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Jon Nolan's stunning 20-yard half-volley gave Shrewsbury Town a one-goal advantage in their League One play-off semi-final with Charlton Athletic.

Midfielder Nolan struck into the top corner 10 minutes before the end of the first leg, converting from substitute Stefan Payne's deft knockdown.

Nicky Ajose almost levelled within a couple of minutes, but his acrobatic effort flew just over the crossbar.

The second leg is at Town's Montgomery Waters Meadow on Sunday at 17:15 BST.

Shrewsbury, whose automatic promotion challenge faltered with only one win in their last six League One matches, weathered an early Charlton onslaught to take a crucial lead back to Shropshire.

Within the first five minutes, Josh Magennis sent a header wide for the hosts and Jake Forster-Caskey forced a fingertip save from Town keeper Dean Henderson.

Bryn Morris' shot was well saved by Ben Amos at the other end, while the visitors appealed in vain for a penalty when Charlton captain Jason Pearce appeared to play the ball with his arm under pressure from a Town attacker.

The second half lacked the intensity of the first and the tie seemed likely to be goalless at the halfway point, before Nolan popped up with his 10th goal of the season to win it.

Scunthorpe face Rotherham in the other League One semi-final, with the first leg being played at Glanford Park on Saturday (12:30 BST).

Charlton caretaker manager Lee Bowyer told ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio London:

"It was always going to be tight. You've got two teams that are honest and want the same outcome.

"We started the better side and created a good few chances in the first 20 minutes. If we had taken one of them, we go on and win comfortably. But they weathered the storm. We took too many touches at times and created our own problems.

"We could have scored three goals in the first 10 minutes. Now we've got 90 minutes to score two and keep a clean sheet, so is it possible? For sure it's possible. Is the game over? No, not by a long way."

Shrewsbury boss Paul Hurst:

"Charlton have got more than anybody, individual players, on the bench or starting, who can produce a bit of magic out of anything.

"Any team equipped like that is a dangerous one. The boring cliche is that it's only half-time."