Albie Morgan and Omar Bogle scored their first league goals for Charlton as the Addicks beat promotion rivals Ipswich Town 2-0 at Portman Road.
It was an impressive away performance from Lee Bowyer’s team as Charlton completed a seventh win in nine league games, moving to third in the table in the process.
Morgan, who scored once before for Charlton in the EFL Trophy, was playing in his 50th game for the club, while Bogle, a substitute for the injured Paul Smyth, found the net with his first touch, just days after being substituted in the first half against Burton Albion.
Lee Bowyer made three changes from the side that lost to Burton in midweek with Chuks Aneke, Jonny Williams and Morgan coming into the starting line. The Addicks began the game in a 4-diamond-2 formation with Williams starting behind the front two of Aneke and Smyth.
The home side had the better of the opening 15 minutes and could have taken the lead when James Norwood got in between centre-halves Chris Gunter and Darren Pratley. The pair did just enough to get back in and, under pressure from Ben Amos, Norwood’s shot went over the Charlton crossbar.
Charlton had a flurry of chances shortly afterwards, the first of which came when Williams got on the end of an Aneke knock-on. The Wales international broke into the box but Toto Nsiala got a foot to the ball just in time to prevent Williams from giving Charlton the lead.
Minutes later Aneke muscled his way through the Ipswich defence but his shot, struck from inside the area, hit the side netting.
Within a minute and the Addicks were 1-0 up. Aneke won a ball back high up the pitch with an excellent tackle. His pass inside was right into the path of Andrew Shinnie. The midfielder drove into the box and pulled a cross, from the right, back across goal. The ball deflected off an Ipswich defender into the path of Morgan, who made no mistake with a calm finish.
Ipswich had their own short spell of chances with Amos at full stretch to keep out an Alan Judge header with an excellent save and Pratley blocking a Judge shot in the box shortly afterwards.
Just before half-time the Addicks felt their opponents should have been reduced to 10-men. Smyth got on the end of another Aneke header and went through on goal, shoulder-to-shoulder with Nsiala. There was contact between the two and Smyth went down but referee Craig Hicks remained unmoved.
The Addicks came out for the second half firing and a clever Aneke lay-off found Morgan who broke well down the right wing and put in a deep cross to the back post where Smyth was arriving. The Northern Ireland international was unable to control a difficult volley which went wide.
Aneke then created a chance for himself when he drove past his defender but his shot at goal was comfortable for David Cornell in the Ipswich goal.
Smyth had to make way after injuring himself in a tackle and it didn’t take Bogle long to make an impression, scoring his first goal for the club with his first touch of the game. The striker was on hand at the back post to hit in from a driven Pratley cross/shot after an Adam Matthews’ long throw caused havoc in the Tractor Boys’ defence.
Ipswich created little as the game went on, with a Judge shot in the 81st minute straight at Amos the closest they came as Charlton secured an important three points.
Ipswich Town: Cornell, Ward, Chambers (C), Woolfenden, Norwood (Drinan 35), Bennetts, Judge, Nsiala (McGuinness 71), Dozzell, McGavin (Lankester 71), Gibbs (Jackson 63)
Subs (not used): Holy, McGuinness, Kenlock, Hawkins
Booked: Judge 42 (foul on Shinnie), Ward 90
Charlton: Amos; Matthews, Gunter, Pratley (C), Maatsen; Morgan, Watson, Shinnie, Williams (Gilbey 55); Aneke (Purrington 72), Smyth (Bogle 66)
Subs (not used): Maynard-Brewer, Pearce, Maddison
Goals: Morgan 21, Bogle 68
Booked: Maatsen 90 (timewasting)
Referee: C Hicks
Attendance: 0 (Behind-closed-doors)