Charlton’s wonderful start to life back in the Championship continued at the Madejski Stadium on Saturday.

Jonathan Leko’s first goal for the club, and a Lyle Taylor penalty,‎ensured all three points travelled back down the M4 with the Addicks.

The win took Lee Bowyer’s team into second place, ahead of Leeds and just behind pacesetters Swansea.

Chris Solly returned in place of the injured Deji Oshilaja, and Sam Field came ‎in for Darren Pratley who dropped to the bench.

The first-half was fairly even. The nearest either side came to scoring was when Lucas Joao hit the bar after 20 minutes‎.

But after the break, the Addicks’ midfield took control‎ of the game, and the strikers added the goals.

Leko’s 20 yard effort six minutes after the break took a deflection on the way in and the visitor’s sealed the win ten minutes from time.

Substitute, Chuks Aneke, was sent tumbling‎ in the box, and Taylor coolly sent the keeper  the wrong way to convert the penalty.

So Charlton go into the international break with 14 points from 6 games – a better start than anyone dared hope.

After the game, Bowyer was understandably proud of his team’s performance:

“They’re fearless. They’re in that place at the moment and they’re in that zone where they believe that they’re going to win every game, and I make them believe that they can win every game.

“We had a bit of luck first half, maybe if they had taken the chance that Dillon saved at the end, then it would have been a different game. But, overall over the 90 minutes, I thought that we deserved the win. 

“And it could have been four or five. If it weren’t for a couple of bad decisions from our lads in the final third, then we could have scored four or five comfortably.

“But listen, we won 2-0, it’s a clean sheet again and the defensive side again I thought was outstanding. So, from back to front I thought we were excellent, and we deserved the three points…

“Our aim is to stay in the league. We’ve had a good start but we’re only six games in. there’s still 40-odd games to go.

 
“But it’s nice to be up there and get the points in the bag early. But we know that our goal is to stay in the division, and if we do that it’ll be some achievement. 

“With the budget that we have – people laugh at us when we tell them what our budget is. So for the lads to be doing what they’re doing,and the fans as well; they’re playing a massive part. They didn’t stop singing for the 90 minutes. 

“They were so loud and they’re helping the lads to push through these games. So everyone’s in a good place at the moment.”

Charlton: ‎Phillips, Solly, Lockyer, Pearce, Purrington; Field (Pratley 74), Cullen, Gallagher, Williams (Aneke 62);  Leko (Hemed 81), Taylor

Subs (not used): Amos, Sarr, Oztumer, Lapslie.‎

Goals: Leko 51, Taylor 80 (pen)‎.

Booked: Field 10 (foul), Gallagher 84 (foul)‎

Reading: Cabral; McIntyre, Morrison, Moore, Yiadom (Boyce 65); Swift, Gomes (Barrett 81), Ejaria, Richards (Meite 65); Puscas, Joao.  ‎

Subs (not used): Rinomhota, Virginia, Adam, Osho‎

Booked: Gomes (25, foul on Leko)

Referee: Jarrad Gillet (Australia).

Attendance: 16,906 (2,144 from Charlton)