Charlton had victory snatched away from them with literally the last kick of the game at a wet Valley on Friday night.
Once again, their chronic inability to defend set pieces was their undoing.
Lee Bowyer’s team had twice led thanks to goals from Darren Pratley and Naby Sarr. But they were hauled back both times, with a Jarrod Bowen shot and that late strike which will probably be given as a Dillon Phillips own goal.
Personnel wise, Bowyer made two changes to the team that lost to Huddersfield on Tuesday – Adam Mathews and Albie Morgan coming in for Chris Solly – who dropped to the bench – and late illness victim, Alfie Doughty.
Pratley put the Addicks in front eleven minutes before the break, when he nodded home a deep right wing corner at the far post.
It was a deserved lead, Bowyer’s side were playing far better than they did on Tuesday.
But three minutes after the restart, the Tigers were level. Kamil Grosicki played a low, hard cross in from the left. It was reminiscent of Lyle Taylor’s ball in at Wembley for Ben Purrington’s equaliser.
Jason Pearce and Sarr had to leave it, and Bowen was on hand to turn it in at the far post.
Hull’s joy lasted little more than two minutes though. Sarr played the ball from his own six yard line to Morgan. The midfielder switched it out to Jonathan Leko on the right.
Leko drove into the area and pulled it back to give Sarr the simplest of finishes.
Phillips had to make a couple of smart saves, but the hosts seemed to have seen the game out. But in the sixth minute of stoppage time, the visitors levelled in controversial circumstances.
The referee had played the allotted added on time when the ball was recycled into the Addicks’ area.
Substitute, Keane Lewis-Potter got a shot away. Phillips tipped the ball onto the post, only for it to rebound and hit him. He desperately tried to claw it away, but could only succeed in pushing it into his own net.
It was a bitterly disappointing end to the evening . Charlton have now dropped a staggering 17 points from winning positions this season.
Afterwards, Bowyer was critical of his team’s defending, but fuming about the amount of extra time the referee allowed:
“We didn’t defend until the final whistle. That’s where we went wrong. You think we’d learn after Tuesday when the same thing happened.
“They scored with thirty seconds to go then and then tonight they scored in the injury time of injury time.
“They put up four minutes and then they decided to add on another minute. Then five minutes was up when the foul was given.
“Then the referee let them put the ball into the box, we cleared that… but I’ve been in the game long enough and every game I’ve seen once the clearance is gone then they blow. But no, he lets them play another cross in and then they score.
“Don’t get me wrong, it was bad defending, but now my lads… I feel for them so much because as you’ve seen there, they’ve given absolutely everything again. To get done like that when the whistle should have been blown – I’m gutted.
But Bowyer had some good news on the injury front:
“Lyle Taylor came on at the end there. He will now be ready to start a game. Jonny Williams will be training and will be on the bench as long as he comes through the training.
“Sam Field will be coming back to us on Wednesday from West Brom. I know the fitness coach and I know that he’s a had a good workout there and he’s ready to go from my understanding.
“Again, we have to bring these players back in again we can’t just say ‘right, there you go there’s 90 minutes’. We have to break them in, a bit like what we have done with Lyle.
“But the positive is that we’ve got two more coming back next week. Before we lost Lyle we were six games in. we lost four and drew two.
“Then we had an international break, Lyle got injured and since then, we were okay without Lyle.
“We were still scoring goals and creating chances. We went to Fulham and West Brom with a lot of players out and got good results and were in the games.
“So I believe that once we get some of these players back – all of them would be great but I know how football works and I know you don’t always have a full squad – I’m sure we’ll start picking up more results.
“Again with all the bodies out we’re still competing and putting on a show.”
Bowyer will need all the bodies he can get as he heads into the busy Christmas period. His team have taken just three points from the last ten games.
Three draws, seven defeats and no clean sheets have seen his team plummet down the table.
He will be hoping Santa delivers some well deserved luck on the injury front for the rest of the season.
Charlton: Phillips; Matthews, Lockyer, Pearce , Sarr, Purrington; Pratley, Gallagher, Morgan (Oshilaja 67); Bonne (Taylor 81), Leko.
Subs (not used): Maynard-Brewer, Solly, Ledley, Vennings.
Goals: Pratley 34, Sarr 50.
Booked: Matthews 20 (handball).
Hull: Long; Lichaj , Burke, de Wijs, Elder (Lewis-Potter 64); Batty (Bowler 46), Da Silva Lopes, Irvine; Bowen, Eaves (Honeyman 76), Grosicki.
Subs (not used): Ingram, Tafazolli, Kingsley, Pennington.
Goals: Bowen 48, Lewis-Potter 90.
Booked: Da Silva Lopes 67 (foul ), Irvina 86 (dissent).
Referee: Andy Davies (Tyne & Wear).
Attn: 14,247 (625 Hull).