Interim Head Coach Curtis Fleming was pleased that his side were able to claim a hard-fought point against Blackpool on Saturday afternoon in what is statistically League One’s most difficult away day this season.
“Overall I think it will be a good trip back for the lads,” Fleming told CharltonTV. “It’s a hard place to come to, but for us to get something from the game is a plus.
“It was a very hard game. They’re technically very good,” he added. “But I can’t question the endeavour the players put in. They worked very, very hard.”
It has been a difficult period for this Addicks side, but Fleming was confident in his assessment of the problem.
“What we said is that we haven’t kept a clean sheet in 16 games,” he explained. “When you go into games, you shouldn’t have to score two or three goals to get three points.”
In terms of approaching this game in particular, the interim boss explained his plan to thwart a team who had won their last four home league games.
“It was about filling the centre of the goal. We played with two pivots today. We played with Tyreeq [Bakinson] who could drop into the midfield three at times, because [Karamoko] Dembele can pick up pockets inside a lot.
“It’s something we’ve only worked on for half a day. We’ve got a free week next week so hopefully that will be a lot more cohesive,” he added.
Discussing the wider picture, Fleming was confident that Charlton will get back to where they need to be.
“I never look down, I always look up. This team is good enough, but it’s lacking confidence,” he said. “To build anything takes time, it takes planning, and it takes an understanding and a belief that in the long run it’s going to work out.”
“There has to be a foundation. There has to be a plan. And looking forward, there’s no doubt that this team, with cohesion and another transfer window in the summer, should be pushing,” he concluded.
“We just need to finish the season well.”
