Possibly due to his team’s ten match losing streak, Simon Grayson fielded a strong team. Chris Powell took the opportunity to rest several of his senior players.
The Addicks performed poorly in front of a sparse crowd and suffered a second early elimination from a cup competition this season, Leyton Orient winning the campaign’s opening game at The Valley, a first round Capital One Cup match.
Chris Solly was not involved but youngsters, Morgan Fox and Ade Azeez, got places on the bench. Azeez entered the fray late on for his Charlton debut. Dave Button also made his debut for the Addicks, in a team skippered by Matt Taylor.
Charlton suffered a major set back after 57 minutes when Dorian Dervite mis-kicked an Adam Clayton through ball. Dervite’s slip let Jermaine Beckford in and as the striker homed in on goal, the French defender tugged his shirt and gave Darren Drysdale the formality of brandishing the red card.
With Leon Cort facing several weeks on the sidelines with the hamstring injury he picked up at Watford, Powell is left with just Michael Morrison and Matt Taylor as available senior central defenders. The manager may have to consider a short term loan to plug the gap.
The game was settled after 11 minutes when a left-wing cross from Clayton found Beckford, who had time to control the ball and slip it past Button from close range to give Huddersfield the lead. It was a lead they seldom looked like relinquishing.
It is an afternoon the Addicks will want to forget and in time honoured tradition, they are now free to concentrate on the league.
Charlton: Button; Wilson, Taylor, Dervite, Evina; Cook (Morrison 60), Pritchard, Stephens, Kerkar (Jackson 78); Kermorgant, Wright-Phillips (Azeez 78).
Subs (not used): Hamer, Fox, Green, Wagstaff.
Booked: Pritchard 73 (foul).
Sent off: Dervite 57 (professional foul).
Huddersfield: Smithies; Hunt, P.Clarke, Gerrard, Dixon; Arfield, Norwood, Clayton, Scannell; Beckford (Novak 83), Vaughan.
Subs (not used): Bennett, T.Clarke, Wallace, Robinson, Smith, Atkinson.
Goal: Beckford 11.
Booked: Arfield 20 (foul), Vaughan 43 (foul), Norwood 70 (foul), Hunt 85 (foul).
Referee: Darren Drysdale (Lincolnshire).
Attn: 6,657 (499 Huddersfield).