Charlton Athletic boss on why he subbed off Ryan Inniss in 2-1 win at Portsmouth

Johnnie Jackson has explained why Ryan Inniss came off in the 70th minute of Charlton’s 2-1 win at Portsmouth last night.

The former Crystal Palace centre-back has been an influential figure when available but has also endured significant spells on the sidelines due to injuries.

Jason Pearce replaced Inniss in the closing stages at Fratton Park.

Addicks manager Johnnie Jackson said: “He was just feeling his hamstring a little bit. He was having a little battle with himself – he knew he was feeling it but he didn’t want to come off the pitch.

“He didn’t want to let the team down [by coming off] but sometimes you have to make that selfish call, because you know you could cost your team more if his hamstring or whatever it was goes. Then we lose him again for a month and we can’t have that.

“I have to be sensible when I play him and how long I play him for. He needs to buy into that too. He’s done that tonight. He’s come over and said: ‘I’m done, it’s tight’. We made the call and the skip goes on.”

Jackson has welcomed the arrival of Scott Fraser, who joined for an undisclosed fee from Ipswich Town yesterday.

The Scottish midfielder, 26, bossed the midfield when he played for MK at The Valley in December 2020 – scoring the only goal.

“I remember giving our lads a rocket at half time because he was giving them the runaround,” said Jackson. “He’s someone I’ve known about for a long time. He’s got bundles of ability. He’s a really good player.

“He’s someone I’ve been keen to bring in for some while. He will fit into our system really nicely.”

PICTURE: KYLE ANDREWS