CHARLTON extinguished Brentford's FA Cup hopes with a clinical performance at The Valley.

Darren Bent sent the Premiership side on their way, latching on to a throughball in the fourth minute and calming any Charlton nerves with a crisp finish. Jay Bothroyd fired home a free-kick just before half-time to leave away side with a mountain to climb before Bryan Hughes tucked home a third. Substitute Isaiah Rankin turned in a consolation late on.

Martin Allen's side, wellplaced to gain promotion to the Championship, could not have got off to a worse start.

The chances of them bridging the two-division gap and adding to their previous Premiership scalp, Sunderland, were virtually over before the interval after they fell behind early on. The defence was caught flat-footed as Radostin Kishishev lifted the ball over the top. Bent, who had timed his run perfectly and fired home, despite goalkeeper Stuart Nelson's best efforts.

By the time the second goal arrived, virtually on the halftime whistle, the Bees could have considered themselves hard done by. They had looked the more dangerous team with the physical Marcus Gayle and Lloyd Owusu up front providing plenty of problems, without creating clear-cut opportunities.

They contributed to their own problems when Hughes earned a free-kick on the edge of their area. Kishishev knocked the ball back for Bothroyd and he fired into the corner, just at a time when Allen would have been preparing to tell his team they still had a great chance.

Brentford had little option but to go for it in the second half, with Allen encouraging their support to enjoy the occasion and spur the team on. But that was always going to create gaps and Shaun Bartlett slipped the ball on to Hughes who calmly placed the ball past Nelson.

Brentford got their consolation goal when Rankin swept in a low effort after Charlton had failed to clear following a throw-in from the left . . . and could have had another when Sodje's header hit the post in stoppage time.