Hull's hopes of reaching the Sky Bet Championship play‑offs took a severe blow when Jayden Fevrier struck in the second half, handing Charlton a 2‑1 win at The Valley. The Addicks, who had taken the lead through Charlie Kelman's seventh goal of the season, snapped a seven‑match winless streak and clinched safety with the result.
John Egan managed to level for Hull with a header just before the break, but the Tigers have now endured six games without a win, collecting only four points from a possible 18 and remaining stuck behind Wrexham outside the top six. Hull were forced into an early substitution when Eliot Matazo, making his first appearance since suffering an ACL rupture in February 2025, was withdrawn in the 11th minute. The early change disrupted Hull's rhythm and contributed to the unsettled performance that followed. Charlton opened the scoring in the 20th minute.
Kelman surged forward to meet a through‑ball from Conor Coady, cut inside the advancing Semi Ajayi and unleashed a low, curling effort from the edge of the penalty area that found the top‑right corner of the net. The goal gave the Addicks a valuable cushion and set the tone for the rest of the match.
Hull began to probe more aggressively in the latter stages of the first half, but it was not until the fifth minute of added time that they truly threatened Thomas Kaminski's goal. Joe Gelhardt, the division’s leading scorer, saw his shot glance off a post after a cross from Liam Millar. The near‑miss underscored Hull’s growing urgency but also highlighted their inability to convert chances. A defensive lapse by Harry Clarke allowed Hull to equalise just before the interval.
Clarke’s mis‑directed header fell out for a corner, and substitute Paddy McNair delivered a deep ball that John Egan met with a tight‑angled header. Goal‑line technology confirmed that the ball had crossed the line before being cleared, confirming the 1‑1 scoreline at halftime. The second half saw Charlton regain the initiative. Fevrier produced a superb cross that slipped past Harvey Knibbs, while Gelhardt’s subsequent effort was wide after Millar’s earlier shot was blocked.
In the 68th minute, Fevrier restored Charlton’s lead – the first time the club had scored twice in a Championship fixture since 31 January. The on‑loan Stockport striker dribbled past several defenders before slotting a low, left‑footed finish from about 20 yards past Ivor Pandur.
Hull responded, with Kaminski making a crucial save from Mohamed Belloumi’s attempt as the Tigers attempted to mount a comeback. Hull’s record of not winning an away league game for 19 consecutive seasons added pressure to their efforts. Charlton’s goalkeeper, after a poor punch that fell to Paddy McNair, was spared a further threat when the Irish midfielder failed to connect cleanly with his volley.
Lyndon Dykes later forced Pandur into a fingertip save, exposing defensive gaps that Hull struggled to cover. In stoppage time, Fevrier had an opportunity to make it three, but the ball was cleared off the line, preserving the 2‑1 final score. After the match, Charlton manager Nathan Jones reflected on the result: "It’s as good an achievement as I’ve ever had, but there is also a touch of disappointment.
I think we should be higher than we are. We never do it easy. We have missed chances from five or six yards in all our home games and then we score two absolute bangers. The amount of pressure is immense.
They were under pressure, because they want to get promoted. But the pressure of going down is totally different. We get individual clips of every team. If you looked at that in isolation then you’d never sleep because everyone has massive threats.
We are evolving and haven’t quite got there yet. It’s real relief – it’s not euphoria. If you asked me at the beginning of the season if I would have taken this, I probably wouldn’t.
But as the season has gone on, staying up is the first stage for us to move forward and do what we want to do, the first part is for us to be a Championship side. I’m proud of the group, the club and all my staff. What a day.
This group finds a way to do enough when it is needed." Hull’s Sergej Jakirovic voiced the frustration of the losing side: "For me it is unbelievable we cannot win one game in this part of the season. Every team in this league had those moments in their season, unfortunately we have that moment now. We have a very small chance (of reaching the play‑offs) because if Wrexham take one point it is over.
It is over but it still isn’t mathematically over. You have hope but first we have to win our game. It is now a very big problem for us. Now it is not in our hands.
We played much better in the second half than the first. In the first half we needed to be brave on the ball and take some risks.
The goal is perfect but we can stop this, defend it better. We equalised from a corner, which was very good because we didn’t show anything in the first half. Their second goal is unacceptable – the guy dribbles through three players. We tried everything but this is football – we missed our chances.
Congratulations to Charlton." The match also featured a promotional note about a £250,000 Super 6 prize, free to enter, with entries closing at 3 pm on Saturday. The result not only secured Charlton’s place in the Championship for another season but also deepened Hull’s anxiety as they fight to keep their play‑off dreams alive.