FA Youth Cup 3rd Round
Team: Bowman, Williams-Lowe, Genovesi, Mesias, Drewe, Gubbins, Ribeiro, Miller, Bansal-McNulty, Platt, Francis-Adeyinka
Subs Not Used: White, Remy, Woollard-Innocent
It was the visitors who produced the first good effort of the night with a strike from 20 yards which flashed just wide of the post.
The Addicks went close again when a shot from the centre of the box whizzed past the upright.
Not surprisingly, Charlton took the lead after 23 minutes following Alfie Doughty’s run down the left-wing. He went through two defenders towards the bye-line and squared the ball into the six-yard box where Luke Carey pounced.
However, QPR equalised five minutes later. The Rangers captain, Caden Genovesi, put the ball over to Mickel Platt, who then set up Leandro Ribeiro. The R’s No.7 took the ball down, turned, and fired low into the back of the net.
Rangers had a good chance to take the lead after 36 minutes when Ribeiro swung the ball into the box to Platt. His header was on target but it lacked power.
One added minute was signalled, during which, Charlton almost scored, but for the R’s keeper going down and successfully smothering the ball from a close range effort. Half-time: 1-1.
Myles Bowman made an outstanding one-handed save from Alexander Willis’s header, ten minutes or so after the break.
Mr Forrester adjudged that Alfie Doughty had taken a dive following Aaron Drewe’s challenge in the box, whilst at the other end Amrit Bansal-McNulty’s shot from the edge of the box just cleared the crossbar.
The visitors went close following an effort from a position, wide of the box. Then the R’s had a good opportunity when a precise cross found Gilbert Miller and his dipping shot closely evaded the crossbar.
Joseph Gubbins was booked and after 70 minutes Charlton were awarded a penalty. Kayden Williams-Lowe had handled in the box and Albie Morgan made no mistake with his spot-kick.
Two changes were then made; Marcus Brooks replaced Gilbert Miller and Mus Dauti was introduced at the expense of Kayden Williams-Lowe.
Marcus Brooks did well to recover the ball close to the bye-line and he then managed to squeeze the ball into the six-yard box, but unfortunately there was no one there to tuck it home.
As Rangers continued to push forward in search of an equaliser, in the third minute of added time, Alfie Doughty seized upon a loose ball from something like 70 yards, and as Myles Bowman scrambled back, his audacious punt seemed to pick up speed as it entered the net.
A decent crowd of around 500 turned out on a very cold night and Charlton go on to face either Millwall or Reading in the next round.
Steve Russell