ANDY REID'S equaliser was not enough to lift Charlton off the foot of the Premiership but it certainly gave his new boss Les Reed reason to believe his team could soon be climbing the table if they can repeat their efforts in the closing stages of this game on a regular basis.

As soon as Reid struck with an 18-yard rocket in the 68th minute, the Addicks were transformed and they had a number of chances to seal victory and climb out of the bottom three, but Everton held on for the draw.

David Moyes' side took the lead when Mikel Arteta floated in a free-kick which was touched on by James McFadden and went in off the right leg of Charlton defender Hermann Hreidarsson. That was in the 52nd minute after a first half which had bored a packed Valley crowd.

But when Darren Bent robbed a dawdling Nuno Valente to lay on Reid's first goal for the club, the home side gave it all they had.

As the game raced towards the end Bent, their only reliable scorer this season, could not make contact with Dennis Rommedahl's cross-cum-shot and then Amady Faye's header bounced over the bar from Darren Ambrose's perfect cross as Charlton searched for a winner.

But Everton almost snatched victory themselves when both James Beattie and Simon Davies were only inches too high with decent late attempts on goal.

In the end though neither team were clinical enough, or lucky enough, to clinch all three points.