Premiership: Charlton 2 - 2 Fulham

As the game entered the last 90 seconds of stoppage-time, Alan Pardew must surely have imagined he had been blessed with a perfect start. Having walked out to rapturous applause and heard his name sung lustily during the match, Charlton's new manager appeared to have secured a desperately needed win. But just as his highs in charge of West Ham quickly turned to abject lows this season, there was a savage blow awaiting him last night.

At the cruellest of times and in the cruellest of manners, he watched his team concede an equaliser that left brutally exposed the extent of the task he has taken on at Charlton. Not only did Fulham's goal arrive with little more than a minute of added time remaining but it came from a free-kick which replays suggested should not have been awarded.

One of Graham Poll's assistant linesmen adjudged Djimi Traoré to have handled by Charlton's left touchline as he tussled with Tomasz Radzinski, and Michael Brown's set-piece cross fell for Franck Queudrue to strike into the corner. In that instant life became far harder for Pardew, who not only has to lift crestfallen players for Saturday's game at home to Aston Villa but is seven points adrift of safety with an inferior goal difference.

On the balance of play Fulham probably merited a draw. They had the majority of pressure and possession in the second half but never really looked like scoring and were fortunate that Charlton failed to take advantage of promising openings on the break, with Dennis Rommedahl particularly culpable. Pardew knew player purchases would be needed next month and a winger will surely be among his priorities. Jerome Thomas, whom Rommedahl replaced at half-time, was also unproductive.

Pardew's players could not be faulted for effort. They were more eager and competitive than under Les Reed but a lack of quality was unmistakable. Their final ball was poor, especially from wide areas, and their passing deteriorated in the second half as nerves grew in trying to hold on for victory. It was no coincidence that their goals came from a weak punch by Antti Niemi and calamitous Fulham defending that allowed the captain, Darren Bent, to put Charlton ahead just before half-time.

Despite the late blow, there is likely to be more of a feel-good factor among the supporters than existed under Reed's tenure. The response to Pardew last night demonstrated that he is appreciated not only as a former Charlton player but for his record as a manager with Reading and West Ham.

He faces a huge task, though, in trying to haul Charlton to safety and astute trading next month will be essential. The run of games facing the team looks tough. Villa and Middlesbrough surely need to be beaten at The Valley over the next 17 days when the other imminent league games are at Arsenal, Portsmouth, Bolton Wanderers and Manchester United, as well as at home to Chelsea. This, too, had the look of a match that needed to be won. There were positives in the return to scoring form of Darren Bent after an eight-game drought, the early efforts of Matt Holland and the majority of his team's defending after the interval, albeit against a Fulham side desperately short of a cutting edge.

More goal threat is required, with neither Marcus Bent, who started last night, nor Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink yet looking like the ideal partner for Darren Bent. The two Bents gave Charlton height and pace in attack which Pardew had instructed his players to try to exploit with a direct approach before half-time, but too few clear openings were created.

Charlton had needed to come from behind. Having begun energetically they fell behind to Fulham's first meaningful effort. Queudrue's free-kick found Carlos Bocanegra and the defender's header was pushed on to the bar by Scott Carson before falling for Brian McBride to finish.

To Pardew's relief, Charlton responded quickly. Fulham only cleared a free-kick to the edge of the box, Thomas skewed a shot high into the sky and a poor punch by Niemi allowed Darren Ambrose to score via the far post.

Darren Bent nipped in to put Charlton ahead when Bocanegra and Liam Rosenior left for each other a goalkick by Carson which Philippe Christanval failed to head clear, but a miss by Ambrose early in the second half proved pivotal. Charlton had largely controlled possession in the first half but Fulham took over in the second and finally found a way through. Hermann Hreidarsson headed Brown's free-kick on to Talal El Karkouri and the ball dropped for Queudrue to consign Charlton to a draw that felt more like a defeat.