Conor Washington reacts to unorthodox goal in Charlton Athletic’s 2-0 win at Cambridge United | OneFootball

Charlton Athletic moved to within one point of the top half of League One with a 2-0 win at Cambridge United on Tuesday evening.

Two deflected efforts brought the victory for the Addicks, who did edge the game on balance with a much stronger second half display, in a fairly slow paced end of season encounter at Abbey Stadium.

The Addicks rode their luck at times, but on the whole defended resolutely to pick up a fifth clean sheet in their last eight games.

Corey Blackett-Taylor’s off-balance strike resulted in an own goal to open the scoring in the 73rd minute, before substitute Chuks Aneke’s hopeful long range hit cannoned into the back of Conor Washington, who certainly looked close to being in an offside position in the absence of a conclusive angle, and freakishly looped into Will Mannion’s top left corner.

Washington issued his response to his unorthodox 11th goal of the season when he spoke to CharltonTV.

He said: “I’m going to take it as a headed goal actually.

“Back of the head, I’ve tried to duck to get out the way of the shot, and it managed to flick off my head to go in the top corner.

“There are no pictures on the scorecard as they say, always nice to get another goal.

“That’s what Chuks does, that’s what he brings when he comes on, he wants to get shots off and I was lucky enough to get on the end of one.”

The Northern Ireland international has had his fitness ups and downs this season but overall has been one of few bright sparks in an otherwise very disappointing campaign for the South Londoners.

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Washington was in good spirits, giving a slightly sarcastic response to his goal, with the Addicks one point off of the top half with two games remaining.

Cambridge United currently sit one place and one point above the Addicks in 12th also with two left to play.

A top half finish is nothing special, given where Charlton were expected to be this season, but it would provide some vindication for the job that Johnnie Jackson has done, since coming in with the club four points adrift in the relegation zone in late October.

It is going to be a very important summer window on the horizon, and Washington is one of many players in the current squad, playing for a new contract.