BRAD Friedel looked to have earned Rovers a point with his first goal for Rovers a minute from time, but Claus Jensen's sweetly struck volley broke Rovers' hearts with a goal at the death.

It was very tough on Rovers after they had pulled the game back from 2-0 down at half time.

In an exciting game full of goalmouth incident, Carlton Cole fired the home side in front after ten minutes, Jason Euell doubled the lead with ten minutes of the second half remaining.

Cole and Friedel got Rovers back on level terms before Danish international Claus Jensen earned the home side all three points.

Graeme Souness made two changes from the side that started against Newcastle United ten days earlier, Craig Short returned to the heart of the defence, Tugay dropping to the bench with Andy Todd moving to midfield. Up front Paul Gallagher was preferred to Andy Cole.

Meaning Graeme Souness started with the same side that started their last away game at the Riverside against Middlesbrough.

But Rovers were slow out of the blocks, Carlton Cole had already fired a warning of what he could do when he fired over the bar from the edge of the box.

But ten minutes into the game the striker, on loan from Chelsea, showed great strength to twist and turn inside the penalty area with his back to goal, before firing high past Brad Friedel at the near post to put the home side in front.

This sparked Rovers into life and they had an extended spell of pressure but couldn't turn chances into goals.

On fifteen minutes, Brett Emerton forced a fine save out of Kiely after the Australian chose to shoot from just inside the area. His swerving shot flew at Kiely at pace but the former Republic of Ireland international got a hand to it to put the ball behind.

Next it was Jonathon Douglas turn to waste a golden chance, Stead did well to feed Emerton on the right, the Australian international put in a low cross, but Douglas, six yards out, couldn't get a meaningful touch on the ball and the chance was gone.

Up front Rovers' duo of Gallagher and Stead were causing Charlton's back line some problems, Gallagher fired over from the edge of the box after good approach work by Todd and Stead, and then his strike partner went even closer, thumping the foot of the post after turning inside the box.

Graeme Souness was then forced to make an unscheduled change, when captain Garry Flitcroft limped off through injury. Tugay replaced the midfield man.

Douglas almost made amends to his miss on nineteen minutes, when he met yet another cross by Brett Emerton,  but this time Luke Young was on hand to divert the midfielder's shot.

But Rovers were left to rue their mist chances, when on thirty-six minutes, Graham Stuart floated a ball over from the left, Paolo Di Canio got a flick on and Jason Euell nipped in behind the defence to drive the ball home past a stranded Friedel.

Jonathan Stead had a glorious chance to pull a goal back before half time, but the young striker's shot flashed off the top of the bar when he had just Dean Kiely to beat.

Graeme Souness threw on Andy Cole at the start of the second half, Jonathan Stead making way through injury.

But it was Charlton who had the first chance of the second period, when Luke Young did well down the right hand side, his cross found Carlton Cole, and in a carbon copy of his goal in the first half, the England under 21 international twisted and fired in a close-range shot, this time it went the opposite side of Brad Friedel's post and out for a goal kick.

Dean Kiely thwarted Rovers' first chance of the second half, Gallagher released Andy Cole on the right, the Rovers striker cut in from the right and fired a low shot in that Kiely was equal to.

Andy Cole was proving to be a real livewire up front  for Rovers, the Charlton defence really struggled to keep him contained, and but for Dean Kiely, Rovers would have got on the scoresheet long before they finally did.


With just over fifteen minutes remaining, a poor backpass by Kishishev was intercepted by Andy Cole, he rounded Dean Kiely and eventually put the ball into the net for his eight goal of the season, despite the best efforts of Chris Perry.

Charlton were rattled, Andy Cole almost got Rovers back on level terms, but his goalbound shot was cleared on the line by a defender, then Markus Babbel saw his shot deflected for a corner.

At the other end Claus Jensen raced clear only to see Brad Friedel thwart him with a fine save. And those two were to play a vital role in the final minutes of the game.

Andy Cole looked to have got Rovers back on level terms with a minute remaining when his clever back header appeared to be heading for the top corner. But Dean Kiely pulled off a magnificent one handed save to tip the ball over the bar.


From the resultant corner, Brad Friedel left his penalty area to join the attack, Emerton's cross went over to Gallagher on the far side, the Scot fired the ball back into the crowded area and Friedel stuck out a boot to slam the ball into the back of the net to get Rovers back on level terms for a well earned point.

Or so we thought.

For in the final second of the game a high ball into the Rovers area was headed away, only as far as Claus Jensen who hit a sweet volley, that Brad Friedel was powerless to stop it creeping into the corner of the net.

It was cruel on Rovers, very cruel.

CHARLTON: Kiely, Kishishev, Stuart, Fish (sub Fortune 14 mins), Holland, Euell, Di Canio (sub Konchesky 89 mins), Hreidarsson, Young, C. Cole (sub Jensen 77 mins), Perry. Subs: Royce, Johansson.

ROVERS: Friedel, Neill, Short, Babbel, Gray, Emerton, Todd (sub Yorke 58 mins), Flitcroft (sub Tugay 29 mins), Douglas, Stead (sub A. Cole 46 mins), Gallagher. Subs: Enckelman, Andresen.

Monday's Rovers World will have all the post match reaction from the Valley.