Reserve-team debutante Rhys Coleman brought the Valley house down with a brilliant last-gasp winner on Tuesday night.
The first-year scholar defender rose superbly in injury time to head home a Josh Wright free-kick, thus maintaining coach Mark Kinsella's 100 per cent record.
It was some introduction for Coleman, who was only a matter of a few U18 games back from an injury that accounted for half of his first season as a full-time player, and his evening wasn't just about his memorable goal.
The youngster would also have been pleased with his overall contribution to what was a lively encounter in rainy SE7.
A young Charlton side led what was perhaps an equally youthful Hornets outfit through Rurik Gislason, but Watford's Moses Ashikodi levelled after the break.
That seemed a fair scoreline, but when sole old head Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink drew one of numerous fouls deep into injury time, the two young Addicks prospects combined to steal all three points.
Coleman certainly stole the headlines, but it would be remiss not to report the fine performance of the Addicks' other debutante, Kurrant.
The defender-cum-midfielder never looked out of his depth even though he was pitched against Anthony McNamee, a player of Premiership experience, and he looks sure to pick up more second-string outings after such a solid opener.
Though Hasselbaink balanced up the average age somewhat, this was comfortably the most youthful side Kinsella has sent into battle, even encompassing the two private friendly games the former skipper oversaw last month.
While the likes of Alistair John, Myles Weston, Gislason and the returning Nathan Ashton are second-string regulars, Jonathan Kurrant and Coleman leant the Charlton rearguard a rather inexperienced look.
Indeed, the involvement of Wright and senior academy side captain Grant Basey meant that almost half of the Addicks' outfield was made up of scholars.
Watford are perennially young at reserve level also, but with so little second string football in his charges' legs Kinsella would nevertheless have been anticipating the customary cagey opening.
What he got was quite the opposite; Charlton fizzing the ball around on an immaculate Valley surface and a first class early goal.
With only six minutes on the clock, Hasselbaink fed the overlapping John who breezed past Hornets full-back Jordan Parkes.
His options in the box looked limited but shrewd Icelander Gislason showed fine movement to get himself in John's eye-line and he comfortably slotted the winger's cross home.
It was a lead that looked like being cancelled out just nine minutes later, however; Coleman taking one touch too many when dealing with a left-wing corner and seeing Clarke Carlisle arrive on his blind side to stab over from 10 yards.
Chances were coming fairly thick and fast and at the other end it took a miraculous save from Scott Loach to deny Gislason a rapid-fire double.
Rob Elliot's long clearance was woefully misread by both of Watford's defenders and Gislason cleverly arrived around the back, only for Loach to somehow finger-tip his full-blooded point-blank volley over the top.
Loach was in action again moments on to bat away a stinging, swerving drive from Hasselbaink, before Anthony McNamee was unlucky to see his improvised shot on the turn flash past Rob Elliot's near upright.
The Addicks came out for the second period slightly flat and McNamee's cross caused chaos in the Charlton box before Elliot produced a stop to rival his counterpart's earlier in the match.
A rare error from Basey presented Ashikodi the chance to chip a ball into the unmarked Will Hoskins, but the striker's well-hit half-volley from no more than eight yards was spectacularly blocked by one of Elliot's flailing arms.
Gislason then ended a fantastic solo dribble with a rasping drive that faded wide of the far post, but Watford's presence in the game was growing and they were level on 62 minutes after some slipshod defending from the home side.
Kinsella might have grinned and bared the fact that a corner wasn't initially cleared, but when everyone in red seemed to ignore the second ball, leaving Ashikodi to merely pick it up and stab it past Elliot, the Charlton coach would have been seething.
All of a sudden Charlton's equilibrium was gone and Ashikodi might have done better when he pulled away from Basey at the far post only to slip at the crucial moment.
Substitute Theo Robinson must have been unsighted when McNamee's free-kick seemed to just hit him after evading everyone in red, and the same player then tried his luck, unsuccessfully, from range.
It looked like the last action of the game, but deep into injury time Wright arced a ball towards the far post area and Coleman was there to direct a fine downward header beyond Loach's dive and into the bottom corner.
Charlton: Elliot, Kurrant, Ashton, Staunton, Coleman, Basey, John, Wright, Hasselbaink, Gislason (Simmonds 71), Weston (Wagstaff 80).
Subs (not used): Nielsen, Harkin, Govas.
Goals: Gislason 6, Coleman 90
Booking: Wright 73 (handball).
Watford: Loach, Chambers, Parkes, Rinaldi, Doyley, Carlisle, Williamson, Williams, Ashikodi (Robinson 76), Hoskins, McNamee.
Goal: Ashikodi 62
Subs (not used): O'Toole, Beasant, Campana, McCoy.
