Huddersfield 2 Charlton 1: Lynch clinches Terriers’ victory with stunning goal

Lynch, who netted in the 3-2 Capital One Cup victory against Chris Powell’s Addicks on August 27, fired home an Exocet on 65 minutes, which positively screamed past visiting goalkeeper Ben Hamer and bounced in off the underside of the bar – a goal which will have the Town faithful talking for some considerable time.

Moments before the interval, a familiar goalscoring outlet in top-scorer James Vaughan, who netted his ninth goal of the campaign, had put Town in front with a milestone strike – the club’s 2,000th goal in second-tier football.

Another cracking goal not in keeping with a patchy game from substitute Cameron Stewart – on loan at the Valley from Hull City until January – set up an anxious finale 11 minutes from the end.

But it was Town’s night and more especially Lynch’s, with the centre-half able to tell his future grandchildren about it in many years to come when he has long since hung up his boots and entered into footballing retirement.

Last night’s meeting pulled down the curtain on a run of five matches between the pair in just under 10 months, leaving both entitled to be sick of the sight of each other.

But fortunately, it was Mark Robins’s troops who are able to savour having the last laugh, until March anyway – FA Cup draws permitting.

In contrast, Charlton’s travel sickness continues, with the Londoners having now won once in their past 11 away games and still seeking their first win on their travels this term.

While not at their fluid past, given a strength-sapping run of six matches in 18 days, points were the overwhelming priority for the hosts, especially after drawing a frustrating blank against Doncaster Rovers at the weekend.

The sight of substitute Jazz Richards, signed on loan from Swansea City last week, making his belated debut from the bench after the club finally received international clearance, at 2.30pm yesterday, will have added to the sense of well-being.

The major thing perhaps missing for Town was the absence of a goal for veteran striker Jon Stead, handed his first full start and second ‘debut’ by his hometown club, with the Honley lad’s last goal in club colours coming way back in January 2004 in a 2-1 victory at Cambridge United.

But the victory will at least have put all and sundry in good heart for Saturday’s Roses clash at Stead’s former club Blackburn Rovers, preserve of former Town idol Jordan Rhodes.

After utilising a 4-4-2 formation for most of Saturday’s derby against Doncaster, Town switched back to the 3-5-2 which has served them manifestly well so far this term – with Charlton matching the hosts.

The upmost was that for virtually the entire first half, both sides cancelled each other out before bursting into life in the run-up to the interval.

Charlton’s sole semblance of threat arrived when Simon Church, who netted just once in seven loan outings at Town last winter, saw his header from Rhoys Wiggins’s cross well saved by the under-employed Alex Smithies.

Moments later, Town’s main man last season – and this one – fared better, with Vaughan showing classic striker’s instincts to nod home Adam Hammill’s cross at the back post.

Otherwise, there was little to write home about and while the more probing work came from the hosts, they couldn’t manufacture anything substantive prior to the opener.

With organisation high and so many bodies packed into the midfield, both sides were liable for a congestion charge, with the game making for a low-key spectacle.

The man most likely for Town looked to be birthday boy Sean Scannell, playing in an advanced role supporting Vaughan and Stead.

Both Scannell and Stead – given the nod up front ahead of the out-of-form Martin Paterson were off beam with two early efforts which failed to trouble Hamer.

The Addicks goalkeeper did have a moment of alarm for a split second later on in the half, courtesy of one of his own players with Bradley Pritchard diverting Stead’s centre just over the top.

It took a foul from centre-half Dorian Dervite, who was cautioned after barging into Vaughan when he had a faint sniff of goal to re-energise the crowd just after the half hour, but Hammill’s free-kick drifted wide.

After the cameo of action before the break, which ended with Town forcing the breakthrough, hopes would have been high that the hosts would kick on, although they suffered a blow when key midfielder Jonathan Hogg came off early in the second half with injury.

But Lynch’s blockbuster provided a big fillip and shortly after his strike, ironic chants of ‘Shoot’ arrived every time the former Nottingham Forest man had the ball at his feet.

Out of nothing, a 25-yarder from replacement Stewart, who cut inside before blasting a shot into the top corner, potentially set up a grandstand finale.

The closest the Addicks came to levelling was a deflected shot from Dale Stephens and despite facing five minutes of added-on time, Town held out.

Huddersfield Town: Smithies; Clarke, Gerrard, Lynch; Hammill (Norwood 80), Scannell (Richards 70), Hogg (Gobern 51), Clayton, Dixon; Vaughan, Stead. Unused substitutes: Bennett, Woods, Paterson, Carr.

Charlton Athletic: Hamer; Morrison, Dervite, Wood (Stewart 68); Wilson, Pritchard, Jackson (Pigott 86), Stephens, Wiggins; Sordell (Harriott 69), Church. Unused substitutes: Alnwick, Evina, Cousins, Gower.

Referee: S Attwell (Warwickshire).