Charlton enjoy the extra benefit of Grant
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Charlton Athletic 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 (after 90 minutes)
Wolves manager Graham Taylor, whose position is under increasing pressure saw his side go into extra time in last night's Coca-Cola Cup replay as they pursued a fourth-round tie against Coventry. Don Goodman's miss from 12 yards with just four minutes of normal time remaining will have little for Taylor's blood pressure.
The Wolves team coach - supplied by Happy Days Travel - arrived at the ground broadcasting a warning message: "Attention. This vehicle is reversing." It seemed a pretty accurate description of the team's direction since the season got underway.
With Molineux reconstructed and pounds 7m of new players purchased, the Black County club were expected to move smoothly through the gears towards the Premiership. Instead, as Taylor has had to acknowledge, they have disappointed.
That disappointment has been voiced increasingly by Wolves supporters, and the weekend defeat by Barnsley merely served to pump up the volume. Taylor responded boldly by dropping the terrace icon, Steve Bull.
The high risk policy produced early dividends as Wolves' rejigged midfield seized the game. Neil Emblen, one of two players drafted in, landed a shot on the bar after just two minutes, and after 24 he drove his side into the lead from close range after Mark Williams had squared the ball from the right.
Within four minutes, the Wolves keeper Paul Jones - standing in for the injured Mike Stowell - kept his side's momentum going with a reflex double- save from Lee Bowyer and then Carl Leaburn. Jones took further credit five minutes from half-time with another smart save from Bowyer, but he was helpless after 54 minutes when Charlton, invigorated by Kim Grant's arrival up front, equalised through John Robinson, who concluded a goalmouth scramble that followed John Humphreys' free-kick.
Charlton should have added a second just after the hour, but their centre- back Phil Chapple failed inexplicably to get his head to Bowyer's inviting cross.
Charlton Athletic (4-4-2): Amman; Humphreys, Rufus, Chapple, Stuart; Newton (Grant, 48), Walsh (K Jones, 67), Bowyer, Robinson; Leaburn, Nelson. Substitutes not used: Petterson (gk).
Wolverhampton Wanderers (4-3-3): P Jones; Rankine, Young, De Wolf, Thompson; Atkins, Emblen, Cowans; Williams, Goodman, Daley. Substitutes not used: Bull, Birch, De Bont (gk).
Referee: I Hemley (Bedfordshire).
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