Lee Bowyer has stated that Charlton would have beaten Millwall had Lyle Taylor been fit enough to play.

The striker has been missing from the Addicks squad since he was injured whilst away on international duty with Montserrat.

Taylor hasn't played since Charlton's 2-0 victory over Reading at the end of August, so Bowyer will be hoping to see him return as soon as possible, especially after seeing his early-season form at the beginning of the campaign.

Charlton lost to local rivals Millwall via a late goal on Saturday and it came after the Addicks had spurned a number of good chances.

Bowyer has insisted that the Addicks would have claimed victory had Taylor been playing in the fixture on the weekend.

Speaking to News Shopper, Bowyer said: “Do I think we would have won if Lyle played today? Yeah. I also think that we would have beaten Bristol City, I also think we would have beaten West Brom.

“I think he’s a big miss. He’s our main striker, he gives us everything."

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The Verdict

It's been exciting times at Charlton since their promotion, especially seeing as they have been so competitive in the top half of the table so far. If they had Taylor you feel that they would be higher but Macauley Bonne has been a good replacement in the meantime.

It sounds like a bit of an excuse from Bowyer, to be honest. Every team suffers from injuries, but Bowyer seems to blame Taylor being injured for them losing quite a few games. Maybe he should look at the defensive mistakes that his side showed in both of the Millwall goals.

I agree that Taylor is vital. But if Charlton are to be successful, they have to find a way of winning games without him whilst he's still out.