Dean Holden wants to see his side continue their impressive start to the calendar year when Fleetwood Town visit The Valley on Saturday.
Charlton go into the contest on the back of a 2-1 victory at Exeter City last time out - a fourth success in five league games in 2023.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Holden said: “Scott Brown himself was a top, top player and you can see that in his team – they’re fit, they’ll run and he puts demands on them. They’ve mixed it up a little bit in terms of recruitment; they brought [Jack] Marriott in to go alongside Jayden [Stockley] up front. They’ve got some really good young players and a lot of energy in their midfield.
“They had a morale-boosting win in midweek against Sheffield Wednesday on the back of a disappointing home defeat to Burton late on - obviously Kirky [Charlie Kirk] scored late! It was a good moment for him back on the pitch again and scoring.
“I saw Scott’s comments post-game and there were certain things he wasn’t happy with. We know there will be a response from them. For us, we’re back at The Valley on the back of a good win at Exeter and we need to keep this run going.
“We need to get to that magical mark of a certain amount of points to make sure that we’re safe and keep pushing up the league,” he added. “We’re going to be challenged in many different ways against Fleetwood than we were against Exeter and we need to make sure we stand up to them.”
The boss was full of praise for captain George Dobson, who has triggered an option in his contract which keeps him at the club until the summer of 2024.
“Dobbo was never going to leave in January,” said Holden. “It’s great news - an extra year with the young man! He’s a brilliant character; he’s such a bubbly guy around the training ground and he’s a winner.
“I’ve talked about him many times before and there’s not a lot I can say that I haven’t said previously, but he’s certainly a brilliant guy to work with. He’s good for the group and he’s great for me, in terms of the connection and relationship I’ve had with him previously as a young player coming into Walsall many years ago from West Ham.
“He’s someone I can relate to – he just speaks so openly and honestly,” continued the gaffer. “He wants the best for this football club and you can’t give better credit to any captain than that. It’s great news for the club that he's extended his deal.”
