Charlton Athletic dramatically preserved their Premiership skins into the final week of the season with an astonishing win. Three times they took the lead, three times they gave it up but finally, despite having their goalkeeper sent off, breathlessly they grabbed victory as the game moved into added time.

When Andy Petterson was dismissed and Steve Brown, normally an outfield player, was forced into goal, it looked all up for Charlton on the back of Southampton’s victory at Selhurst Park. Then Villa also had a man sent off - Steve Watson for pulling back Martin Pringle - and Mark Kinsella touched the subsequent free-kick to Danny Mills who drove home the clinching goal from 20 yards.

It is a wistful Villa this days. They are simply playing out their season when they should be involved in more meaningful games. For them, that is. For their opponents, lately, much has been at stake at both ends of the table with Villa having great say in the destinies of both championship and relegation issues. Yesterday they had the chance to condemn Charlton to a swift return to the First Division.

With Charlton having to rely on a third-choice goalkeeper in Petterson, due to injuries to Simon Royce and Sasa Ilic, neither did their omens look good.

Yet within three minutes they were ahead, almost as much to their own surprise as that of Villa Park. John Robinson sent in a cross from the left and with a host of players challenging, including Charlton’s Steve Jones and Graham Stuart, the ball hit Gareth Barry who diverted it into his own net.

Charlton, however, looked nervous in defence and it was not long before their splendid start was undermined. Mark Draper had gone close with a 25-yard shot in the first minute; in the seventh Villa were level courtesy of a gift.

There seemed little danger when Richard Rufus intercepted a through ball by Paul Merson on the edge of his own penalty area but bizarrely, with Petterson calling for it, he blindly played it square and wide from where Barry made amends for his earlier own-goal by guiding the ball into an empty net.

Charlton were fortunate not to face a more assertive side and Neil Redfearn, working hard alongside the busy Mark Kinsella in midfield, went close with a low drive, but otherwise Charlton’s chances were rare.

The interval brought about an improvement, however, and they were encouraged when Steve Watson missed a long clearance by Petterson and Clive Mendonca almost got on the end of Robinson’s cross. A similar move moments later then gave Charlton the lead.

This time Jones flicked on Petterson’s clearance and Mendonca held off Gareth Southgate before driving into the roof of Michael Oakes’s net. Alan Curbishley’s decison to drop the previous strike force of Martin Pringle and Andy Hunt had been thoroughly vindicated.

Yet again, though, they quickly undid their efforts. The substitute Darius Vassell turned Danny Mills and supplied Julian Joachim, who ran on and tucked the ball past Petterson. Yet again, though, Charlton - astonishingly - regained the lead. Jones got to the right byline, cut the ball back for Mendonca, whose shot was parried by Oakes only for Robinson to force it over past Southgate.

Guess what? Again Villa were allowed back, with Ugo Ehiogu turning on Alan Wright’s corner for Joachim to touch home. Then came Petterson’s dismissal, for charging out and upending Joachim. On came Brown to play in goal. He held out and so do Charlton, thanks to Mills’s goal.