Sean Clare: Plymouth triumph lays down a marker in Charlton’s season
BY LOUIS MENDEZ
Sean Clare reckons that Saturday’s 2-0 win over Plymouth has laid down another marker in Charlton’s campaign.
The league leaders were unbeaten since the opening day of the League One season before arriving at The Valley. Charlton ended Ryan Lowe’s 16-match unbeaten start as life under caretaker boss Johnnie Jackson continues to flourish – the Addicks are unbeaten in five games that included three fixtures against top six sides.
Charlton are still nine points shy of the play-off places, but Clare reckons his side can still play their way back into the race with over half of the season remaining.
He said: “We’ve just got to take it one game at a time. There’s a lot of games coming up. We’ve just got to pick up as many points as we have. If we keep this form, it’s more than achievable. That’s where a team the size of Charlton needs to be. We need to be challenging at least for the top six and looking for promotion. That’s the bare minimum for a club this size.
“Every win from now until the end of the season is going to be massive if we want to achieve what we want to achieve what. We’ve got to beat the best teams and show that we are capable of being up there.
“Plymouth have been flying – they’ve got some really good players, they’re really well oiled. Today, we showed we can beat these good teams in the league and really kick on. It’s really set a marker. Every game we’ve set a new marker of what we can achieve, and we’ve just got to keep it going.
“We always knew we had the players in the building to get out of the situation we were in, we just needed it to click. Thankfully it has now, and everyone is seeing the quality that we have in the starting 11 and on the bench. People of top, top quality are being left out of the squad. That really breeds competition within us. You can see on the pitch everyone is fighting for each other, for the badge and for their spot. If we play like that, our quality will show and we’ll beat teams.”
Clare, 25, has been asked to fill in as part of a back-three over the last few games but says he’s been pleased just to play his part even if it is in an unfamiliar role.
“I’m just enjoying being on the pitch,” he admitted.
“I’m enjoying it. It’s different, it’s new to me. I’ve never played professionally as a centre-back. I started as a kid as a centre-back but never played professionally there. I’ve dabbled at right-back and left-back here and there but I’m just happy that I can help the team at the moment.
“I’m still learning on the job. There’s a lot of new things in that position that I’ve never had to come across but the boys are helping me, the gaffer is helping me, the coaches are helping me. As long as I’m needed there I’ll go out there and give my best.”
PHOTOS: KYLE ANDREWS