The impressive stat which underlines Charlton Athletic’s progress under Lee Bowyer

BY RICHARD CAWLEY

Charlton Athletic are just one point off matching their total haul for the 2017-18 campaign – with seven matches still to play.

The Addicks have not lost at home since early October and extended that impressive sequence with a 1-0 victory over Bradford City on Saturday.

Lyle Taylor’s 18th goal of the season secured maximum points. Next up is a trip to Plymouth Argyle on Saturday.

Bowyer – when asked about needing one more point to equal the 71 points banked last season – said: “We’ve done well.

“The good thing is that we’ve only lost once since the turn of the year – and that was against Fleetwood when we had no strikers!

“Saturday was difficult. They [Bradford] just sat there. That is always going to happen. Teams are going to sit there and try and make it difficult – especially if they are down the bottom.

“I thought we played well in the first half. Lyle could’ve had three goals, easy. It surprised me, because he is a good finisher. He had a chance just after he scored – a very good one six or seven yards out [and put it over]. It was the same chance he had in training the day before and scored.

“They hit us on the break a couple of times but we had all the possession. 

“In the second half it was just one where you have it, then we have it. We defended deeper and made it difficult for them to break us down. They did the same.

“It wasn’t the best of games in the second half but we could be 3-0 up in the first half.”