Premiership: Bolton move out of drop zone

Charlton 1 Bolton 2

Bolton roared out of the Premiership drop zone at Charlton thanks to French international Youri Djorkaeff’s first two goals for the Wanderers and Jason Euell’s woeful penalty miss.

The 2-1 success was Bolton’s first away league win in more than four months since the success at Ipswich on November 18 and hauled Sam Allardyce’s men above their Lancashire rivals Blackburn.

Djorkaeff, on a short-term deal at the Reebok Stadium after being released by Kaiserslautern, slotted home from 10 yards for a tidy 14th-minute opener.

The Addicks should have been back on level terms eight minutes later, when Paul Warhurst sent Scott Parker tumbling inside the Wanderers box, giving the home side a penalty.

Euell put the ball on the spot but dragged his right-foot shot wide.

And Djorkaeff made Euell pay when his 30-yard free-kick was deflected past home goalkeeper Dean Kiely in the 39th minute.

Charlton’s half-time substitute Jonatan Johansson needed just seven minutes to halve his side’s deficit, with a close-range header.

Alan Curbishley’s men piled on late pressure but the massed Bolton backline held firm.

Bolton striker Michael Ricketts paid the price for his two-month goal drought as boss Sam Allardyce dumped him on the bench and only allowed him a late cameo appearance.

The England hopeful wants to force his way into Sven-Goran Eriksson’s squad named tonight for Wednesday’s international friendly with Italy at Elland Road.

Wanderers centre-back duo Gudni Bergsson (knee) and Mike Whitlow (ankle) were both out. Charlton defender Richard Rufus made his comeback after a seven-month lay off with a cruciate ligament injury in Monday’s 1-0 success at Tottenham and made his home return today.

In the 14th minute, Djorkaeff stole into space in the Addicks area and bagged his first goal for the club. Fredi Bobic rolled the ball inside from the right wing and Djorkaeff showed excellent close control before slotting the ball beyond Dean Kiely and into the bottom left corner.

Charlton should have been back on level terms in the 22nd minute when Scott Parker won a penalty. The busy midfielder pounced on a loose ball inside the Bolton area and, when he poked it past Warhurst, the stand-in centre-back dived in with a rash sliding tackle and sent him sprawling.

However, Euell placed the ball on the spot and dragged his tame right-foot shot a foot wide of the left post.

Wanderers goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen comfortably gathered Graham Stuart’s 16-yard shot and as Charlton moved their game up a gear, Parker had a shot blocked and a header saved.

But Bolton roared into a two-goal lead when Djorkaeff claimed his second goal in the 39th minute, from a 30-yard deflected free-kick, awarded when Costa shoulder-barged Per Frandsen.

Djorkaeff attempted to curl the free-kick into the top right corner of Kiely’s goal but the ball clipped the top of Charlton’s defensive wall and bounced into the net past the wrong-footed keeper.

Charlton’s half-time substitute Jonatan Johansson had an instant impact as he pulled a goal back in the 52nd minute after a fine Euell cross.

The former Wimbledon man raced onto a through-ball and skipped round the onrushing Jaaskelainen to deliver a great curling ball into the six-yard box. The ball looped over the AWOL Jaaskelainen and his Finland team-mate Johansson nipped in to head home from close range.

Referee Chris Foy was a busy man late on as Euell went into the book for a bad tackle on Djorkaeff, Bolton’s Gardner earned a yellow card after a crunching challenge that left Stuart in a heap and Kevin Nolan was also booked for a two-footed lunge on Stuart.

Bolton sat back after the 70-minute mark and Jaaskelainen had to be alert to make two smart stops in the 82nd minute.

First, he caught Robinson’s deflected cross under his crossbar - and then dived to grab Holdsworth’s over-hit back-header.

Djorkaeff almost completed his hat-trick late on, when he met a Barness’ cross with a sweet volley, but his shot sailed over the bar.