Lyle Taylor bagged his second goal in as many pre-season games as the Addicks beat Welling United 2-1 at Park View Road on Saturday afternoon.
An early goal from Adam Coombes put the Wings in front, but it was immediately cancelled out by Nicky Ajose’s equaliser before Taylor found the net in the second period.
Lee Bowyer named two separate elevens for each half of the traditional summer friendly curtain-raiser, with trialist Simon Dawkins receiving a runout from the start, with Josh Magennis and Ajose leading the line for the first 45.
There was plenty of action in the early exchanges with both sides scoring within 60 seconds of each other by the seventh minute.
First, the hosts took the lead when Coombes caught the Addicks napping at the back and was allowed to stroll through to finish with ease into the bottom left-hand corner.
That would not last long, however, as Bowyer’s men went straight down the other end to draw level. Ajose was played through, but saw his effort well saved by stopper Dan Wilks. Karlan Grant saw his rebound blocked, but it only fell as far Ajose who netted with his second bit of the cherry from a tight angle.
The Wings came close to restoring their lead on 12 minutes when Richard Orlu’s header was cleared off the line by Lewis Page, while Magennis saw a low effort saved before the half-hour mark and Patrick Bauer headed a corner just over the bar.
Eleven changes at the break saw Taylor and Igor Vetokele start the second half up top, while trialist Elliott Ward took up a position in the centre of defence.
Tariqe Fosu caused problems early in the half, curling an effort over the bar having been teed up by Vetokele, before the winger saw a well-hit 25-yarder saved by Wilks.
Charlton began to get on top and Jake Forster-Caskey came inches away from tapping home. But just couldn’t make his connection and he tried his luck moments later, this time from distance, but his low effort was well kept out of the corner by the keeper.
Taylor was the next to come close, taking a touch in the box after some sloppy defending to pick his spot. And although his shot beat Wilks, he could only watch as it came bouncing back off the outside of the left upright.
Taylor was denied again, this time by Wilks, who made an excellent save to keep out his shot from 14 yards with 19 minutes left, while Vetokele saw a header bounce just wide moments later.
New arrival Taylor did finally get his name on the scoresheet on 76 minutes. Forster-Caskey’s free-kick took a wicked deflection off the wall and onto the crossbar, leaving the goalkeeper helpless and Taylor the space and time to chest the ball down before poking it over the line for 2-1.
The Addicks remained on top, but Wilks proved to be a formidable foe between the sticks with youngster Albie Morgan the next to be denied from a decent, powerful effort on the angle and it would remain a single-goal victory for the Addicks, who continue their pre-season with a trip to Dulwich Hamlet on Wednesday.
Charlton first half: Maynard-Brewer, Marshall, Bauer, Sarr, Page, Dawkins, Aribo, Maloney, Grant, Magennis, Ajose.
Charlton second half: Phillips, Solly, Ward, Pearce, Blumberg, Morgan, Lapslie, Forster-Caskey, Fosu, Taylor, Vetokele.
Goals: Ajose 7, Taylor 76
Welling: Wilks (Trialist), Gibbons (Johnson), Braham-Barrett, Ijaha (Trialist), Orlu (Acheampong), Audal (Mendy), L’Ghoul, Kissock (Dymond), Goldberg, Coombes (Newton), McCallum (Trialist).
Goal: Coombes 6
Referee: P Howard
Attendance: 1,020
(Images: Kyle Andrews and Ben Peters)