MOON BOON - The Mirror

Charlton 2 Gillingham 2

Charlton 2 Gillingham 2

Charlton boss Phil Parkinson hit back at the Valley boo-boys as David Mooney's stunning equaliser spared Addicks' blushes.

Despite dropping two points against the relegation-threatened Gills, the Addicks are still on course for the play-offs. But they have lost form with only three victories in their last 11 games, winning just 13 points out of a possible 33.

Charlton were booed off at half-time and again at the final whistle by frustrated supporters in the season's best crowd of 20,024.

But Parkinson, who made four changes to the side thumped 4-0 at Millwall, said: "We will have to handle pressure from the supporters. And they must understand I put this team together for nothing, given the financial restraints of the club.

Searching "If any fan has a spare £1million for me to spend I'll happily take it. They must look at the league table and see how much money Millwall, Norwich, Huddersfield and others have spent. We have a team of free transfers and we're still up there.

"When you play a side down the bottom you expect three points but this was 10 times better than our showing last week."

Gillingham boss Mark Stimson, whose team are two points off the relegation zone and still searching for their first away win of the season, said: "To come to a place like this, I'm happy with a point.

"I have full confidence in this group of players, who have now lost only one game in seven. If the boys work as hard as they did today we'll be OK, I'm sure."

Charlton looked sluggish until the 31st minute when Frazer Richardson's first goal for the club broke the deadlock.

The right-back's shot from just outside the penalty area was hardly a thunderbolt but went under the diving Alan Julian - who looked suitably embarrassed as Richardson celebrated his strike.

Stimson said: "Alan will be disappointed with the first goal but he made some good saves later."

If Richardson's effort was more in hope than expectation the same cannot be said of Andy Barcham's equaliser in the 33rd minute.

The midfielder's 25-yarder almost broke the back of the net as it sped past the diving Rob Elliot, who barely saw the ball.

In first-half stoppage time Elliot should have done better than only parry Rene Howe's initial shot straight to the grateful Dennis Oli, who slammed home the rebound from three yards.

In the 61st minute Mooney, on loan from Reading until the end of the season, made it 2-2 when he controlled Therry Racon's cross from the right and scored with a superb rising shot from 12 yards.