Bees beaten after Button’s mistake
Brentford 1 Charlton 2
Brentford conceded after just 19 seconds on their way to an eighth league defeat of 2016.
Bottom-of-the-table Charlton, who had won only once since mid-November, scored one of the quickest goals of the season as Callum Harriott fired in after Brentford had not dealt with Morgan Fox’s cross.
Brentford equalised on 25 minutes, Yoann Barbet heading home an Alan Judge corner.
But Dean Smith’s side were flat for most of the game and Harriott struck again midway through the second half after Bees keeper David Button had spilled a cross.
Brentford have only taken seven points from a possible 33 since the turn of the year and the tone for another disappointing day was set straight from kick-off.
Fox scampered up the left flank and aimed a cross at Yaya Sanogo, and although the Arsenal loanee couldn’t make anything of it, the ball fell for Harriott to crash home.
Brentford struggled to find their rhythm early on and it took rapturous applause after 24 minutes – in memory of supporter Dean Langford, who died last week aged 24 – to give them the inspiration to equalise.
Marco Djuricin was denied by Charlton keeper Nick Pope in a one-on-one but from the following corner, Barbet nodded in as the perfect tribute.
Just after the break, Sergi Canos was sent clear but rolled a shot wide of the far post – but Brentford lacked a spark for much of the second half.
And on 69 minutes, Charlton went back in front. Johann Berg Gudmunsson hung up a cross from the left which Button failed to claim and Harriott took his time to find room for a shot before burying it.
Charlton could have made it worse for Brentford in injury time but Simon Makienok struck the bar with a firm shot.
Brentford: Button; Yennaris, Dean, Barbet, Bidwell; McEachran (Hofmann 81), Woods; Canos (Saunders 70), Judge, Swift; Djuricin (Vibe 60).
Subs not used: Bonham, McCormack, O’Connell, Kerschbaumer.
