Fleetwood Town were held to a 1-1 draw by Charlton Athletic at Highbury on Saturday afternoon in their latest Sky Bet League One fixture.
Town saw plenty of the ball in the first half which led to the opening goal, which was scored by Callum Morton around the half-hour mark. Even though chances were created to potentially double the lead, it was the visitors who netted the next goal as substitute Miles Leaburn found the back of the net from close range.
It was Town that started the game the better as they managed to create two chances through set-pieces early in the game. The first chance fell to Lewis Warrington, after being picked out by Dan Batty, whose curling effort from 20-yards flew just over the crossbar.
A couple of minutes later, Batty whipped another cross into a packed area, but this time towards the back post where Toto Nsiala was, but his header couldn’t be guided on target, going just shy of the near post.
End-to-end football was the case around the quarter-hour mark as Jack Payne managed to find Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, whose shot went over before Town went down the other end with Harvey Macadam, but Batty’s eventual effort made Joe Wollacott dive to cover the shot.
Around the half-hour mark, the ball would end up pinballing around the visitors’ box, with clearances from the Addicks defence only finding the feet of Morton who struck a venomous effort from 18-yards, which was on target, and needed to be blocked by Eoghan O-Connell.
The deadlock was broken by Morton on the half-hour mark as he latched on to Macadam’s cross, which just evaded the feet of Batty at the near post, with Town’s number 10 staying alert as he slotted the ball home from close range.
It could have been two soon after as Macadam fired just wide from inside the area, before Admiral Muskwe turned his man on the penalty spot, but lifted his shot just a bit too high.
After the break though, it was Charlton who came out the blocks quickly as they struck the post twice. The first time was from a Corey Blackett-Taylor strike on the left, and the second was the result of a lofted cross from substitute Mandela Egbo on the opposite side.
Jay Lynch was forced into a clever save 20 minutes into the second period as Egbo tried his luck, firing through a crowd from his spot on the corner of the box, with Town’s goalkeeper keeping his eye on the ball and stopping it well in the process.
Fleetwood then went up the other end of the pitch and had a chance of their own after Morton cut in from the left and fired just wide, but it was the visitors who would make their next moment count as substitute Leaburn came off the bench and skilfully struck the ball into the net, making it 1-1.
The last real chance of the game for Fleetwood fell to Muskwe’s in his last involvement, before making way for Joe Garner. Substitute Paddy Lane picked him out in the box, with the forward taking the shot on the turn, which went just over the crossbar.
With seconds to go, heroics from both Lynch and Andrew meant Town would keep the point they fought hard for all through the game, as the game ended a goal apiece at Highbury.
Town XI: Lynch (GK), Andrew, Vela (C), Muskwe (J.Garner 86'), Morton (Hayes 81’), Warrington, Nsiala, Batty (Lane 81’), Rooney, Macadam (Johnston 74’), Earl.
Unused subs: Stolarczyk (GK), Devlin, Baker.
Addicks XI: Wollacott (GK), Dobson, Lavelle, O’Connell, Stockley (C), Rak-Sakyi, Payne (Leaburn 74’), Fraser (Morgan 79’), Blackett-Taylor (Jaiyesimi 79’), Clare, Clayden (Egbo 46’).
Unused subs: MacGillivray (GK), Thomas, McGrandles.