Charlton U18s were condemned to a 4-3 defeat at Sparrows Lane against Cardiff City on Saturday afternoon.
Ethan Brown was shown a straight red card late-on as Ellis McMillan, Emmanuel Sol-Loza and Reuben Reid netted for the young Addicks.
Jason Pearce’s side took the lead inside a quarter-of-an-hour through McMillan who wrapped his strike through the wall. A neat free-kick routine saw the versatile forward lift his strike through a sea of bodies, sending the keeper the wrong way and finding the back of the net.
Sol-Loza followed suit shortly after, poking home from close range. A turnover in possession saw the Addicks battle through the Bluebirds’ midfield as Brown slotted a pass across the face of goal for the forward, allowing for a simple toe-poke finish.
The visitors came off the blocks in relentless fashion after the interval, netting three goals to complete a turnaround in South London.
The first came as Daniel Ola added the finishing touches to a well-worked move which saw Jac Thomas fizz a pass into the box, finding Ola at the back post who converted with a simple strike.
Mannie Barton added Cardiff’s second in quick succession as the away side countered with pace. The winger drove goalwards from the halfway line, eventually weaving his way into the box and finding the back of the net with a composed finish.
Cardiff’s turnaround was completed through Ola who was at the double after the hour-mark. The opposition capitalised on a loose pass in the middle of the park, feeding a ball straight into the path of the forward who was able to turn and home in on goal, slotting in at the far post.
Pearce’s side responded well to the set-back, levelling the scoring just four minutes later. Reid pounced on a heavy touch on the edge of the box, letting fly with a curling strike which snuck past the keeper to draw level with 22 minutes left on the clock.
Despite the Addicks’ offensive efforts, Cardiff were able to regain the lead with five minutes remaining. A Charlton corner was cleared out to substitute Jake Davies who pumped the ball up the pitch.
Subsequently, Osian Rees escaped his marker, thundering through the Addicks’ defence, sliding his shot into the far corner to secure three points for the visitors.
Charlton U18s return to the road in two weeks’ time as they lock horns with AFC Bournemouth at the Canford Park Arena on Saturday, February 15th (KO 12pm GMT).
Charlton: Sadler; Brown, Elliott, Cann, Davis; Safa (c), Belton, Reid; Tagoe, Sol-loza, McMillan
Subs (not used): Woodham, Washington-Amoah, Dawkins
Goals: McMillan 15, Sol-Loza 27, Reid 68
Charlton fans can support the academy by signing up to the Valley Gold scheme. Valley Gold enables fans to support the club’s academy in unearthing the talents of tomorrow, as well as giving them the chance to win cash prizes.
Click here for more information on how you can become a Valley Gold member.