After the agony of losing in stoppage time at Sunderland, a week later Addicks fans experienced the ecstacy of an added on time winner against Shrewsbury at The Valley  on Saturday.

Darren Pratley’s clever little dink to the near post was headed home from a tight angle by a rejuvenated Karlan Grant.

Grant seems to have been around forever, but is in fact, still only 20. Lee Bowyer was full of praise for his team’s fighting spirit:

“To keep going the way we did just shows that their will to keep fighting to the end is a special thing.

“I said a couple of weeks ago that I want us to start scoring late goals and putting teams under pressure instead of being the other way around like it was last season.

“The first half wasn’t good enough. We didn’t move the ball and when we did there wasn’t enough options. It felt a bit nervy.

“Obviously, we changed things around in the second half and brought young Albie on because he’s someone that can get his foot on the ball and make things happen. He’s got a good range of passing and is neat and tidy.

“Their sitter was seeing a lot of the ball in the second half and we had to stop that, so that’s why we changed it around and it worked.

“Overall, I feel we deserved to win the game. Especially after what happened last week, because we didn’t deserve that.”‎

‎Bowyer went on to explain why Grant has looked more dangerous this season:

‎”He’s playing in his favoured position up top, I’ve always said that I see him as a striker.

“If you play him out wide, he’s got to beat three or four to get a shot off, but if you play him up top, he’s only got to beat one.

“His movement and pace in and around the 18-yard box is scary for a defender. He’s got everything to be a striker in this division and I believe he can go higher if his attitude is right and he listens and learns.

“He’s got two good feet and great pace which is something rare from someone of his age.”

Another 20-year-old, George Lapslie, has impressed in the first two games of the season, and 18-year-old Albie Morgan came on for his debut on Saturday.

Taylor Maloney is another academy youngster who is pressing for a first team chance. He has been on the be‎nch for the first two games, and is likely to be involved in the Carabao Cup game at Milton Keynes on Tuesday. Bowyer continued:

‎”Albie has done exceptionally well in pre-season, so has George and Taylor (Maloney).

“The three have been with me throughout pre-season and are improving all the time. George Lapslie, in the last two games, showed that he will give you 100 per cent.

“He’s come off with cramp, the poor lad. He was everywhere, and for Albie to come on and have that composure to want to get on the ball like he did when I had just given them all a rollicking at half-time and told Albie to come on and make something happen.

“For an 18-year-old to come on and do that just shows how good he is and that he’s not afraid. He put in the good little chip for Pratley’s run for the winning goal and kept getting in good areas.”