Nathan Jones enjoys first win as Charlton Athletic boss – pride at second-half showing

Nathan Jones felt his Charlton Athletic side were rewarded for an improved second-half display as they won 2-1 at Derby County.

It was the Welshman’s first victory since he was appointed manager at the start of this month and also a first League One win since November 28.

Charlton are now unbeaten in four matches and four points clear of the relegation zone although Cheltenham and Port Vale have two matches in hand.

But the way the South London club have performed in recent matches during a tough run that has also included Lincoln City, Bolton Wanderers and Portsmouth provides optimism that they will pull clear of danger.

“I’m really proud of the second half performance,” Jones told Charlton TV. “First half we weren’t us – we were tentative, sat in and we allowed Derby to take the initiative.

“That is no what we want to do.

“The second half we were absolutely magnificent. We stepped on, were aggressive, won the first ball and got on the second balls – then we looked a threat. We scored two really good goals. We looked a threat on the counter with pace and power. Game-changers came off the bench.

“It was a really, really good win. I’m disappointed with how they scored but, apart from that, really proud.

“Derby had more possession than us (in the first half) and we sat off. We didn’t win any second balls. They won the battle first half and that is sacrilege for our team. That is one thing we won’t do – lose battles. We want to be aggressive and front-footed in everything we do.

“We had words at half-time and second half we came out and were more us.

“We have just played four of the form teams in the league, so the best teams in the league at the moment – Lincoln are flying and we dominated the game, should’ve won but didn’t. Then we’ve played the top three and haven’t lost. I’d have absolutely taken that all day long.

“We’ve got to keep that going and maintaining it because we’ve got some big games coming up.

“I hope so (the belief is immense after their recent performances and results), we’ll find out. It is a good mood in the changing room at the minute but it’s one win, so let’s not get carried away. There’s a lot of hard work to be done. But it is putting foundations in place to hopefully give us a springboard for the future.

“We’ve got 11 games to go. We’ve got to get as many points as we possibly can. I just want us to be us. I want us to be front foot and aggressive in everything we do. If we are that then we look a good team.”