Charlton Athletic boss Jones on ‘really professional win’ over Crawley Town

Charlton Athletic moved up to fourth in the League One table after a 1-0 victory at Crawley Town tonight.

Thierry Small’s first-half strike – his second goal of the campaign – proved enough against struggling opposition who did create some threatening moments but did not force Will Mannion into many saves.

It was a perfect evening for the Addicks with promotion rivals Wrexham and Bolton Wanderers both losing.

“It was a very tricky game….a very, very tricky game,” said Charlton manager Nathan Jones. “I don’t want to be disrespectful but they play a way that they let you have chances, hope you don’t score and then hit you on the counter-attack. They keep four out in play. It is very, very difficult.

“What you have to do is show enough quality to punish and then have enough in defence that you don’t get countered on.

“It was a really professional performance today. We turned the ball over more than I would have liked but we created enough chances and enough situations to have won it by more than one. But I’ll take a 1-0 win away from home because it shows you have scored, kept a clean sheet and been a proper side again.”

Lloyd Jones won 11 aerial headers for the Addicks as they recorded a 17th clean sheet and also a match-best 17 clearances.

“Lloyd is magnificent,” said his namesake boss. “He is having injections to play and stuff until we can just have a little break and rest him.

“Macca was superb tonight but it has taken the whole squad. We had Danny Hylton come on and Alex Gilbert with his first start. It just shows the strength of squad we have got. I keep saying it is a squad game and we have needed all the squad because it was a difficult game.

“It was a game in hand, so I tried to take all the pressure off and said no-one was really going to catch you tonight. But I said it was one of those nights you can come unstuck if you’re not at it. But this is a professional team here and we are very pleased at that win.

“We keep preaching that it doesn’t matter what anyone else does. If we are the best versions of ourselves then we are a good team, good squad and good club. That is all we concentrate on. Whatever anyone else does, people do.”

PICTURE: KYLE ANDREWS