Lee Bowyer “begged” Charlton’s physio department to allow Lyle Taylor to play during the win over Doncaster Rovers – despite knowing the striker shouldn’t have.

The 27-year-old, who is the club’s joint top League One scorer this season with eight goals, assisted Karlan Grant for the second of two strikes in the victory at the Valley.

Bowyer sweated over the striker's fitness for the clash following a scan on his injury earlier this week, but Taylor was cleared to start before being replaced on the hour mark with Igor Vetokele.

READ: Player ratings from Charlton's win over Doncaster Rovers

Bowyer said: “Lyle shouldn't have played. I begged the physio yesterday. [I said] 'look just give him to me Saturday, just give him to me Saturday and that's it'.

“I said to him, 'look, can you just give me an hour?'. He said, 'I'll try'. He shouldn't have played, really, so he put himself on the line, his body on the line.

“I said 'give me Saturday and then we've got a break, you can have the break and just try and sort the injury out', and that's what he's done.”

READ: Charlton 2 Doncaster Rovers 0: Aribo and Grant combine in 15 mins

Bowyer didn’t pinpoint exactly what Taylor’s injury was, saying it was “something to do with his stomach or groin”, but compared it with one being rehabilitated by Lewis Page.

The defender is currently unavailable for selection and may still be out for a while longer, admitted the Addicks boss.

While he was warned by physio staff over needing to be careful with Taylor, the frontman agreed to play through the injury against Doncaster with some painkillers.

Bowyer added: “The physio is like, 'look you've got to be careful because he could do what Page has done and just break down'.

“Me knowing Page is out for this long it was tough for me to say to him, 'look just give him to me Saturday. I just need him'.

“Page started off with Lyle's got and then we kept playing him, and playing him, and playing him and then he broke down.

“I know how big he is for us and, to be fair to Lyle, he said 'I want to play. Just give me some painkillers and I'll play'.

“That's his situation. Something to do with his stomach or groin, I don't know. In the scan it showed groin but it's all related to his stomach, he's getting pain in the stomach ... I don't know.

“I'm not a doctor but that's basically it.”

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Anfernee Dijksteel was taken off for Naby Sarr late on for what Bowyer hopes is simply a tight hamstring during the Doncaster clash.

Meanwhile, Ben Reeves, who returned to the starting 11 after sitting on the bench in the defeat to Rochdale, suffered a knock.

He was substituted for Mark Marshall who made his first league appearance for Charlton since August during a 22-minute cameo.