Charlton boss Nathan Jones brands Fleetwood Town pitch ‘a disgrace’ following 1-1 draw at Highbury

Charlton manager Nathan Jones has branded Fleetwood Town’s pitch “a disgrace” following today’s 1-1 draw at Highbury.

The Addicks boss had warned of a “rustic” playing surface in the lead up to the match – with the ground heavy in patches throughout.

The two sided played out an uninspiring contest with Addicks breaking the deadlock on the stroke of half-time. Alfie May smartly manoeuvred his body between Shaun Rooney and the ball inside the penalty area, drawing a foul. Referee Tom Reeves pointed to the spot, with May stepping up to grab his fifth goal in five games and his 25^th of the campaign.

But the South Londoners were unable to see it out, with substitute Ryan Graydon rounding Harry Isted to level six minutes from time.

The result leaves the Addicks unbeaten in eight and still ten points above the League One drop zone.

“It was just a brutal game,” said Jones.

“The conditions, the pitch. The importance to both sides. It wasn’t a spectacle. It was just a grind. We just had to compete, win headers. There was no real quality in the game. Just get a point, get back on the bus and back home we go.

“[The pitch is] a disgrace, I’ve got to be honest with you. I don’t know how a football league ground can be like this. For whatever reason, whether it’s the weather, I don’t know. It just makes the spectacle a farce, really.

“Add to it the wind. The wind kills it. Very difficult to have any kind of spectacle. A point is probably a fair result in the end. But the fans are paying for that. With the state of it, I’m not sure I’d want to pay for that.

“We both had chances. Harry made a couple of saves, we’ve missed a couple of chances. It’s a fair result if I’m honest. We would have loved to have won the game, it would have put us in a position we’d want to be in.

“The goal was really poor to give away. They would probably say the same [about Charlton’s goal]. It’s a fair result but when you lead going into the 80^th minute, you want to see it out. It was just that type of game. Something was going to fall for someone or something.

“You can’t win everything. It’s a difficult place to come to. They’re on a good run themselves. It was a brutal game. I thought Cheltenham was brutal but this was unbelievable.”

PHOTOS: KYLE ANDREWS