‘My players have given me 100 per cent commitment’ – Johnnie Jackson delighted at work ethic of Charlton Athletic squad

Johnnie Jackson lavished praise on his Charlton Athletic players for the way they stormed back to take a deserved point against Rotherham United at The Valley.

Mikel Miller’s goal on the stroke of half-time threatened to end Jackson’s unbeaten record as caretaker boss.

But Conor Washington’s 83rd-minute equaliser means that the Addicks legend has won three and drawn one of his matches at the helm. The South Londoners have banked seven points from the three games since he replaced Nigel Adkins last month.

“To be fair to my boys they’ve had an unbelievable right go there [after the restart],” said Jackson. “They’ve left everything out there. They were front foot, we’ve got a good goal and we were pushing for the win. I felt if there was one team that was going to win it, it would be us.

“But you have to accept that Rotherham are a good side and it is a good battling point.”

There were appeals from Charlton’s players for Miller’s goal to be disallowed – claiming the ball had curled out of play from the cross – but Jackson felt that the evidence was inconclusive.

“I honestly don’t know from where I am,” he said. “I’ve watched the goal back and I can’t tell from the camera angle. My focus is on the situation and can we defend it better? I want to see us defend that situation better.”

Rotherham boss Paul Warne hooked defender Michael Ihiekwe moments after he looked hugely fortunate to escape a red card for two bookable offences shortly before the hour mark.

“The decision from Paul to take him off straight after probably tells you everything you need to know about that situation,” said Jackson. “The ref got that wrong. It should be a second yellow and they should be down to 10. It wasn’t to be. But we carried on harrying and pressing for a goal and got it.

“If they had 10 would it have been different? Perhaps. But sometimes it can be more difficult playing against 10. You like to think it is going to change the complexion. My team stuck to the task and got a deserved equaliser.”

Jackson has made it his mantra to talk about hard work and application as a minimum.

“Their commitment to the things I’m asking is 100 per cent,” he said. “The moment that drops, that’s my job to make sure we don’t stand for that. You can see we’re a good team but we can get better, there’s loads to work on. If we come off that level we become ordinary. I can’t allow that to happen.”

MAIN PICTURE: KEITH GILLARD