Huddersfield Town produced a gritty display on a glue pot of a pitch to claim a deserved point in South London.

It’s Cheltenham week, and while Mark Robins’ side weren’t at the races at Doncaster in Saturday, they were far more tuned in as relegation-threatened Charlton were thwarted.

It was a positive response to the 2-0 loss in South Yorkshire, and Town were given a rousing post-match ovation by their 440 fans in a 12,974 crowd.

All the talk before the game was of Charlton owner Roland Duchatelet’s decision to axe manager Chris Powell and replace him with his fellow Belgian Jose Riga.

The new head coach is a former boss of Standard Liege, the club Duchatelet also owns and from whom the Londoners have four players on loan.

None of them featured in the starting side for the FA Cup quarter-final loss at Sheffield United on Sunday which was Powell’s final match at the helm.

Riga, inheriting a side at the foot of the table and beaten five times in their last six Championship games, made four changes.

Two of the incomers were Liege players, midfielder Astrit Ajdarevic and striker Reza Ghoochannejhad, with former Town loanee Simon Church left on the bench.

Town, well beaten at Doncaster on Saturday but seeking a fourth win in seven here, made three changes, including skipper Peter Clarke for the injured Anthony Gerrard.

Jonathan Hogg returned after a calf injury and Sean Scannell made a first start in 22 games, with Ollie Norwood and Adam Hammill dropping to the bench.

Jonathan Hogg hits a piledriver at the Charlton goal
Jonathan Hogg hits a piledriver at the Charlton goal

There’s been plenty said about the state of Charlton’s pitch this season, and despite it being a dry day, there were plenty of watery patches.

The home fans made their feelings on the week’s events clear by applauding and chanting Powell’s name after three minutes, the number of years he was manager.

Soon after, Ajdarevic had a well-struck shot pushed wide by Alex Smithies for the first of four Charlton corners in quick succession.

Town, playing 4-3-3 and making a lively enough start, responded with a Nahki Wells snap shot which was pushed away by Ben Hamer.

Another home corner on 17 minutes, again taken by Johnnie Jackson, teed up Michael Morrison, but the big centre-half volleyed well wide.

Ghoochannejhad, who shot just wide, and Ajdarevic, who tested Smithies with a curler, were both to the fore as Charlton pushed forward.

Town were working and to stifle the Londoners, and managed the occasional counter attack, with Hogg stinging Hamer’s fingers with a fierce shot after 29 minutes.

Adam Clayton fired over the bar before Wells and Danny Ward had a long-distance efforts held by Hamer as Town enjoyed a positive spell.

But Charlton came close just before the break, when Ajdarevic glanced a header across the goal from his side’s eighth corner of the opening period – Town had five.

A slack pass by Hogg let Callum Harriott break upfield and play in Marvin Sordell early in the second half, by his low shot went across the goal and wide.

Meanwhile Wells fired in a low, angled shot from the left which defender Dorian Dervite blocked at the near post.

Charlton cranked things up as the game entered its final 20 minutes, with Smithies scooping away a shot by Ajdarevic then thwarting Sordell in a one-on-one.

Town made a double change on 74 minutes, when Hammill and Martin

Hammill replaced Scannell and Paterson came on forWells, and continued to be competitive going into the closing stages, but in the end they had to settle for a stalemate in the capital.

Huddersfield Town boss Mark Robins hails his team's grit after point at Charlton Athletic - click here to read

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