‘Reframing’ is key for Charlton Athletic as they gear up for League One return against Barnsley

Dean Holden has underlined the importance of “reframing” for Charlton’s home match against Barnsley today.

The Addicks expended a huge amount of energy in Tuesday’s EFL Cup quarter-final at Manchester United.

And Holden – determined that his side chalk up a third straight League One win – was weighing up his approach when the South London Press spoke to him on Thursday.

“There are two things to think about,” he said. “There is the physical aspect. I didn’t get back until 5am in the morning. Emotionally and physically it was a big outlay for the players.

“The other side of it is the mentality and the reframing of the mindset. This is a big game for us. This is a bigger game than the Manchester United game – because it is our next game, it’s a league game and we’ve won the last two. It’s against an opponent who sits in the last position in the play-offs.

“We know what is at stake. If I need to freshen it up in certain positions and I feel that is the thing to do, then I’ll do that.

“It’s all about reframing. I spoke all along about day to day. The Man United game is done now and we don’t need to talk about it really. We can talk about the experience, and what it has done for our youngsters, but now it is time to move forward.

“They [Barnsley] are a really strong opponent. They play a system which means the are expansive. I watched them a couple of times against Bolton this season and Michael Duff has got them playing some good stuff.

“He’s a manager I know personally. It will be a tough game for us. The players will be well aware of that. They have got threats up in those attacking positions. They have got one or two injuries themselves. It’s a game we need to make sure we’re ready for, more than worrying about the opponent.”

PICTURE: KYLE ANDREWS