Charlton U21s suffer late Kent Senior Cup defeat to Tonbridge Angels

Charlton Athletic's under-21 side conceded a 90th-minute winner to lose 2-1 against Tonbridge Angels, a result that highlights defensive issues as the senior team sits 17th in the Championship.

Charlton Athletic's under-21s were knocked out of the Kent Senior Cup by a last-minute goal from Tonbridge Angels on Tuesday evening. The 2-1 defeat came despite a late equaliser from Marley Rayment-Dawkins, with Miller McDonald scoring the decisive goal in the final minute of normal time.

Match highlights and key moments

Tonbridge took the lead in the first half through Lamar Reynolds, capitalising on a defensive lapse. Charlton pushed for a response and found it nine minutes from time when Rayment-Dawkins fired home to level the score. The young Addicks could not hold on, however, as McDonald converted from a set-piece in the 90th minute to send the non-league side through.

U21s Lead Coach Chris Lock said the experience was valuable for his young squad but expressed clear disappointment with the manner of the late concession. He stressed the importance of learning from such moments in a competitive environment. The match saw a strong performance from Babajide, who was later replaced by Jordon Thompson, while Harvey Lintott provided the assist for Reynolds' earlier effort.

Senior team context

The academy's cup exit comes as the senior team continues to search for consistency in the Championship. Charlton currently sit 17th in the league table with 14 points from 11 games, having won just three times this season. Their recent form reads LDDLD, with a 2-0 loss at Watford last Friday. The senior side has scored 10 goals but conceded 15 across the campaign so far. Their next challenge is a home fixture against Norwich City on Saturday 24 October. The team will look to top scorer T. Campbell, who has four goals this season, to help improve their fortunes.

Next fixture for U21s

Charlton's under-21s now turn their attention to a Professional Development League match against Cardiff City. That game is scheduled for Friday, 23 October at Sparrows Lane, with a 1.30pm BST kick-off. The squad will be looking to bounce back from this cup disappointment in their upcoming league fixture.

The original report is at Charlton Athletic Football Club