Olly Groome reports from Sparrows Lane
Charlton’s U18s enjoyed a thumping 13-1 friendly victory over Southend United at Sparrows Lane on Tuesday afternoon.
Seven of the Addicks’ goals came in the first half with Alex Willis opening the floodgates after just five minutes when he headed home Albie Morgan’s free-kick delivery.
The Shrimpers, who came into the match off the back of a 10-game unbeaten run, drew level four minutes later when the visiting number 12 was adjudged to have been shoved in the box, leaving the forward to score the resulting penalty, but parity would not last long.
Charlton began to run riot over their opponents, netting a penalty of their own in the 14th minute after Jordan Zemura received a push from a defender, leaving Morgan to power his penalty past the Southend keeper, who did get a hand on the effort, but not enough to keep it out.
It was 3-1 just two minutes later following some superb play in the middle of the park by Taylor Maloney, who dinked a delightful pass over the top of the defence for Alex Willis, who fired confidently into the bottom right-hand corner.
Five more minutes elapsed before the young Addicks had their fourth and it came again from the penalty spot after Louis Yamfam was the next to be fouled in the box, and the tricky forward dusted himself off to dispatch the spot-kick himself.
Four became five moments later when Timmy Abraham smashed home an angled drive, while Yamfam sealed his brace with 29 minutes on the clock, rifling a wonderful shot into the top right-hand corner from 20 yards to make it 6-1 before the half-hour mark.
Abraham rounded off the first-half scoring with his second of the afternoon, pouncing on a loose ball in the box to cushion a low finish past the keeper, and the goals would continue to flow after the break.
Yet another penalty was awarded in the 54th minute when Abraham was halted by a trip, leaving Morgan to put away his second goal from 12 yards, before Maloney got in on the action by dipping a sweet free-kick into the bottom left-hand corner from a central position on the edge of the D.
Charlton hit double figures in the 68th minute via substitute Nesta Sacko who fired into the roof of the net when a set-piece from the right dropped to him 10 yards out, while fellow sub Kareem Isiaka made it 11 with 20 minutes remaining by tapping home a rebound from close range.
The goal glut continued with number 12 coming in the 83rd minute when Isiaka scored again, finishing after some fine work from James Gody who skipped his way past a defender on the byline before laying the ball on a plate for his strike partner.
And the 13th and final goal came five minutes from time when roles were reversed and Isiaka teed up Gody to place a shot inside the left upright from the edge of the box, rounding off a spectacular scoreline in new Eltham.
Charlton: Harvey (Maynard-Brewer 64); Bangura-Williams, Simpson (Keefe 45), Pollard, Zemura; Maloney, Morgan, Millar (Sarpong-Wiredu 68); Abraham (Isiaka 64), Willis (Sacko 45), Yamfam (Gody 56).
Goals: Willis 5, 16, Morgan 14, 54 (pen X2), Yamfam 21 (pen), 29, Abraham 25, 39, Maloney 63, Sacko 68, Isiaka 70, 83, Gody 85