Charlton were comprehensively played off the park by Derby in the first half last night. Worryingly, the Rams were in the lower reaches of the division and it was a game where Chris Powell would have been hopeful of getting some kind if result.

The manager hardly helped his own cause by switching Solly to the left rather than playing natural left-back, Cedric Evina, in his specialist position. Wilson continued on the right, with Danny Green starting instead of Pritchard on the right of midfield in an otherwise unchanged team. Evina was on the bench, as was Pritchard.

Derby were bright, inventive, passed quickly and accurately and penned the Addicks in their own half for long periods. The opening goal came after five minutes. Morrison’s clearing header fell right for Jamie Ward who volleyed home from just outside the area, beating Hamer on his near post. Ward led the Charlton defence a merry dance all night. Conor Sammon should have doubled the advantage shortly after but fired wide with only Hamer to beat.

The midfield was anonymous, even Stephens had a poor half and the strikers did not even have crumbs to feed off.

Powell would have been relieved to have got to the break with just a single goal deficit. His team came out with more purpose after the break and made a contest of it.

They got an early example of how tough a league the Championship is. Jackson’s header from a Stephens corner was cleared off the line and Derby broke and had a shot, that went narrowly wide, at the other end.

After 53 minutes a poor Stephens back pass gifted Derby a second. Though Hamer did well to block the original shot, the rebound fell kindly for Craig Bryson to tuck away.

On the hour mark Powell replaced Hollands and Wright-Phillips – who looked to have taken a knock in the first half – with Kerkar and Fuller. Fuller quickly had the ball in the net, only for his effort to be ruled out for offside. The Rams looked to have sealed the game after 64 minutes when Green gave away a penalty that Ward converted.

The Addicks went on to dominate the rest of the game though. Green rifled in a spectacular strike from 30 yards then turned provider three minutes later. Twisting and turning his way into the area, he pulled the ball back to give Kermorgant the simplest of tap ins.

It was all Charlton now but they could not breach the hosts defence again. Kerkar had a stoppage time header cleared off the line, Hamer again came up for a late corner but the Addicks could not snatch a point.

The game would have given the manager much to ponder ahead of Saturday’s crucial game at Ipswich. He will be anxious to stop the losing run.

Charlton: Hamer; Wilson, Cort, Morrison, Solly; Green, Stephens, Hollands (Kerkar 60), Jackson; Kermorgant, Wright-Phillips (Fuller 60).

Subs (not used): Button, Dervite, Evina, Pritchard, Smith.

Goals: Green 70, Kermorgant 73.

Booked: Stephens 62 (foul on).

Derby: Fielding; Brayford, Keogh, O’Connor (Buxton 82), Roberts; Coutts, Bryson, Hendrick, Hughes (Robinson 89); Sammon, Ward.

Subs (not used): Legzdins, Gjokaj, Freeman, Jacobs, Doyle.

Goals: Ward 5, 64 pen, Bryson 53.

Booked: Bryson 77 (time wasting), O’Connor 82 (foul).

Referee: David Phillips (West Sussex).

Attn: 20,063.