Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient: FLW reports as George Dobson gives Addicks winning start | OneFootball

Charlton Athletic got their League One promotion push off to a winning start as they beat third tier new arrivals Leyton Orient 1-0 in their 2023/24 opener at The Valley courtesy of George Dobson's goal on the eve of halftime.

Dobson arrived in the box at the perfect time to convert Corey Blackett-Taylor's cross after the wide man had, not for the first or last time, left the defender in his wake.

It was not a perfect performance from the hosts but there were plenty of positives for Dean Holden's side, who will have increased belief in their chances of challenging at the top of League One.

As for Orient, a losing start to the new campaign is far from ideal but there were promising signs that they're not out of their depth at this level after eight seasons away.

Charlton Athletic v Leyton Orient

It was hard not to feel a sense of injustice that the start of the 2023/24 League One campaign, on the first weekend of August, came under soggy skies but while the weather was disappointing, the opening stages of the all-London clash at The Valley was anything but.

Holden put faith in youth, starting three teenagers and seven academy graduates while leaving the majority of his summer arrivals on the bench, but it was marquee signing Alfie May that caught the eye in the first quarter of an hour - seeing a clever volley parried by Sol Brynn and then curling a free-kick just wide of the post.

Orient threatened as well and were not afraid to get numbers forward when they got the chance - mostly in transition or from set-pieces - and their best opportunity of the half fell to Theo Archibald just before the half hour.

A slick passing move allowed the visitors to bypass Charlton's midfield before Ruel Sotirou picked out Archibald, who drove into the box from the right and curled an effort toward the far corner, which Ashley Maynard-Brewer got down well to keep out.

That chance was a reflection of Orient's growing stature in the game as the half wore on but they would head into the break a goal behind due to Dobson's opener on the eve of halftime.

Blackett-Taylor had been a constant nuisance for the O's on the left flank and skipped past Rob Hunt with ease before firing in a low cross for the Addicks skipper to convert from close range after a dart into the box.

The sun cracked through the clouds as the second half got underway with Charlton clearly buoyed with the confidence that an opening goal so often provides.

It was the scorer that nearly created their second 10 minutes after the restart, winning the ball in midfield and surging forward before picking out Tyreece Campbell but the youngster's wild strike never looked like hitting the target.

Richie Wellens' side weren't going away, however, and a marauding run from Tom James saw the defender's effort deflected over the bar with the subsequent corner well defended.

The Addicks were certainly not having things all their own way so it was no surprise to see Holden turn to Ipswich Town loanee Panutche Camara after 76 minutes. Camara replaced Anderson in midfield and sent Campbell through on goal within seconds of his introduction but Brynn was equal to it and did well to deny Blackett-Taylor from close range moments later.

Maynard-Brewer had been made to work much less than his counterpart in the second half and with time running out, Wellens opted for a triple change in a bid to turn the tide - throwing on Jordan Brown, Ethan Galbraith, and Jordan Graham.

But, due in no small part to the work of Camara and a key save from Maynard-Brewer, the visitors were kept out as Charlton navigated the seven minutes of stoppage time coolly to confirm their winning start to the new campaign.

The Ipswich loanee nearly capped off his impressive cameo with a goal, side-footing wide after Fraser had forced a save, but even so his introduction was one of many positives for Holden's men on the opening weekend. Tougher tests to come but there is a growing confidence that this could be the start of something special.

Ashley Maynard-Brewer - 7

Lloyd Jones - 6

Lucas Ness - 7

Terell Thomas - 7

Nathan Asiimwe - 7

George Dobson - 8

Karoy Anderson - 6

Scott Fraser - 7

Corey Blackett-Taylor - 8

Alfie May - 7

Tyreece Campbell - 6

Subs:

Panutche Camara (on for Anderson 71) - 7

Michael Hector (on for Jones 77) - 6

Charlie Kirk (on for Campbell 84) - N/A

Tayo Edun (on for Blackett-Taylor 84) - N/A

Leyton Orient player ratings

Sol Brynn - 7

Tom James - 6

Dan Happe - 6

Omar Beckles - 6

Rob Hunt - 4

Darren Pratley - 6

Idris El Mizouni - 6

Jayden Sweeney - 6

Theo Archibald - 7

Ruel Sotirou - 7

Joe Pigott - 6

Subs:

George Moncur (on for Pigott 70) - 5

Jordan Brown (On for Hunt 80) - N/A

Ethan Galbraith (On for Pratley 80) - N/A

Jordan Graham (On for James 81) - N/A

Charlie Pelgrum (On for Archibald 92) - N/A

Holden was impressed with his side's showing and highlighted how important it was to produce a good performance and result given the big crowd that were at The Valley for their League One opener.

"We want this place rocking," he explained. "It was really important to win today and to give the fans something to shout about.

"There will be so many of them going home now thinking they like what they see here - there's some energy on the pitch and players prepared to do the dirty work. The likes of Pan and the goal we scored, there were exciting moments. I thought it was an exciting game at times today.

"The quicker we can get this place as full as possible, we will have a real chance."

He said: "We've lost the game and I will never come across as sour grapes but it's been a good day for us as a whole. A fantastic following, really good performance - especially second half when I think we dominated the game.

"They were always going to get chances because they're so open. It wouldn't surprise me here if there are a lot of big scores because of the way they play and we just got it wrong once."

"For me, if Charlton aren't in the top four there is something wrong," he added. "You look at the size of the club. It's a huge club and they've invested very, very heavily so for us to come away and be, for me, a 50/50 game, we can take massive confidence from it."