“We need to take it to the wire” – Nigel Adkins pushing his Charlton players on as finishing line in sight
Nigel Adkins has challenged his Charlton Athletic side to take the League One play-off chase right to the final day.
The Addicks suffered a slight setback in their hopes of the top six as they drew 2-2 at home to Crewe this evening.
Owen Dale’s late stoppage time leveller leaves the South London club two points behind Portsmouth but with a game in hand.
Charlton head to Accrington on Saturday before home games against third-placed Lincoln City next midweek and then finishing off with table-topping Hull City in SE7 a week on Sunday.
“The fact of the matter is that if we get maximum points we are in the play-offs,” said Addicks boss Adkins. “It is in our hands but we know Saturday’s game is the most important one and we’ve got to do everything we can to win that.”
“Isn’t the twists and turns the beauty of this stage of the season? It’s going to go all the way to the wire…we’ve got to make it go all the way to the wire. And then who knows what happens?
“We’ll get over conceding the late goal. We’ve scored two good goals.
“In the first half we left Jayden [Stockley] too isolated, that’s because we couldn’t get the football. We were chasing around a bit.
“We changed the shape [to 3-5-2] and were far better. Just as they scored [their first goal] Chuks [Aneke] is about to come on – so we’ve got a front three of Stockley, Aneke and [Conor] Washington to try and be really forceful and positive.
“Bringing Ryan Inniss in was a big gamble, because we knew the injury risk that was there. But it was the importance of the game. He’s come on and done really well. He headed the ball clear on several occasions and was a threat from the set-piece where we scored the goal.
“Changing the shape was a positive thing and it put us back in the game a little bit. Unfortunately the result has just gone against us.”
PICTURES: KEITH GILLARD AND PAUL EDWARDS