Charlton Athletic 0-1 Shrewsbury Town: Advantage for Shrews in Sky Bet League One
Shrewsbury will take a one-goal lead into the second-leg of their Sky Bet League One play-off semi-final against Charlton after Jon Nolan's fine finish secured a 1-0 victory at The Valley.
The division's third-placed team, who had finished 16 points ahead of their hosts, absorbed early pressure and cleverly bought time until scoring the goal they deserved through the impressive Nolan.
Regardless, Charlton possess one of League One's strongest squads and to the extent that only last month they won 2-0 at the Montgomery Waters Meadow.
Having been largely outplayed they will have to significantly improve in Sunday's second leg, and seal a similarly convincing win if they are to reach the final at Wembley on 27 May.
Shrewsbury are the odds-on favourites at 2/9 with Sky Bet to get through this semi-final tie.
Charlton can be backed at 3/1 to progress.
The hosts - being watched from the directors' box by their potential new owner, Australian businessman Andrew Muir - had made a promising start.
In only the fourth minute, Josh Magennis headed narrowly wide of the right post following Ben Reeves' right-wing cross.
Jake Forster-Caskey then swiftly followed that by breaking from midfield to the edge of the area, and sending a low, left-footed shot even closer to the same target.
When the ball bounced kindly for Nicky Ajose, the striker ambitiously shot from 25 yards but despite connecting well his effort was both high and wide, and they thereafter struggled to create clear-cut chances.
Shrewsbury first threatened in the 17th minute when Nolan, having been fed by Bryn Morris, forced a fine save from Ben Amos after a dangerous run and shot from midfield, and the goalkeeper also then saved Carlton Morris' header from the resultant corner.
Shaun Whalley then played in Morris from the right, and from 20 yards he curled towards the far left post, where the diving Amos again did well to parry wide.
It was midway through the second half when the visitors enjoyed another period in which they almost scored. Amos, again, impressed in punching clear from Whalley's corner while under pressure.
From a free-kick Whalley then pulled back to the unmarked Nolan, and his curling shot crept just wide of the left post.
Charlton's Forster-Caskey curled a further free-kick, from the edge of the area, straight at goalkeeper Dean Henderson, and Ben Reeves then connected well with Ajose's lay-off before watching his rising shot clear the crossbar.
Nolan's winning goal arrived in the 80th minute. Following a promising build-up, substitute Stefan Payne teed him up from 25 yards and he connected well to shoot beyond Amos and off the underside of the crossbar.
Magennis' again went close with a header in stoppage time, from another Forster-Caskey free-kick, but Henderson again saved to preserve Shrewsbury's advantage.
Post-match reaction
Charlton boss Lee Bowyer accused Shrewsbury of time-wasting and claimed Carlton Morris should have been given a red card.
Shrewsbury had delayed play in the first half while Charlton had regularly threatened, and after Morris remained on the pitch following a challenge on Jason Pearce that the hosts' interim manager felt should have been a second yellow card, they secured their winning goal.
"They were wasting time, taking five minutes to take a goal-kick at the beginning," said Bowyer. "The game's only just starting and they're wasting time.
"I don't believe in doing things like that. If you're winning 1-0 with 10 minutes to go then I understand it - not from the beginning.
"You've got 180 minutes to play but it is what it is. That was their game plan.
"The referee (Simon Hooper) could have done a hell of a lot more on a lot more occasions. How that Morris never got sent off is beyond me.
"He nearly took Patrick Bauer's head off, and then he comes and takes (Jason) Pearce out - yellow card.
"The ref did well apart from that but he could have hurried the keeper up.
"The amount of time-wasting they were doing, and they still only put up four minutes (of stoppage time). I don't get it.
"I'm new to this so it's even more frustrating - at least when you're on the pitch you can actually ask while you're there.
"Then the fourth official (Andy Davies) just keeps agreeing with me, which makes it even worse, because I'm thinking, 'Why can't you tell him then? If you agree, tell him'.
"But it's not about the refs, it's about two teams trying to get to Wembley.
"There's a long way to go yet, still 90 minutes to play. We went up there not so long ago and won by two.
"I told (my team), 'You didn't deserve to lose'. That's my honest opinion. My side is still better than their side. They beat us but my team is better. We will go there on Sunday and turn things around."
Shrewsbury manager Paul Hurst was asked about Bowyer's comments, and he responded: "I'm surprised. He's a very, very experienced player, now manager.
"We were never going to come and rush things when you've got 180 minutes to play. I've seen teams do a hell of a lot worse."
Asked how wary he was of the threat still posed by Charlton, who only last month visited them and won 2-0, he said: "Very. They have got more than anybody, individual players, on the bench or starting, who can produce a bit of magic out of anything. Any team equipped like that is a dangerous one.
"The boring cliche is that it's only half-time."
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