25-05-2025
Charlton Athletic 1-0 Leyton Orient: The Talking Points
Much-like The Addicks two-legged face-off with Wycombe Wanderers in the semi-final, much of the game under the arch proved nervy.
This was, perhaps, best summed up by Macauley Gillesphey's free kick on the halfway line after twenty minutes, as the defender's overhit pass failed to find a teammate and travelled straight out of play.
However, Gillesphey more than made up for his mistake, of which he visibly laughed off and was soon able to erase from his memory.
The defender's second set-piece of the afternoon, this time from just outside the eighteen-yard box, was curled beyond Orient goalkeeper Josh Keeley and into the back of the net. It should be noted that the opener was also the first shot on-target of the afternoon from either side.
This invited jubilant scenes behind Will Mannion's goal, as red and white smoke descended the Wembley skies, where manager Nathan Jones pointed to with a look of relief.
As the first forty-five came to a close, it was evident that the Charlton boss had provided a plan to nullify the League One top goal scorer Charlie Kelman, who was limited to just four touches in the first half.
However, this trend soon collapsed in the second period when Kelman's deflected effort on the sixtieth minute collided with the crossbar.
Five of the last six goals in this fixture had come beyond the ninetieth minute, offering hope to Orient as there promised to be a lengthy eleven minutes of stoppage time due to referee Andrew Kitchen being forced to halt play because of a technical issue with the official's microphone.
During this time, Kitchen handed out his first, and only, caution of the game when Charlton Lloyd Jones attempted to prevent an Orient counter, suggesting that the encounter lacked the fierceness of your typical London derby.
Ultimately, Richie Wellens' side were unable to find a way through Jones' valiant reds, who have confirmed promotion to the second tier of the English football pyramid.
The full-time whistle, in turn, also meant The Addicks stretched their play-off final win streak to four games, having also tasted victory in 1987, 1998 and 2019.
After not conceding across the entirety of the play-offs, it will certainly be interesting to see how Jones and his team fair defensively in the heights of the Championship next season.
