Charlton Athletic boss Nathan Jones on how many matches need to have been played for true reflection on season start

Nathan Jones reckons that the League One table only begins to take any kind of shape once 10 matches have been played.

The Welshman’s Charlton Athletic side have won their opening two League One matches. Luke Berry scored a late winner in Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Leyton Orient.

But Jones, speaking before the visit of the O’s, indicated that he thinks a start cannot be judged until the fixtures completed hits double digits.

He told the South London Press: “That’s because you’ve had five home and five away.

“You are in a realistic position then, in terms of performances. The first one, two or three games you can get lucky or you can get unlucky – not hit the ground running straight after pre-season.

“I don’t think you get a true reflection of where you are. I think after a couple of months down the line you do get a true reflection of what shape you are in.

“Pre-seasons can be false. Two games is a small snippet to evaluate. What we have to do is keep putting in performances and then think ‘yeah, we’re in a good place – we need to tweak something else’.

“It’s vitally important to get that first win on board. It sets you up nicely for your first home game. Winning breeds confidence and momentum – that is what we want to keep going.”

PICTURE: PAUL EDWARDS