Charlton boss Nigel Adkins after impressive win at Sunderland: We’ve got good momentum in race for play-offs

BY LOUIS MENDEZ

Charlton boss Nigel Adkins reckons his side are edging closer to staking a claim for a top-six place following a hugely impressive 2-1 win at automatic promotion-chasing Sunderland.

A Josh Scowen own goal in the first-half, coupled with Alex Gilbey’s first strike for the club after the interval was enough to secure the Addicks’ first back-to-back wins since November, despite Scowen reducing the deficit in the final quarter.

Last weekend’s 1-0 triumph at Doncaster, couple with today’s result that ended a 12-game unbeaten league run for the Black Cats, leaves the Addicks just a point shy of the play-off places.

No side now holds more than one game in hand over the South Londoners, so the league table is starting to provide a realistic view on where sides can hope to finish.

Adkins said: “We’re a lot closer now. We’re on good momentum, we’re building that momentum. We’ve got a good spirit about ourselves, which had to be demonstrated today, that resilience. That will take us a long way.  We’ve got a very tough game again, they’re all tough, to look forward to at the weekend [at home to Ipswich] but we’ve got a week to look forward to that.

“The important thing is that [today’s win] demonstrates that, we’re not in the play-off position now, we knew we had to catch up on the disparity in league games, but we’re well and truly in the mix with seven games to go. We’re in the mix. We’re in the race. That’s the important thing. We’ve got the momentum. We have to keep winning the games but today we’ve backed up the excellent victory at Doncaster to go and get a valuable three points against a very good side. Fantastic stadium, the stature of the football club. I’m delighted. And it wasn’t a smash and grab, we had opportunities to score more goals.

“It is a big win. We’ve come away from home. Sunderland are a good side. That was demonstrated today. They’ve got chances of the top two. To come away from home and win 2-1 – we could have scored some more. Could have had a penalty with the handball from Stockley’s header. We’ve hit the post, Jayden Stockley open goal really, nice little cross from DJ. We hit the post in the first-half. We had a great opportunity in the first couple of minutes as well with a great cross that we talked about.

“Really pleased with the two goals that we did score. Set-pieces, we’re a threat. Ryan Inniss scoring from one we worked in the training ground. We thought maybe we could expose them a little bit in their left-back positions from throw-ins and we scored from that. Getting a blindside midfield player to go and score and Alex Gilbey did that. So, a couple of things we talked about in preparation for the game was good but I must say we had to show that resilience and that grit, to come away from home and play against a good side.

“We’ve had to defend resolutely. We gifted them the goal to make it 2-1 to make it a little bit more exciting. But our goalkeeper [Ben Amos] played well. He’s made some good saves. Come and caught some good crosses. We knew he’d have to do that and the centre-halves heading the ball. You break it all down, we’ve got so much more to give, especially in possession of the football. But we’ve come away from home, this is the important stage of the season where results are everything, and we’ve come away from home and got another three points that puts us well and truly in the race for the play-off positions.”

PHOTOS: KYLE ANDREWS