Charlton 4-4 Ipswich Town: Wild game at The Valley

This game looked heading towards a draw at 2-2, entering time added on, after George Edmundson (45+3) and Tyreece John-Jules (53) had put Town two-up, only for Jes Rak-Sakyi (63) and Albie Morgan (76) to claw Charlton level. 

But the drama was far from over. 

Ipswich looked to have won it when Freddie Ladapo drove home from outside the box (90+1) to send the 3,000-strong away crowd wild and put Town 3-2 up, before Sam Morsy (90+4) surely made the points safe with a strike from the edge of the area. 

Sam Morsy fires Town's fourth goal (Image: Page Pix Ltd)

Things got a little nervy when Terrell Thomas tapped home (90+6) to bring the home deficit to just one, before the unthinkable happened as George Dobson’s looping header evaded Christian Walton (90+9) and nestled in the Town goal. 

The game finished 4-4, with the point leaving Ipswich second in the League One table, a point behind Plymouth, who play Exeter on Monday night. 

Manager McKenna made three changes to the side which beat Port Vale 3-2 on Tuesday night, with skipper Sam Morsy returning to the middle of midfield in place of teenager Cameron Humphreys, partnering Dominic Ball. 

Sam Morsy reacts after the final whistle (Image: Page Pix Ltd)

In attack, John-Jules took the place of Ladapo, despite the striker’s brace on Tuesday night, while Kayden Jackson took Edwards’ place on the left.  

There was an early scare for the Blues, when Walton looked to play a short ball out but only found the feet of Addicks striker Jayden Stockley, who thankfully was unable to make the most of the opportunity presented to him.  

The hosts lost Mandela Egbo to injury early on, with Morgan taking his place, while Ball received a caution after just 12 minutes for a foul on Rak-Sakyi. 

After an even opening, Ipswich began to gain some positive momentum and put a couple of dangerous balls into the Charlton penalty area before Wes Byrns let fly with a shot from outside the box, which rolled wide.  

Walton needed to be alert to dive on Steve Sessegnon’s low ball into danger, before Ipswich set about attacking again as Conor Chaplin had a goalbound effort blocked well by Terell Thomas. 

Chaplin’s next opportunity saw him curl a free-kick against the Charlton wall from the edge of the penalty area, before skipper Morsy threaded a beautiful ball through for John-Jules which ended with the striker’s shot being deflected wide. 

A lengthy stoppage followed, though, as the officials were forced to intervene following several whistles from the home crowd which had distracted Ipswich players during the closing stages of the first half.  

John-Jules was pleading for a penalty after superbly stepping inside and firing off a shot which appeared to flash wide off of the arm of Thomas, but the frustrations soon evaporated as Edmundson towered above his man to thump home the result corner with his head. 

The defender’s goal gave the visitors the lead at the break and the advantage was soon doubled at the start of the second half. 

Ed Sheeran poses for fans at The Valley (Image: Page Pix Ltd)

Ball’s driving run into Charlton territory made it, with the midfielder brought down to win a free-kick which Chaplin curled into the wall. The Town attacker was given far too much space to collect the rebound out wide, though, giving him time to lay the ball back to Burns, who in turn delivered a beautiful cross for John-Jules to head home. 

Charlton frustrations, directed at the award of the free-kick which led to the goal, saw Addicks boss Ben Garner booked twice and sent to the stands, calling for more from the home support as he left the field. 

The 3,139 Ipswich fans in the away end were bouncing but things became nervy 10 minutes later, when a lofted ball from the Charlton right drifted over the head of Janoi Donacien to allow Chuks Aneke the chance to shoot. Walton was able to make the save but the ball bounced to Rak-Sakyi who prodded home to reduce the deficit and fire up an already loud home crowd. 

Ipswich’s two-goal advantage should have been restored, though, when Leif Davis’s ball from the left saw John-Jules rise well and head at goa. Anywhere other than straight at the legs of home keeper Joe Wollacott would have seen the Arsenal loanee double his tally for the afternoon. 

McKenna replaced three of his front four on 71 minutes, introducing Freddie Ladapo, Marcus Harness and Edwards in place of John-Jules, Chaplin and Jackson, with Edwards involved immediately as he ran at Sean Clare and delivered a cross which just went over the head of Burns. 

Town were soon pegged back as The Valley erupted, with Corey Blackett-Taylor's low shot saved low down by Walton, but pushed back into danger where Morgan was able to pounce and level matters. 

Edwards had the perfect chance to win it as Davis’s shot deflected off Ladapo and into the path of the former West Brom, who took a touch but fluffed his lines as he fired wide with five minutes remaining.  

Freddie Ladapo celebrates what he thought would be the winning goal (Image: Page Pix Ltd)

But Ladapo came up trumps for the Blues as the game entered added time, firing in from the edge of the box to give Ipswich a lead which soon became two, when Morsy fired home from outside the box. 

Thomas’s close-range goal made things nervy, before Dobson sent the home crowd wild as he levelled the most dramatic of games, nine minutes into added time. 

CHARLTON ATHLETIC (3-4-3): Wollacott; Clare, O'Connell (Lavelle 44), Thomas; Egbo (Morgan 14), Dobson, Fraser, Sessegnon; Stockley (cpt) (Aneke 61), Rak-Sakyi, Kirk (Blackett-Taylor 61). 

Unused subs: MacGillivray, McGrandles, Payne.

Booked: O'Connell (17), Dobson (50), Thomas (52).

IPSWICH TOWN (4-2-3-1): Walton; Donacien, Woolfenden, Edmundson, Davis; Ball, Morsy (cpt), Burns (Keogh 90+2), Chaplin (Harness 71), Jackson (Edwards 71); John-Jules (Ladapo 71). 
Unused subs: Hladky, Vincent-Young, Humphreys.

Booked: Ball (12), Morsy (58), Burns (83).

Referee: Josh Smith.

Attendance: 16,625 (3,139 away).