REACTION | We have to keep going, says Karl Robinson

George Jones reports from The Valley

Karl Robinson says that his players have to keep going following Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Bury at The Valley.

Ryan Lowe’s 21st-minute strike was the difference between the sides, in a match that saw Charlton hit the crossbar and have a goal disallowed.

And afterwards the Manager told the media that his team have to keep working hard to try and turn their fortunes around.

“I don’t think you can question any of the players’ attitudes today,” he said. “When things aren’t going your way, it is very difficult. We had the better chances and I think we are averaging hitting the post and the bar twice a game at the moment.

“The players gave everything they had, we changed the formation to 4-3-3 and then to 4-4-2 and I think we played every formation under the sun to try and find the right one.

“When things drop to us, we have to take our chances - their keeper was Man of the Match.”

Bury’s goal came when the Addicks were enjoying a decent spell and Robinson said that everyone was very disappointed with how the ball ended up in the back of their net.

He said: “We’ve cleared it twice and it has dropped to them again. At the other end, Stephy hits the shot and it doesn’t fall for us.

“Sometimes you have those periods where things are difficult and you have got to be strong and, most importantly, keep working hard.

“I don’t think anyone can walk away and say no-one tried. On Tuesday, I thought there was a lack of desire, a lack of appetite and passion but that was there today. We had to take our chances.

“We have to keep working hard on the training ground. I can understand when people say a lack of luck, but it doesn’t just change by watching it change. It changes by working hard every day.”

The Addicks lost Stephy Mavididi to injury towards the end of the 90 minutes and had to play the closing stages with 10 men, while Patrick Bauer had to be replaced at half-time with a head injury.

“I should have brought Stephy off after 60 minutes,” Robinson said. “His injury is my fault. I know how to work with young kids and the emotion of the game got in the way of the development of a young player.

“It is the first time he has played Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday and I should have taken him off before he got injured.

“Jake [Forster-Caskey] had a hamstring injury and Patrick had concussion. Despite all that, we did enough to win the game.”

Charlton were booed off at the end and the Manager says that the fans were entitled to make their frustrations clear.

He said: “You can’t blame the fans. They’re disappointed with the result and there were times in the game - after we conceded the goal - where they were singing for 20 minutes.

“A lot of managers would be crying out for that, they stayed with their team and the booing came at the end. That’s when it should come because that’s when the result is finalised – it’s part of the game and you have to take it.”