Aberdeen defeat highlights strengths and vulnerabilities – Charlton boss Dean Holden
Dean Holden admitted that Charlton’s 3-2 pre-season defeat against Aberdeen highlighted both his side’s strengths and vulnerabilities.
The Scottish Premiership outfit, who raced into a three-goal lead before the break and also missed a penalty, picking the Addicks off time and again defensively.
But the hosts improved after the break with goals from Corey Blackett-Taylor and Tyreece Campbell making the scoreline a lot more respectable.
Holden said: “[In pre-season] you’re looking to see where your team is performing really well and where the vulnerabilities are – we’ve seen both side of that today. We saw a lot of really good stuff but the vulnerabilities were certainly highlighted again in terms of a team that wants to get in behind with one or two passes.
Picture : Keith Gillard
“We didn’t defend the long ball well enough and we didn’t defend our box well enough. Ashley Maynard-Brewer had an outstanding afternoon.
“We started poorly. They scored a goal and we didn’t defend well enough but the response to that was excellent. For the next 20 minutes we got hold of the game. They came to sit in and counter attack, which they did ruthlessly at times. We didn’t defend that well enough, particularly in the first half.
Picture : Keith Gillard
“But in the period from the first goal to the second goal, we were in total control of the game. It wasn’t just possession, it was getting in behind and into key areas as well. Alfie May got in a couple of times. Corey (Blackett-Taylor) was giving them some real problems down the left but couldn’t quite find the right decision.
“They were more clinical than us and very quickly things turned.
“They scored a couple of goals quickly. They had the penalty – we could have been 4-0 down. I was looking at some of the players at the end of the first half. We don’t know some of the players too well yet, so I was looking at their body language and how they’d respond to this. I could have made some big calls at half-time but I gave them 10 minutes to see how they responded and the second half was much better.”
PHOTOS: KYLE ANDREWS AND KEITH GILLARD
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