Dean Holden was pleased the intensity his side showed as they battled to a 2-2 draw at Millwall on Tuesday night.
“For 45 minutes I thought we were outstanding,” he said. “The way we hunted the ball, the high regains, the decisiveness of some our play high up the pitch.
“When we set the press and we go after teams we’ve clearly got much more mobility in the team this season which was one of the big things we were after with our recruitment.”
The Addicks were 2-0 up at half time, but a much-improved second half performance from the hosts saw them draw level. With Millwall back in the game, Holden was disappointed that two late chances for Jack Payne didn’t result in a dramatic winner.
“Payney gets a shot off and the keeper makes a good save, then Payney just bends one past the post and we’re all waiting for the net to rustle,” said the boss.
“That would have been a great moment, particularly for our supporters, because it’s been a long time since we’ve won here. So at the moment, I’m a little bit disappointed with that. But at the same time, we’re trying different things, different systems, so it will help us in the season.”
The occasion did not have the feel of a friendly, and three Addicks players went down with injuries during the match.
“Dobbo and Harry [Isted] will be okay,” said Holden. “Deji [Elerewe] has been carrying something for quite a while now, with his knees. We just have to be careful, you forget how young he is given the size of him. We’ll see how he is in the next couple of days in relation to Saturday.”
The manager also provided an update on some of the game’s absentees. “Ash Maynard-Brewer just felt something in training yesterday,” he said. “He got down low to save a header and just felt a back spasm. He looked in a bad way yesterday but he was moving a lot easier today, so we’ll see how he is for the weekend.
“Michael Hector had a slight niggle, he’ll be fine for the weekend. And Lloyd Jones was ill last night.”
Finally, Holden welcomed the arrival of Tayo Edun, who arrived today on a two-year deal from Blackburn. “We’ve been chasing Tayo for a while now,” said the boss. “Like a couple of signings, he took a little longer than we would have liked but we had to stay patient and wait for him. Tayo’s been desperate to come here as soon as he was aware of the interest.”
(Article by Jamie Barton)
