-Phillips’ 14th goal of the season gave League One leaders Charlton a victory that kept them five points clear at the top of the table.
Brentford dominated the first half but the lack of a cutting edge up front meant a goal eluded them, with Clayton McDonald missing two clear-cut chances after Niall McGinn hit the post.
The game took a dark twist after the hour mark when defender Shaleum Logan collided with Bees keeper Richard Lee and became Brentford’s second player to be stretchered off in as many games.
And it got worse for Uwe Rosler’s side when Wright-Phillips nipped into the six-yard box and tapped home Danny Green’s cross to win the game.
Gary Alexander, warned recently by Rosler that he is playing for a new contract along with several others, should have done better with an effort that tested the hands of keeper Ben Hamer, before Logan wasted a chance high over the bar as Brentford kept possession in the opening stages.
McGinn, switching wings with Sam Saunders and confusing the Charlton back four, cut inside and forced another save from Hamer in the 17th minute.
But Brentford’s best chance of the half came when he smashed a low shot against the post and Donaldson skied the rebound over an open goal.
Another smart run from McGinn, beating two players and cutting in from the left, opened space to find Donaldson again just before the interval but the lanky forward somehow headed weakly past the post from McGinn’s pinpoint cross.
Attacking towards their own supporters galvanised Charlton after the break and sustained pressure almost gave Wright-Phillips goal number 14 when he was put through with just Lee to beat, but the keeper deflected his attempted lob wide
However, Lee followed through and collided with his defender Logan, leaving the player grounded for some considerable time.
After club captain Kevin O’Connor was stretchered last weekend, it was another blow for the home team.
The injury and long delay caused Brentford to lose their concentration for just a moment and it was enough to allow Wright-Phillips to break the deadlock.
QPR loanee Hogan Ephraim was a 76th-minute substitute but found his Charlton debut dwarfed by the effervescence of Wright-Phillips, who almost made it 2-0 with six minutes left with a stinging shot that needed tipping wide by Lee once again.
Some 10 minutes of stoppage time sparked extra energy in Brentford but they were again unable to convert relentless pressure into a clear-cut chance on goal.
