BOWYER’S WISE WORDS PAY OFF
IGOR VETOKELE was challenged by Lee Bowyer to make more of an impact and heeded his boss’s words by notching his first league goal for Charlton in more than three years to help beat AFC Wimbledon.
Angolan striker Vetokele has spent most of the past two seasons on loan in Belgium – firstly with Waregem, then St Trudien – but has come back into the Addicks fold this term and grabbed a 91st-minute winner to down the strugglers.
Naby Sarr’s curled free-kick has drawn Charlton level after Watford loanee Michael Folivi had put the Dons ahead with his maiden goal for the club, but the highlight was Vetokele bundling home a first league goal for the promotionchasers since January 2016 to repay Bowyer’s faith.
“I believed we would win,” said the Charlton manager. “We just needed to get that first goal. In the first half we looked nervous – I don’t know why. I said to Igor in training that I want more from him and he came on and made an impact – that is what the squad does.
“It is not about one person or two people, it is a squad and Igor has come on and got the winner.
“We have had four or five players have a go at free-kicks and not hit the target. So, I think it is fair to say if we get another free-kick next week, Naby will be taking it.”
Bowyer was sent to the stands just before Sarr’s equaliser and explained that it was for talking back to referee Chris Kavanagh. “Chris Solly got fouled and I questioned the ref why he didn’t give it,” added Bowyer.
“I said to him it’s a joke that he gave four free-kicks to Wimbledon in the first half, so he gave me a yellow card. I said ‘well done’ so he gave me another one.”
Charlton’s victory was their first in five games while Wimbledon remain rooted to the foot of League One, although manager Wally Downes had no complaints about the end result. “We got what we deserved,” admitted the Dons boss. “We deserved to be 1-0 up at half-time and they deserved to win the second half.
“They were two goals better than us in the second half and we were a goal better than them in the first half.
“We needed to pass the ball better and make better decisions.
“The decisions we were making in the first half, moving the ball forward and wide, were terrific, but those things just went out of the window at the start of the second half. Our substitutes have been terrific for us all season and have a part to play but here, when they should have been switched on at a vital moment, the team switches off like that and we got punished.”