Michael Appleton said he will be focusing on the positives after his side navigated a late fightback from Wigan Athletic to win 3-2 at the DW Stadium.
“We got the job done, which was the most important thing and the first thing I said in the dressing room afterwards,” he told CharltonTV. “I’m not going to focus on the last 10 minutes. I’ll focus on what I’ve seen before.”
It was the Addicks' best half of football so far under Appleton, and their three-goal lead at the break was thanks in no small part to their desire to win the ball back high up the field.
“We were on the front foot. We were pressing really high. The players looked like they were enjoying working really hard and making contact with people. If you want to win on the road, you need that type of mentality,” said the boss.
“We knew the areas of the pitch we had to press really aggressively and we did that and got all the rewards for it.”
Appleton explained that his side’s recent poor form away from home was most likely a factor in the late scare.
“Even if they got the first one, if we’d got three or four wins under our belt on the road then I don’t think they get a second,” he said. “It’s just that mentality of, ‘oh my god, surely this can’t happen’, which you could sense was dropping into one or two players.
“But, to be fair, there were a few players on the pitch who rallied round and got after some of our younger players and made sure that they could see the game out.”
The win was particularly impressive given how early in the game Charlton lost Panutche Camará to injury.
“It’s a hamstring injury. Obviously we don’t know the extent,” said the gaffer. “I feel for him because he’s worked so hard to get himself back fit and in contention. I just hope it’s a two, three week-er and he gets the opportunity to recover quickly.”
It has been a draining fortnight for Appleton’s players, who can now look forward to a rest ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup tie against Cray Valley PM.
“The lads have got a couple of days off now. We’ll be back in to training on Friday,” said Appleton.
“I think from a mentality point of view we need a bit of time away from each other. We’ve been on top of each other a little bit in the last couple of weeks, so hopefully we’ll come back in on Friday feeling refreshed and we’ll be ready to start focusing on Cray Valley at the weekend.”
