First Defeat for Charlton
A physical Colchester side unsettled the Addicks and they deserved their win. Charlton's cause was not helped as Llera put his team a goal behind from nothing. His team mates had no opportunity to bail him out before Odejayi further extended the lead a minute later.
Parkinson surely demanded a reaction at half time; he will have wanted to make this particular trip to a former club a fruitful one, after a 5-1 defeat with Hull last time out, which sparked his sacking. It was not to be. Man of the Match Odejayi scored the third which effectively ended the game.
Charlton failed to even threaten a comeback, instead Colchester pressed hard to add to their lead. Not a good night for the Addicks. Elsewhere, Leeds were held by Carlisile, Bristol Rovers grabbed a last minute winner at Southampton. Leeds are still within reach, but Bristol Rovers, thanks to Chris Dickson's goals, are catching up fast.
Hopefully this is a side of Charlton that will not present itself often. Next up is Leeds away and a good performance is vital to attempt to leapfrog the league leaders and prevent them starting to run away from the pack. A point would be a good result, a win would be fantastic.
This could be Sam Sodje's chance to break into the team after Llera's performance. Charlton were dominated at times. How much was Semedo missed? His defensive qualities will be vital if the trip to Leeds is to end in success.
The early season form has been extremely good. The Addicks need to carry on as they have started in the first nine games; tonight's all-round performance was not of promotion standard.
What will be the reaction against Leeds on Saturday?
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