Charlton edged nearer to securing Championship safety as they drew 1-1 with Sheffield Wednesday.
The Addicks took the lead from Matty Godden’s early second-half goal but Gabriel Otegbayo rescued a point for the Owls with a quarter of an hour to play.
The draw sees Charlton move six points clear of the drop zone with just three games remaining, whilst Wednesday are now three games unbeaten in a positive end to an otherwise awful season.
Godden headed Harry Clarke’s early cross wide, albeit from an offside position, while in Wednesday’s first opening of the game, Max Lowe and Olaf Kobacki combined nicely outside the box before Lowe took on the strike from distance but dragged it wide.
Charlton captain Greg Docherty had a go at goal after Wednesday lost the ball deep in their own half but keeper Pierce Charles was there to push the effort away.
The Owls were claiming for a penalty when Tayo Adaramola was fouled but referee Thomas Parsons adjudged contact from Reece Burke to have come just outside the box.
The visitors came closest to taking the lead on the stroke of half-time, with Godden’s acrobatic effort coming back off the crossbar.
Godden was not to be denied for long as the Addicks made the perfect start to the second half. Lloyd Jones flicked the ball on to the forward, who turned quickly and squeezed the ball inside the bottom right corner to give his side a 49th-minute lead.
Charlton came close to a second when Sonny Carey burst forward before striking the inside of the left post.
Godden was on the hunt for his second of the day but Charles got down to make a comfortable save from his 18-yard drive.
Wednesday started to grow into the game and found the equaliser in the 76th minute. Charlton keeper Will Mannion couldn’t hold on to Sean Fusire’s cross, Jamal Lowe pounced on the loose ball and Otegbayo was there to tap the ball into an empty net.
Otegbayo could have stolen all three points late on when he met a cross at the back post but he was on the stretch and could only place his effort wide.
The Owls now just have their last game of the season against West Brom to avoid becoming the first team to fail to win at home in an entire campaign, though they did at least move within three points of making up the 18 they have been deducted this season.
The managers
Sheffield Wednesday’s Henrik Pedersen:
“This was a strong performance from the boys again. Sometimes we were maybe a bit loose on the ball but to play with courage at this point in the season makes me so proud.
“We knew it would be a very direct game against Charlton with a lot of second balls and set-pieces, you can see this because a long ball is how both goals were scored.
“We felt before conceding we were playing quite well. It shows how strong the mindset is of the young boys to keep on going and come back in the game.
“Charlton are so strong defensively but after they scored there was only one team attacking and I think we fully deserved our equaliser.
“The culture is very good with my players. I think defensively we are solid, we are difficult to play against and we have looked better and better on the ball in the last three games.
“Sometimes we would miss the last pass or last movement but we got stronger on the ball as the game went on. I think this was our strongest and most controlled offensive performance of the season.”
Charlton’s Nathan Jones:
“I think it is two points dropped for us today. They may have had most of the possession but we coped with it well and we got to grips with it in the second half. We had all the big chances in the game.
“Sheffield Wednesday are a difficult team to play against. They’re playing with freedom and without jeopardy and that can cause you problems, whereas we’re still fighting to stay in the league so for us it’s slightly different.
“We hit the bar in the first half and then the post in the second half. It took an error from us for them to get back in it. I think we needed a second goal; if we get that I feel we win the game.
“Wednesday are a wonderful football club. The fans’ support has been magnificent and Henrik has done a sterling job. Of course, I am solely focused on my football club but I hope they get back to where they belong soon.
“It’s another point towards our total but we’re disappointed not to win. We’ve hit the 50-point mark but I don’t want us to finish on 50 points because that will mean we’ve lost our last three.
“We know we have to keep going because the job isn’t done yet. We have two games in a row at home now so we need some big performances because we don’t just want to stay up, we want to finish strongly.”
