A disappointed Nathan Jones is focused on ensuring Charlton's defeat at Stoke City does not derail what has otherwise been a positive start to the Addicks' 2026/27 Sky Bet Championship campaign.
After a bright start, a controversial penalty changed the game as Charlton fell to a 4-0 defeat and ended the game with 10 men on the pitch after Danny McNamara was sent off.
“I’m bitterly disappointed,” Jones said. “After that first goal, the penalty, the gift we felt it was, then we went under and that’s not what we’re built on. We’re built on being much more solid that that. We were poor, our reaction was really poor – how we went under. Stoke sensed that and were able to score four goals in the first half. It’s happened again, three [3-0] last time [at Stoke]. I don’t know what it is about this place, they seem to be far more vocal when I come back but our team seemed to go under and that’s something that was very prominent today.“
The penalty, which looked soft, came in the 14th minute with Timothy Ouma adjudged to have fouled a Stoke player in the box.
Jones said: “It’s a gift, it gives them a start that they really needed. We’d started fantastically well, silenced the crowd, the crowd were starting to get on top and they get a gift which changed the game.
“The goals we conceded were poor. There were so many bad decisions. When you send a team out across the white line, you are at the mercy of players’ decisions and referees' decisions and that’s what I was today.”
Jones made four changes from the team that drew with West Bromwich Albion, handing full league debuts to Ouma and Oliver Skipp. When asked if the lack of familiarity in the lineup had impacted the game he admitted: “It probably did and I take full responsibility for that. We felt we needed to freshen everyone up. They’ve had a big shift at home, they’ve had a big shift on Wednesday night. We’ve got no time to prepare, we’re on the road, it’s an early kick-off, all those things were contributing factors as to why we felt we needed to freshen it up.”
He explained that Tyreece Campbell coming off in the 26th minute was tactical, as the Addicks moved to a back five, with consideration given to the big distances Campbell has racked up in recent weeks.
Jones also admitted frustration at a number of refereeing decisions but had no arguments on the sending off of McNamara for two bookable offences.
After two games on the road the Addicks are back at The Valley on Wednesday for the visit of Queens Park Rangers (KO 8pm BST).
Jones added: “We’ve got two points a game so far, it’s not a bad start. What we can’t do is let the good start drift away. We’ve got two home games now which we have to maximise and get back.”
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