Nathan Jones expresses ‘masses of relief’ as Charlton Athletic edge beyond non-league Southend the hard way in the FA Cup
Nathan Jones admitted his overarching feeling was one of relief after his Charlton Athletic side scrapped past National League outfit Southend United in the FA Cup.
Gassan Ahadme’s 121st-minute strike sent the Addicks through with a 4-3 victory after extra time.
The South Londoners, 50 places above their non-league hosts in the pyramid, seemed to be cruising into the hat after goals from Miles Leaburn and Zach Mitchell – his first for the club – established a two-goal lead.
But Jack Bridge’s penalty halved the deficit on the stroke of half-time, with Oli Coker’s deflected strike levelling the tie shortly after the restart.
Matty Godden edged the Addicks back ahead midway through the second-period and it seemed that would be enough until Macauley Gillesphey put through his own net in added-time at the end of the second-half.
The tie seemed to be creeping towards a penalty shootout before Ahadme’s acrobatic finish in the final knockings.
Charlton manager Jones said: “Masses of relief. It could have gone anyway in the end. They showed great spirit, they fought. It was a really good cup tie. This is why this cup is as good as it is. This is the best cup competition in the world.
“Brilliant for the fans, a wonderful cup tie. Buy my overriding feeling is we have to be better. To go where we need to go, we have to be better.
“For 43 minutes we were comfortable. We scored, got the second. Should have had a third with two glorious chances and then the game is dead. We didn’t. We missed two chances and then we let them in. They get the penalty and then it’s a different cup tie. They go in, their tails are up.
“We come out in the second-half and we don’t do any of the basics which we have to do and we allow them back in. It’s topsy-turvy. We finally get a third from good work and you think just see the game out. We concede in injury time because we don’t win headers, don’t win second balls. It becomes a scramble all the time instead of being that secure, comfortable, assured one that goes bang and wins the header and nullifies all danger.
“We didn’t. Every time they put the ball forward in the box we looked like it was going to be a scramble. That has to be addressed. We’re missing big, big players, defenders that do that for us. We weren’t anywhere near our best today. Should have gone through comfortably but as it was it was a romantic, wonderful cup tie that, praise the Lord, we’ve come out on the good side of.”
PHOTOS: KYLE ANDREWS