Blackpool 1-0 Charlton Athletic: Lifeless Addicks beaten in injury time

Charlton slipped to a third defeat in a row as Jimmy Ryan’s injury-time goal sealed a first home league win in five months for relegation threatened Blackpool.

The Seasiders’ captain benefitted as Charlton goalkeeper Ben Amos had to rush off his line to deal with a long ball forward, with the goal gaping for Ryan to earn a deserved victory over a poor Addicks team.

The South Londoners are now five points off the play-off places with only one of their games in hand remaining.

The contest took a while to get going as the opening stages were interrupted by injuries to Charlton’s Ezri Konsa and then the home side’s Clark Robertson – but it was the hosts who eventually had the first sight of goal when Curtis Tilt’s deflected header dropped just wide.

The returning Ben Reeves had the Addicks’ maiden attempt as he collected Josh Magennis’ ball in, but his effort was easy for Joe Lumley in the home goal.

The game was then halted for a further seven minutes following a sickening clash of heads between Lewis Page and Nathan Delfouneso. The Blackpool player came off much worse and was forced to leave the field on a stretcher, but the cursed Page, who was making his first appearance after a year on the side-lines, also had to make way. Naby Sarr came on in his place.

The Seasiders took control of the contest when it finally restarted, and Ben Amos had to be alert to tip Danny Philliskirk’s volley over the bar. Kyle Vassell then dragged a shot across the face of goal on the counter attack before the visitors finally started to look threatening as we entered twelve minutes of first-half stoppage time.

Michal Zyro headed straight at Lumley from eight yards out after a bit of head tennis in the hosts’ area, before Jake Forster-Caskey fizzed a half-volley marginally over the bar from 25 yards.

Zyro was presented with another golden chance as Chris Solly’s centre found him unmarked eight yards from goal, but this time nodded off-target. Vassell saw a shot deflect just wide in what would be the last meaningful action of the extended first half.

Chris Solly stood up well to block Viv Soloman-Otabor’s near-post drive in the opening exchanges of the second-period, with Magennis stooping to head Zyro’s cross wide at the other end.

Vassell dragged wide again from the edge of the area after the Addicks were caught out by a long ball over the top. Charlton were then dealt yet another injury blow, with Solly hurt and replaced by Joe Aribo.

Amos tipped a rising effort over the bar from Ollie Turton as the hosts continued to look the more likely to break the stalemate.

The South Londoners finally forced their first corner on 74 minutes, but Sarr’s header was wayward as he tried to convert Patrick Bauer’s near-post flick on. Tilt was once again first to a set-piece but was denied by a last-minute scramble on the goal line as his header seemed to be creeping past Amos.

But Gary Bowyer’s side got their deserved winner in the first minute of injury time as Ryan spotted Amos out of his goal and finished into the bottom corner.