Charlton bow out of EFL at first stage, losing 1-0, at home to 10-man Birmingham
By Paul Lagan at The Valley
Charlton 1 v Birmingham City 0
Carabao Cup 1st round
5,899 at The Valley
Charlton have bigger fish to fry this season and so an early exit in the Carabao Cup won't deflect them too far from their preferred path of promotion out of League One.
But it would have been nice to go on a little run.
A penalty that was saved in the first half was as close it got for the South Londoners, and a rasper from Brandon Khela which smashed in to the back of Will Mannion's net was the decisive strike that gave Birmingham a 1-0 win at the Valley.
The Addicks started brightly, forcing their opponents back from the first whistle.
Macaulay Gillesphey tried his luck from 25 yards but his 25-yarder was high and wide of Ryan Allsop's goal after three minutes.
Thierry Small bulleted down the left wing on 10 minutes, before sending in a low drive which Luke Berry snatched at first time, and again, the ball arrowed wide of goal.
But fortune favoured the brave and on 11 minutes, Tyreece Campbell was upended in the Birmingham penalty area by Dion Sanderson and referee Alex Chilowicz pointed to the spot.
Up stepped Campbell but a brilliant low dive to his right by Allsop saved a goal as he grasped the ball into his chest.
Berry then sliced the ball over the crossbar.
The Blues got themselves back into the game with a thunderous right-footer from Tyler Roberts, but it inched over Will Mannion's crossbar.
Berry must be wondering if he is ever to score as, on 26 minutes he latched onto a poor back pass, strode to the edge of the Birmingham area and stroked a lovely right-footed daisy-cutter.
Unfortunately, the ball was just wide of the far post.
Just when the Addicks thought it was safe to attack at will, Birmingham, went up the other end and Brandon Khela produced a wonderful, curling right-footer from the edge of the area, that sailed past the despairing dive of Mannion to put the visitors ahead on 31minutes.
This gave them greater confidence and Christoph Klarer was not far away with a powerful header from a corner on 39 minutes.
There were no changes by either side at half-time.
A loose kick out by Allsop saw Campbell pick the ball up, 20 yards out, on 47 minutes. But he was unable to replicate the effort of Khela and the ball zipped wide and in to the Jimmy Seed stand.
Ex-Addick Alfie May entered the fray for Birmingham as the visitors made a host of replacements on 58 minutes.
He got a few boos from the home crowd, but lots as support from the away supporters.
Another oof those subs, Paik Seung-Ho had a smart drive saved well by Mannion on 64 minutes. A minute later May had a weak effort snaffled by Allsop.
Charlton boss Nathan Jones then made four substitutions on 66 minutes.
Small then had a venomous shot high and wide from the edge of the Birmingham penalty area a minute later.
Birmingham centre-back Dion Sanderson, who earlier in the half was given a yellow card then received his second yellow on 79 minutes – both were for needless fouls.
Despite the numerical advantage, Charlton failed to make a serious dent on the Birmingham defence and the visitors were justified winners.
Teams: Charlton, Mannion, Gillesphey, Jones, Coventry, Campbell, Berry, Anderson, Edmonds-Green, Small, Watson, Kanu
Subs: Maynard-Brewer, Ramsey, Mitchell, Ahadme, Docherty, Edwards, Edun, Mitchell, Aneke
Birmingham: Allsop, Laird, Klarer, Sanderson, Hansson, Roberts, Jutkiewicz, Leonard, Anderson, Harris, Khela
Subs: Peacock-Farrel, Bielik, May, Miyoshi, Seung-Ho, Dembele, Cochrane, Samsted, Yokoyama
Referee: Alex Chilowicz
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