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| charlton-athletics-rhys-coleman-celebrates-his-goal |
The first-year scholar defender rose superbly in injury time to head home a Josh Wright free-kick, thus maintaining coach Mark Kinsella's 100 per cent record.
It was some introduction for Coleman, who was only a matter of a few U18 games back from an injury that accounted for half of his first season as a full-time player, and his evening wasn't just about his memorable goal.
The youngster would also have been pleased with his overall contribution to what was a lively encounter in rainy SE7.
A young Charlton side led what was perhaps an equally youthful Hornets outfit through Rurik Gislason, but Watford's Moses Ashikodi levelled after the break.
That seemed a fair scoreline, but when sole old head Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink drew one of numerous fouls deep into injury time, the two young Addicks prospects combined to steal all three points.
Coleman certainly stole the headlines, but it would be remiss not to report the fine performance of the Addicks' other debutante, Kurrant.
The defender-cum-midfielder never looked out of his depth even though he was pitched against Anthony McNamee, a player of Premiership experience, and he looks sure to pick up more second-string outings after such a solid opener.
Though Hasselbaink balanced up the average age somewhat, this was comfortably the most youthful side Kinsella has sent into battle, even encompassing the two private friendly games the former skipper oversaw last month.
While the likes of Alistair John, Myles Weston, Gislason and the returning Nathan Ashton are second-string regulars, Jonathan Kurrant and Coleman leant the Charlton rearguard a rather inexperienced look.
Indeed, the involvement of Wright and senior academy side captain Grant Basey meant that almost half of the Addicks' outfield was made up of scholars.
Watford are perennially young at reserve level also, but with so little second string football in his charges' legs Kinsella would nevertheless have been anticipating the customary cagey opening.
What he got was quite the opposite; Charlton fizzing the ball around on an immaculate Valley surface and a first class early goal.
With only six minutes on the clock, Hasselbaink fed the overlapping John who breezed past Hornets full-back Jordan Parkes.
His options in the box looked limited but shrewd Icelander Gislason showed fine movement to get himself in John's eye-line and he comfortably slotted the winger's cross home.
It was a lead that looked like being cancelled out just nine minutes later, however; Coleman taking one touch too many when dealing with a left-wing corner and seeing Clarke Carlisle arrive on his blind side to stab over from 10 yards.
Chances were coming fairly thick and fast and at the other end it took a miraculous save from Scott Loach to deny Gislason a rapid-fire double.
Rob Elliot's long clearance was woefully misread by both of Watford's defenders and Gislason cleverly arrived around the back, only for Loach to somehow finger-tip his full-blooded point-blank volley over the top.
Loach was in action again moments on to bat away a stinging, swerving drive from Hasselbaink, before Anthony McNamee was unlucky to see his improvised shot on the turn flash past Rob Elliot's near upright.
The Addicks came out for the second period slightly flat and McNamee's cross caused chaos in the Charlton box before Elliot produced a stop to rival his counterpart's earlier in the match.
A rare error from Basey presented Ashikodi the chance to chip a ball into the unmarked Will Hoskins, but the striker's well-hit half-volley from no more than eight yards was spectacularly blocked by one of Elliot's flailing arms.
Gislason then ended a fantastic solo dribble with a rasping drive that faded wide of the far post, but Watford's presence in the game was growing and they were level on 62 minutes after some slipshod defending from the home side.
Kinsella might have grinned and bared the fact that a corner wasn't initially cleared, but when everyone in red seemed to ignore the second ball, leaving Ashikodi to merely pick it up and stab it past Elliot, the Charlton coach would have been seething.
All of a sudden Charlton's equilibrium was gone and Ashikodi might have done better when he pulled away from Basey at the far post only to slip at the crucial moment.
Substitute Theo Robinson must have been unsighted when McNamee's free-kick seemed to just hit him after evading everyone in red, and the same player then tried his luck, unsuccessfully, from range.
It looked like the last action of the game, but deep into injury time Wright arced a ball towards the far post area and Coleman was there to direct a fine downward header beyond Loach's dive and into the bottom corner.
Charlton: Elliot, Kurrant, Ashton, Staunton, Coleman, Basey, John, Wright, Hasselbaink, Gislason (Simmonds 71), Weston (Wagstaff 80).
Subs (not used): Nielsen, Harkin, Govas.
Goals: Gislason 6, Coleman 90
Booking: Wright 73 (handball).
Watford: Loach, Chambers, Parkes, Rinaldi, Doyley, Carlisle, Williamson, Williams, Ashikodi (Robinson 76), Hoskins, McNamee.
Goal: Ashikodi 62
Subs (not used): O'Toole, Beasant, Campana, McCoy.
