MICHAEL Appleton questioned Charlton’s ruthless streak after they failed to win a stoppage time penalty in today’s 1-0 derby defeat at Leyton Orient.
The Addicks were trailing to Omar Beckles’ 80th minute strike and it was Orient’s scorer who appeared to foul George Dobson in the box late on with the clock ticking down.
Dobson immediately ran to protest to referee Daniel Middleton, although the official was having none of it and brandished a yellow card to the Charlton captain.
But it was the fact none of his team-mates joined in which annoyed the manager afterwards.
Appleton said: “It was a blatant penalty, but it is what it is.
“That’s where we are at this moment in time – they’re not going for us.
“He has literally just dragged him to the floor. I guarantee if it was in the other box then it is a penalty.
“From our point of view, it is a great understanding as well where I think if that would have happened in their box, there would have been five or six players surrounding the referee making sure that they got it.
“I think that is probably where we are. We are a very nice group and there is not enough players with that sort of ruthlessness, sort of mentality and streak in them to do what we need.”
Charlton have become the League One draw specialists in recent weeks, but there was to be no repeat today after Corey Blackett-Taylor was also denied an equaliser by a fine save from Sol Brynn.
Appleton added: “If we get what we probably deserved today towards the end with a blatant penalty and the situation with Corey, we might have done the same (drawn) again.
“But that’s still not enough – that’s painting over the cracks.
“I think there is a resilience to the group. The mentality of the group is reasonably ok.
“What we’ve seen over the last few games is a lack of quality in the final third from everybody.
“Whether that is set piece delivery, whether that is the way we attack set plays or the way we attack crosses, whether that is people who are in positions to cross the ball, get shots away – whatever it may be.
“For me the concern is more that rather than worrying about whether the group has got the mentality to come back from a goal behind. I think we’ve got that and have got that in abundance.
“It is more that we have lacked quality in the final third.”
Appleton and his side were booed off at the end by Charlton’s travelling contingent, just as they had been at The Valley after Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Burton.“It’s normal,” said the SE7 manager.
“You lose a game of football and you expect to get booed.
“I’ve been in it a long time, it is what it is. It is the industry.”
Asked to sum up his overall reaction to today’s game, Appleton said: “Frustrating, disappointing obviously.
“When you get these type of games where we looked a little bit nervous, you first and foremost want to keep a clean sheet.
“Obviously that’s something we’ve struggled to do this year.
“In (not) doing so, it made it even doubly difficult. I didn’t feel under pressure and I don’t think the players felt too much under pressure in the game but they had a 10-minute spell and they scored a goal.
“We can’s sort of step away from the game losing 1-0 when the opposition only had really a 10-minute spell of pressure.”
