Charlton concede first for a fifth game in a row – Nathan Jones answers question about recent slow starts
Played five. Won five. Conceded zero. That’s Charlton Athletic’s record when scoring first in League One this season.
But they’ve taken just four points from a possible 30 in games in which they’ve conceded the first goal – winning none. And they’re currently on a run of five consecutive outings in which they’ve gone behind – three of which they were trailing in within 16 minutes.
Huddersfield plundered a 13th-minute lead at the John Smith’s Stadium through Matty Pearson on Saturday – going on to win the game 2-1.
The result means the South Londoners have now won just twice in 12 League One outings and remain seven points adrift of the play-offs places.
Boss Nathan Jones, when asked about this recent record of conceding first, said: “We do work on being front-footed and going after the game. Getting the first goal. We’ve got to make sure that we do that. We’re missing some size, some power and aggression. Hopefully if we can get those back then we’ll start picking up results.
“We need to start picking up results. We can’t get too far away. We’re drifting at the minute. It’s not enough. In terms of every game, we’ve lost two in nine games but a lot of those have been cup games. We’ve drawn a couple. We have to start winning football games.
“We do massive work on being front-footed, being aggressive. We were today. We started and it was all in their half. Then, we have a goal-kick, we go short and give the ball away. That gives momentum to them, and they end up scoring from a little passage of play after that. That’s the frustration.”
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