NATHAN Jones said his Charlton Athletic side can achieve anything after they extended their unbeaten run to eleven games – their best streak in the league in five years.
The Addicks beat a Barnsley side who could have all but clinched their play-off place with victory 2-1 at The Valley.
Alfie May scored twice, either side of Adam Phillips’ equaliser, and Charlton could also afford a 94th-minute penalty miss by Chuks Aneke
Since Jones took over, Charlton are unbeaten in the five games they have played against the current top seven. Charlton are fourth in the form guide over those eleven games.
“If they want to, they can achieve anything they want to,” Jones said on Charlton TV. “That’s what I believe in, that’s what I preach. If they want to buy into something, we’re structured, we know what we do, we’re very hard-working, we’re professional and we know what we want to achieve.
“We’ll recruit well, we’ll see if we can take it forward, we’ll demand from them, and everything going into games, they’re prepared. If they want to implement the game plan then anything can be achieved.
“We’re eleven games unbeaten and at any level that’s fantastic. But I just said to them we should have beaten Northampton and we should probably have beaten Fleetwood. So we should have even more points and you’re looking at that [points total] then and that’s fantastic. They’re responded fantastically well and they deserve credit, because they fell below their standards on Monday. But today they were back at it.”
Jones was unhappy with the performance in the 0-0 draw against Stevenage five days previously.
He said: “That’s more like it. That’s what I want from my team, we were much more front-footed. They’re a very good side, a fluent side, they score goals, they’ve got one of the best if not the best away record in the league. So for us to do what we did to them, really delighted.
“They had one or two chances, to be fair, but we were excellent and we had so many opportunities, we hit the bar, we had so many one-on-ones but I’m really happy with the performance.
“We were aggressive, we pressed them. They’re a tricky side to press because they’re well-drilled, well-coached. We were front-footed and the crowd responded fantastically well.
“I’m disappointed with certain elements of the goal, but that happens. But it shows we can respond, and we should have won it by more in the end.
“If I’m honest I was raging after the Stevenage game, that wasn’t us, that wasn’t a side I felt had taken on board what we had coached, the suff that we work on. So we simplified it, demanded certain things from them [Friday], and they implemented that. I thought we were well worth our win against a really good side.”
May has scored 27 goals this season and is top-scorer in League one with 23.
“Alfie took his chances really well,” Jones said. “On the counter we were a constant threat and could have had more. And then we miss a penalty in injury-time which would have given us a 3-1 win.
“It was really pleasing. A lot of stuff we can do better but I’m really pleased with everyone today.”
Jones has explained what he has put into the job since he replaced Michael Appleton in February.
He said: “I live away from family. Anyone who works at the football club knows the hours we do, knows what we watch, knows how we prepare, know how meticulous we are on every aspect of what we do.
“How we eat, how we sleep. If you want to raise standards then you have to set those standards and you have to live those standards.”
