Accrington boss John Coleman: Charlton’s players need to step up to the mark – it’s not always the manager’s fault

Accrington manager John Coleman reckoned that Charlton Athletic’s players need to “step up to the mark” as he offered support to Nigel Adkins.

The South London club slipped to their eighth defeat of the season as two goals from former Charlton player Harry Pell and Ethan Hamilton’e effort sealed a 3-2 victory for Stanley.

“I feel for Nigel because Nigel is one of the good guys,” said Coleman. “He’s come under criticism here from the get-go tonight. He’s in a no-win situation – if they win he’s only beaten little Accrington, if he loses you shouldn’t be losing against little Accrington.

“He’s assembled a good set of players in there, and the players have to step up to the mark. It’s not always the manager’s fault. You saw the way they penned us in for big periods of the second half, they weren’t throwing the towel in – that’s for sure.

“Listen I’m a manager so I’m biased aren’t I? But I just don’t think he deserves the criticism he’s got. He’s a good manager, he doesn’t need me to tell him that. I know he’s a good manager. He’s a good guy as well. It’s hard. We’re all in the same boat, we all have the same problems. Some are magnified more by the expectations or finances. I just think people should be a little bit more realistic.

“There’s a lot of big clubs in this league, not everyone can go up, so there’s going to be disappointed people come the end of the season.

“I know just by speaking to the staff there, they’re disappointed with the position that they’re in. They’ve got a good team. They are more than capable of climbing the table.

“I’m delighted with the win. We haven’t been performing well away from home, it was a great game, it could’ve been 5-5.

“We controlled the first half, and I was desperately disappointed to go in level because we dominated, we could’ve scored three or four. I know we had the free-kick that went over the line but it would’ve been impossible for the lino to give that, he would have been guessing. You don’t want them to guess.

“The own goal they scored was daft by us. We scored two goals against the run of play and then you think that’s it, game over.

‘We’re looking comfortable, we’re controlling the play and then a ball down the channel and Yeboah Amankwah is a young lad and he did well tonight, he was energetic and aggressive in his tackling but he’s got to see that out.

“The cross comes in and Sam Sherring, another young kid has got to clear it better and he gives it straight to Jayden, who we know can bury it and Charlton threw the kitchen sink at us in the last five minutes, luckily for us we held out.

“It did go over the line [the free-kick], I’ve seen pictures of it. But he should’ve scored with the header in the second-half and he just lost the flight of the ball.”

PICTURES: PAUL EDWARDS