Lloyd Jones is backing his Charlton side to bounce back from Saturday’s disappointment at Stoke City.
The Addicks skipper admitted that it had been a tough afternoon at the bet365 Stadium which saw Stoke City race ahead with a four-goal lead in the first half, sparked by the award of controversial penalty, before Danny McNamara’s second-half dismissal compounded a forgettable afternoon in Staffordshire.
Speaking after the lunchtime game, Jones said: “It was a tough day. I thought we started the game alright, but the penalty kills us. I haven’t seen it back, but my gut feeling at the time is that it was harsh.
“But he gave it and it’s up to us to react - to concede the second and third in quick succession made it a tough afternoon.”
Reflecting on the positives, the defender remained proud of the start that Charlton have had to this league season, with 10 points on the board from their opening five fixtures - something which Jones believes allows the Addicks to go into next week’s double-header at home to Queens Park Rangers and Portsmouth with confidence, despite Saturday’s result.
“We had a couple of tough results last season, but we always bounced back from it,” he explained.
“We’ve got two home games coming up and it’s up to us to bounce back.
“Ultimately, we lost the game 4-0 so I don’t want to stand here and say we were good for 15 minutes, but on the flip side, if you had offered us 10 points from the first five games, I think everyone would have taken it and that’s where we’re at, so it’s up to us to bounce back next week.
“There’s no excuses for today,” he added.
“We’ve had two tough away games, but results are results and now it’s up to us to fight back and fight for three points on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Jones was quick to praise the travelling Addicks at the bet365, who made plenty of noise in challenging circumstances.
“We could hear them,” he said.
“I’ve bigged up the supporters many a time and, again, I thought they were brilliant again today.
“We let them down with the scoreline, but we heard them. They always come in their numbers and they’ve been superb all season.”
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