Quick-starting Wanderers made it three League One wins in a row and a hat-trick of away victories at The Valley thanks to another capital performance in south London, writes Pete Oliver.
For the second weekend running Randell Williams and top scorer Dion Charles got the goals as Ian Evatt’s in-form side moved to within goal difference of the promotion places with a fifth victory in six league games.
The pair were off the mark inside 16 minutes a week ago against Northampton Town and following the mid-week success at Wycombe took just 22 minutes this time to set Wanderers on their way to another big three points.
There could have been more goals in a top-class performance on a ground Wanderers have enjoyed visiting in recent seasons. And once again, nearly 2,000 travelling fans went home happy as some superb defending made sure the early blows would be enough as the Whites also secured a welcome clean sheet.
Williams was one of two players brought back into the starting line-up – along with Aaron Morley – following the late triumph at Wycombe.
And it proved a shrewd call as the wing-back followed up his first goal of the season with another to put Wanderers ahead after a quarter of an hour.
The wing-back had only scored once in a Wanderers shirt before what turned out to the winner against the Cobblers but wasted no time adding to his tally with another well-crafted strike.
This one followed a well-worked corner routine with George Thomason providing the telling pass back in behind the Charlton defence for Williams to receive the ball again and curl a lovely left-footed strike in off the far post.
The goal was a reflection of Wanderers’ growing superiority and they quickly made it 2-0 as the Addicks – briefly down to 10 men with Terell Thomas off for treatment – tried to re-group.
A dangerous ball into the box from Josh Dacres-Cogley was initially blocked but Charles was perfectly placed to pounce on the loose ball and ram home his 10th goal of the season.
Wanderers looked a threat almost every time they went forward as Charlton – unbeaten in seven games before a mid-week loss to Lincoln – struggled to cope with the intensity and tempo of the Whites in a near perfect first-half performance.
And six minutes before the break they had a great chance to increase the lead further as Charlton were unpicked once more.
Again Dacres-Cogley was the provider on the overlap down the right-hand side before he picked out Thomason, who would surely have made it two goals in two games had his strike gone either side of keeper Ashley Maynard-Brewer.
What Wanderers needed to avoid was a goal early in the second half to give Charlton the kind of momentum Wycombe enjoyed for a spell on Tuesday night and they nearly succumbed to a rare lapse when a quickly-taken free-kick allowed George Dobson to deliver a cross which Tyreece Campbell headed wide.
The lively Alfie May also warmed the palms of Nathan Baxter as Charlton inevitably raised their efforts. But Wanderers continued to carry a goal threat on the break and with an hour gone the Whites had another great chance to go 3-0 up.
Charles again worried the life out of the hosts’ back line but after linking well with Victor Adeboyejo for once lacked the finishing touch as Maynard-Brewer came out to save at his feet.
Charlton weren’t yet out of the contest and it might have got nervy had Panutche Camara not lifted a close-range effort over the top after May had fired the ball across goal.
At the other end Adeboyejo was then only inches away from reaching a pull-back from Aaron Morley following another incisive move as the pace refused to relent in a high-class contest which Wanderers continued to control going into the final quarter of an hour.
Williams twice went close to claiming his second of the game following more measured build-ups from Wanderers but there was also defending to do as the clocked ticked down.
Skipper Ricardo Almeida Santos led by example with a couple of crucial blocks and with Gethin Jones and Eoin Toal equally solid beside him, Baxter chalked up another shut-out to keep the fantastic run going as Evatt's men chalked up a fourth and arguably most impressive away win of an increasingly productive campaign.
Wanderers: Baxter; Jones, Almeida Santos, Toal; Sheehan; Dacres-Cogley, Morley, Thomason (Maghoma, 75), Williams; Charles (Nlundulu 79), Adeboyejo (Bodvarsson 71). Substitutes: Hutchinson, Iredale, Forrester, Jerome.
Booked: Baxter
Charlton Athletic: Maynard-Brewer; Watson, Hector, Jones, Thomas (Asiimwe 65); Campbell, Fraser (Watson 58), Dobson, Blackett-Taylor; Camara (Leaburn 65), May. Substitutes: Walker, Ness, Kirk, Tedic.
Booked: Jones
Referee: Geoff Eltringham
Attendance: 14,343 (away 1,888)