With a much changed back four Carlisle did well to keep out Charlton in the opening stages as the Addicks pressed on straight from the kick-off and stuck some penetrating crosses in from both wings. Tom Aldred and Richard Keogh both performing to great credit in central defence, with Aldred making an excellent clearance over his own bar from a Kyel Reid cross in the 15th minute, Christian Dailly then having his header well saved by Adam Collin as the resultant Richardson corner came in.
Shortly afterwards and Reid rushed his shot as he smacked an effort way too high and over the top of the United goal before Jonjo Shelvey then had a half-chance volley blocked by Jason Price at an Addicks corner. The game then going through an extremely quiet spell with neither side really looking like creating anything, the only action of note being a booking apiece as Jose Semedo for Charlton and Paul Thirlwell for Carlisle were both yellow carded in seperate incidents.
Five minutes before the break and the home side upped the tempo once more as Richardson stuck another useful free-kick in across the United box which Collin did well to tip away from danger. Semedo then smacking in a half-volley which pinged away wide off the body of Keogh before Charlton did make their pressure finally pay in the 44th minute. Sam Sodje, after a fruitless charge from his line by Collin, able to head another Richardson corner firmly into the back of the Cumbrians net.
Carlisle though, three minutes into injury time, trying and failing to grab a quick equaliser when Adam Clayton could only hit a free-kick straight into the Charlton defensive wall. The ball then breaking across to Tom Taiwo, who was never in the right position for a shot as he got right underneath it and ballooned it miles over the top of Darren Randolph's crossbar to leave the half-time score at a marginally deserved 1-0 to the home side.
Into the second-half and Shelvey fired poorly wide after making a good run forward before up at the other end Clayton headed off target from a Ben Marshall cross in from the left on the run, Marshall another round peg in a square hole for an injury troubled United. Sam Sodje then having to make an excellent tackle on Price down the middle to deny the on-loan Carlisle forward as he looked to get on the end of a Clayton through ball.
Bang on the hour-mark and Cumbrians skipper Paul Thirlwell got his shot all wrong as it didn't trouble Randolph at all on it's way past the woodwork. But his 64th minute effort did look to have found a United equaliser when, from a Clayton touch-off, he cracked a 20-yard drive into the back of the Charlton net. Price was stood in an offside position though and his slight touch on the ball on its way in saw the goal chalked off by the flag of the assistant referee.
After a few changes of playing personnel in the match Shelvey toe-poked a close range effort wide from the middle of a packed Blues penalty area. But then in the 76th minute he missed an even better opportunity to make it 2-0 to the home side when, following a goalmouth scramble in which Tony Kane and Nicky Bailey had been involved, he somehow managed to slice his eight-yard shot wide of the post as an open goal sat gaping for him.
With the home side in a good spell of possession now Akpo Sodje then had a goal disallowed for an offside in the build-up against Addicks right-back Richardson. Youngster Aldred had an excellent game for United throughout and in the 81st minute he made a brilliant block on a Shelvey shot after some nice approach work by Akpo Sodje and Bailey. That being the last action of the game for Shelvey as he was then replaced by Reading-loanee Dave Mooney.
Mooney quickly in the action as he set up Akpo Sodje four minutes from time for a shot that was well parried away by Collin, Sodje then firing wide as he looked to make amends from the rebound. Therry Racon then sent a drive off target for the home side before Carlisle had a late chance to grab an equaliser, Ryan Bowman though steering an Evan Horwood cross over the top from the middle of the box as the Addicks easily saw out injury time to take all three points.