Charlton Athletic’s League One relegation fears are fading following a six-game unbeaten streak, with manager Nathan Jones unrepentant about their playing style.
The Addicks triumphed 3-1 against Cheltenham Town on Tuesday, moving seven points clear of the bottom four and up to 14th in the table.
Charlton’s Tyreeq Bakinson and Alfie May scored late goals after Liam Sercombe cancelled out Daniel Kanu’s opening goal.
Northampton manager Jon Brady accused the South Londoners of “kicking the hell” out of his playmaker Marc Leonard during Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Sixfields.
“You should see his shins, there’s a load of blood coming out because he’s been kicked all over the place,” Brady remarked.
“You mention officials performing their jobs and safeguarding athletes, but there was none of it today.
“Charlton have gone from a good footballing side under Michael Appleton to being hugely direct and a team that’s trying to be aggressive.”
Only Portsmouth (16), Lincoln (14) and Barnsley (14) have scored more points than the Addicks (10) since mid-February.
Jones stated: “I do not want to be rude to anyone. I haven’t seen the comments yet, and I would need to do so before saying anything about Marc Leonard.
“I don’t believe we attempted to kick anyone. We attempted to win a football game; that’s all it is. We squandered opportunities and made a huge error to give them a point.
“We did a good job of seizing control of the game and dominating it.
“We were aggressive, and I want us to be aggressive. I can’t recall anything untoward.
“If they (his players) are not aggressive, I am not doing my job.” Every opportunity in life I want to seize and pursue – be proactive and forward-thinking.
“I want us to be a front-footed, high-pressing, hardworking squad that makes it really difficult.
“I don’t want anyone to be comfortable playing against Charlton. If that’s what they see, brilliant.”
After three consecutive away matches, the Addicks return home tomorrow to face Carlisle United. Charlton began that series with a 2-1 victory over Derby County, who were second in the standings at the time.
When asked what has changed for the Addicks to get seven points out of a possible nine on the road, Jones replied: “It is just the work we are doing; they are buying into everything.
“We’re looking solid, disciplined, aggressive, and performing the fundamentals significantly better than they were before.
“It is a talented team. We have young players coming in who bring new energy to the team, as well as players coming off the bench who are eager to succeed.
“We aren’t anywhere near where we want to be. We are far from the team we aspire to be. If I execute my job correctly, we will not be coming here (Cheltenham) in 18th place in a year’s time.”
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