To the Londoners 3-1

Charlton regained 6th place on goal difference in League One with a 3-1 victory over Bristol Rovers at The Valley this afternoon. The win was achieved without talisman Lyle Taylor. However, Patrick Bauer started his first game after his return frominjury.

Jamie Ward, Joe Aribo and Karlan Grant were all on target as Charlton collected a third straight League One victory. Ward's impressive early opener was cancelled out by Joe Martin's stunning 30th-minute equaliser, a fierce shot from distance. After the Ward goal, the game went a bit flat and Charlton failed to threaten. Bilik was prone to give away possession.

But Aribo's header just before the interval, after a scramble following a corner put the Addicks back in front. Grant wrapped it up in stoppage time when he was put clear on goal to complete the simplest of finishes.

The Addicks broke the deadlock in the 10th minute. Jed Steer's long clearance was latched on to by Ward, who burst through on goal before coolly lofting the ball over advancing Rovers keeper Jack Bonham.

Rovers should have been back on terms but Tom Nichols was just unable to apply a vital touch to Stefan Payne's dangerous low cross. The Gas have been criticised by their manager for not being clinical in their finishing and they wasted a number of chances throughout the game.

Martin drilled an unstoppable left-footed effort from 20 yards beyond the reach of Steer on the half-hour mark. With their tails now up, Liam Sercombe tried a long-range volley that flew just off target and then Steer produced an excellent reaction save from Ollie Clarke.

Nicky Ajose was denied at the other end by Bonham moments later and saw a free-kick deflected inches wide of the post just before the break. Rovers' hopes of going in level were cruelly dashed on the stroke of half-time as some sloppy defending was punished by Aribo's close-range header to restore the Addicks' advantage.

Patrick Bauer headed wide after the restart and Ajose was just behind Ward's inviting pull back on the hour as Charlton looked to move further clear. When former Leamington ace Alex Rodman was brought on a substitute, the Gas upped their game. Charlton were put under quite a bit of pressure and at times seemed to be defending too deep. Steer had to be alert to deal with Sercombe's volley at the other end and the Rovers midfielder blazed an effort well off target four minutes from time.

The Gas hoped they could score from a corner and keeper Bonham decided to come up to add his shooting skills. Grant waited up field and capitalised on Bonham's decision to go up for a corner when he was set clear to fire into an empty net.

Rovers looked like relegation fodder, but they still need to be beaten. Solly had a good game. The lively and skilled Aribo got the man of the match award and was star man for the Football League Paper.

Lee Bowyer reckons that Charlton made it more difficult that it needed to be for themselves and that they missed Lyle Taylor: We deserved to win

Match report from Louis Mendez here: Third straight win