Report | Charlton Athletic 1 Swansea City 1

A stunning strike from Adam Idah saw Swansea City pick up a point against Charlton Athletic at The Valley.

After a goalless first half of few chances, the visitors fell behind seconds after the restart as Charlie Kelman gave the Addicks the lead.

But Alan Sheehan’s side responded superbly to the setback and had much the better of the remainder of the contest, with Idah’s excellent long-range strike – his first goal from open play for the Swans – a deserved reward.

Swansea could have taken all three points – at a venue where Charlton have lost just one of their last 20 league games – with Kaelan Casey being denied from close range and Josh Key firing over when a ball fell to him in the box in stoppage time.

The Swans had handed a first Championship start to Casey while Lawrence Vigouroux, Ben Cabango, Jisung Eom and Ronald came back into the team.

And Eom was involved inside the opening minute as a slip in the Charlton defence looked set to allow him in on goal, he went down as he looked to evade the final defender but referee David Webb very quickly turned away any Swansea appeals and adjudged Lloyd Jones had played the ball.

At the other end Tyreece Campbell’s pace got him in down the left-hand side and he laid off for Sonny Carey to get away a strike that hit Charlie Kelman and fell into the arms of Vigouroux.

Swansea then had to scramble clear when Conor Coventry hooked a half-cleared cross back into the box and James Bree saw a header blocked.

It was proving an open start, and Goncalo Franco sent a rising strike over the bar from a similar distance to his stunner against Manchester City in midweek.

The game began to settle down from that point, and became a far tighter affair. 

Ronald sent an angled strike wide of the near post before Vigouroux made an incredible save to deny Gillesphey, somehow tipping the defender’s header onto the bar when the ball appeared to have passed him.

Eom curled an effort wide of the far post after Josh Tymon had quickly taken a free-kick on the left before Idah had Swansea’s best chance of the half.

The striker brilliantly pulled down Vigouroux’s perfectly-weighted sidewinder and Swansea were suddenly two on one with Franco in support.

Idah bore down on goal, but elected to delay getting a shot away and then saw an attempted backheel to Eom cut out as covering defenders arrived.

It was goalless at the interval but that did not remain the case for long.

The Swans misjudged a hopeful ball into the box and Kelman was quick to pounce and guide the ball past Vigouroux and into the net off the underside of  the bar.

The home side pressed in search of a quick second, and it took a brave block from Casey to deny Miles Leaburn after good play by Sonny Carey down the right flank for the Addicks.

Idah volleyed over from Eom’s chipped pass, seconds after the Korean had appeared to be pushed by Kayne Ramsay as they chased a ball into the Charlton area.

Swansea came forward again, Ethan Galbraith firing over and Idah nodding a header wide from another Eom cross.

The visitors were having their best spell of the game and won a series of corners, but they were unable to capitalise.

But they did level through a superb finish from Idah.

A pass was fizzed into the striker’s feet, and he effortlessly rolled his marker before dispatching a low shot from 18 yards beyond the despairing dive of Thomas Kaminski and into the net via the inside of the post.

Swansea nearly took the lead 10 minutes later, Casey arriving to meet a corner but Kaminski was able to parry.

And they came agonisingly close again in stoppage time when a bobbling ball fell for Key, but his left-footed effort cleared the bar.

Swansea City: Lawrence Vigouroux; Ben Cabango (captain), Kaelan Casey, Cameron Burgess; Josh Key, Goncalo Franco (Jay Fulton 87), Ethan Galbraith, Josh Tymon; Ronald (Zeidane Inoussa 65), Jisung Eom (Melker Widell 65); Adam Idah.

Unused Substitutes: Andy Fisher, Ishe Samuels-Smith, Liam Cullen, Manuel Benson, Ricardo Santos, Bobby Wales.

Charlton Athletic: Thomas Kaminski, Macaulay Gillesphey, Lloyd Jones, Conor Coventry, Tyreece Campbell (Tanto Olaofe 84), Greg Docherty (captain) (Harvey Knibbs 84), Sonny Carey, Amari'i Bell (Kayne Ramsay 44), Charlie Kelman (Onel Hernandez 69), James Bree, Reece Burke (Miles Leaburn 46).

Unused Substitutes: Will Mannion, Luke Berry, Joe Rankin-Costello, Rob Apter. 

Referee: David Webb

Attendance: 20,405