Lee Bowyer disappointed with Charlton’s cutting edge after stalemate with Blackpool

Lee Bowyer bemoaned his side’s lack of a cutting edge after the goalless draw with Blackpool at The Valley.

The Addicks are now winless in four, only finding the back of the net once in that run.

“They’ve done a good job on us,” said Bowyer of a Blackpool side who have the meanest defence on the road in League One.

“How we’ve not scored, we’ve got ourselves into so many good areas. I think at times we just didn’t make the right pass or pick out who the spare man was. When we did, we just didn’t take the chances. It’s our own fault. We created enough. Second-half I thought we were a lot better, got the ball into some very good areas but we were just not very good.

“It wasn’t through lack of chances. We created enough. We got good players into good areas and we should be hurting them. We’re not at the moment. It’s not just been today, it’s been the last few games. We’ll keep working hard and working at that. We can only get them into those areas and then it’s their decisions.”

The South Londoners now sit nine points adrift of the automatic promotion places in League One, and the Addicks chief admitted that finishing in that top two is now looking a remote possibility.

“Top two I think is going to be difficult,” he said.

“We’ll have to win 11 or 12 games out of the 13 left. So, it’s difficult. But I’ve said before that I believe we can win every game. Play-offs, it is what it is, but we have to do right things. Keep trying to get as many points as we can and see where we end up at the end of the season.”

Joe Aribo starred in the Addicks midfield on his return from injury. The academy graduate has still yet to put pen to paper on a new contract, with his current deal up at the end of the season.

“We’re working hard at it,” Bowyer explained.

“I’m hopeful that he’ll sign. He has said to be personally that he’s that he wants to sign. All we can do is keep trying to get it over the line. It’s not through lack of effort, trust me we’re trying to get him to sign.

“Today he was outstanding. He’s been out six or seven weeks. He’s had one week of training and he comes back and puts a performance in like that. The kid was very, very good. I love him, Joe. He’s such a good lad. He got in the box as well. He was there for a couple of cut-backs if Jonny would have seen him.”