Jason Pearce effort enough as Charlton boost play-off chances

Jason Pearce's deflected first-half winner earned play-off chasing Charlton a crucial 1-0 triumph over already-promoted Blackburn Rovers at The Valley.Charlie Mulgrew placed a 12th-minute free-kick well wide of the target, but it was the Addicks who got their noses in front seven minutes later in rather fortuitous circumstances.Ahmed Kashi drilled in a shot from just outside the area which took a huge deflection off Pearce on its way past Rovers goalkeeper Jayson Leutwiler for what proved to be the only goal of the game.Ben Amos had to be alert at the other end to tip behind Mulgrew's corner which appeared to be heading into the net.Richie Smallwood burst through just after the break and was denied by Amos before Mark Marshall scrambled the danger clear, with Mulgrew heading agonisingly wide from the resulting corner.Amos was called into action again twice in the space of a minute to keep out Jack Payne on both occasions as Blackburn continued their bright start to the second half.Pearce made a crucial block from substitute Danny Graham's shot and - from the corner which followed - Dominic Samuel saw his 78th-minute header cannon back off the crossbar.Amos was a busy man and made another fine stop from Samuel, pushing away his 82nd-minute shot.But despite Rovers' dominance, it was Charlton who almost grabbed a second when a counter attack ended with Leutwiler producing a super save from Jake Forster-Caskey's goalbound strike.