The Valley pitch passed inspections at 9.00am and midday, and thanks to a fantastic effort by the groundstaff and volunteers, the saturated surface was playable.

Cedric Evina, Lawrie Wilson, Bradley Pritchard and Yann Kermorgant returned to the starting line-up, while Dan Seaborne, Danny Green and Manny Frimpong did not even make the bench.

The opening 20 minutes saw the Addicks on the back foot as they failed to get to grips with Derby’s slick passing game. Michael Morrison was booked in the ninth minute for a foul on Derby’s prodigious young midfielder, Will Hughes. The challenge was to have more serious consequences for the central defender after the break.

Totally against the run of play, Charlton took the lead after 20 minutes. Yann Kermorgant freed Danny Haynes down the left and with Johnnie Jackson offering support, Haynes cut inside and scored a super goal from 25 yards out.

Haynes’ afternoon came to a premature end thirteen minutes later when his persistent hamstring problem let him down again.

Bradley Wright-Phillips replaced Haynes and had the opportunity to double the advantage at the end of the half. A peach of a ball from Jackson put Wright-Phillips through with just Adam Legzdins to beat. The keeper denied the striker his second goal of the season.

The Addicks should have sewn the points up midway through the second period. A sweeping end-to-end move presented Bradley Pritchard with a simple chance from ten yards out. Unfortunately, Pritchard crashed his effort against the underside of the bar.

Twenty minutes from the end, Carl Boyeson adjudged that Morrison’s challenge on John Brayford was a foul and awarded the visitors a penalty. Morrison was given a second yellow and sent off. The big defender had struggled to contain the lively Nathan Tyson all afternoon and was given a stern lecture by the referee following his caution in the first half. Given the difficult conditions, it may have been wise to bring Dervite on as a replacement.

Substitute, Jamie Ward, hit the spot-kick down the middle, as Hamer dived to his right, to level things up.

Six minutes from time, it was the Rams turn to hit the woodwork when a right-wing corner was headed against the post by Brayford.

The Addicks held on for a draw but have now taken just 3 points from the last 18. The bedrock of any team is their home form and Charlton have only won 3 of their 13 games at The Valley this season. They badly need to string a run of wins together during the final ten games of the season.

Charlton: Hamer; Solly, Cort, Morrison, Evina; Wilson, Pritchard, Stephens (Dervite 73), Jackson; Kermorgant (Fuller 85), Haynes (Wright-Phillips 36).

Subs (not used): Sullivan, Kerkar, Wagstaff, Hulse.

Goal: Haynes 20.

Booked: Morrison 9 (foul), Hamer 79 (dissent).

Sent off: Morrison 70 (foul – second booking).

Derby: Legzdins; Brayford, Keogh, O’Connor, Roberts; Coutts, Hendricks, Davies, Hughes (Ward 69) (Jacobs 84); Tyson (Sammon 65) Robinson.

Subs (not used): Fielding, O’Brien, Doyle, Freeman.

Goal: Ward 71 (pen).

Booked: Hughes 7 (foul), Keogh 42 (foul), O’Connor 54 (foul).

Referee: Carl Boyeson (East Yorkshire).

Att: 17,761 (1,372 Derby).