Charlton boss Jones addresses Wrexham ‘the circus’ comment ahead of mega League One showdown

Charlton Athletic manager Nathan Jones has moved to clarify his comments when he called Wrexham “the circus” – making it clear it was meant as no disrespect to the way the club is run or has performed.

The Welsh side are second in League One and could seal their promotion to the Championship on Saturday.

But it is the in-form Addicks, who have won five in a six-match unbeaten run, who need to inflict a defeat to keep alive their own top-two dream.

Jones had talked recently about the upcoming trip to Wrexham – bankrolled by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney – and used the term “the circus”. The involvement of two famous figures has hugely increased the club’s profile as well as allowing them to hugely boost their income, including the Welcome To Wrexham series.

“What I said the other day, and I was a bit misquoted or misunderstood with mentioning the word circus the other day, I didn’t mean the club, the players or anything there because they are a very well-run, excellent club,” said Jones.

“The owners there have done a fantastic job – not only galvanising a club and taking that forward but also galvanising a community, which needed it as well.

“What I meant is what follows Wrexham around is a lot of pomp, a lot of ceremony, a lot of cameras, a lot of scrutiny in terms of stuff. They’ve handled that very well. At times it can be a distraction – and I wanted to make sure that it isn’t for us.

“Hopefully that clears up that up.

“It was a word I used that was probably a bit flippant at the time but it is a very well-run club. We’re going there to have a very difficult game and it is a wonderful advert for League One. Whatever they do behind the scenes is nothing to do with us.

“We can’t get distracted by anybody else – whether that be what Wrexham, Wycombe or Cambridge want to do.

“We are preparing in exactly the same way. It’s Wrexham. There is going to be around 10,000 there – which there normally is – it is going to be 11 v 11, with seven subs and two managers trying to make good tactical decisions in the game. That is what it boils down to. That is what I meant by the reference – that everything else we have to block out.

“Because they are a very good side. So first and foremost we have to try and beat a very, very good side who have been consistent and are trying to work towards a third promotion – who are right up there and right now are the second best team in the league. They are second in the league after 44 games and the league doesn’t lie.”