Lee Bowyer confident Charlton can cope with injuries - 7M sport

Lee Bowyer confident Charlton can cope with injuries



Posted Wednesday, November 07, 2018 by PA

Lee Bowyer confident Charlton can cope with injuries

Lee Bowyer has faith his squad’s depth can keep Charlton in the play-off places despite seeing injuries continue to pile up following an impressive 2-0 win at Walsall.

Goals early in each half – a Lyle Taylor penalty after George Dobson’s foul on Tariqe Fosu and a strike from Arsenal loanee Krystian Bielik – lifted Charlton back up into League One’s top six.

Top scorer Taylor overcame a stomach muscle injury to bag his ninth league goal of the season, but Charlton lost Igor Vetokele and Josh Cullen, both to dislocated shoulders, during the win.

The Addicks were already without hamstring victims Anfernee Dijksteel and Ben Reeves, and Bowyer said: “It’s unreal. On Saturday we get two hamstrings, tonight we get two dislocated shoulders.

“It’s not normal but we have to get on with it. I believe in my squad, they are all good players and they all bring something different.

“We are where we should be, I think – in the play-off positions – and now we have a bit of a break from the league to try to get some people back fit.”

On marksman Taylor, he added: “When your striker, who has scored eight already, is telling you he wants to play, I have to go with that.

“Even then you are thinking, do I take the chance? Because I know how much he was struggling. But he came here and put his body on the line again.

“The back four were outstanding, the two centre-halves won every header that went into our penalty area, our midfield dominated the game and the front two caused problems.

“It was the perfect team performance.”

Dean Keates felt Walsall should have had a first-half penalty for a foul on Dobson but the Saddlers have now lost four of their last five games.

Keates admitted: “We’ve given a penalty away early on and it’s taken the wind out of our sails.

“It wasn’t a malicious tackle. George has slipped and they are the type of things that aren’t going for us at the minute.

“You could see confidence draining out of the lads.

“Should we have had a penalty in the first half? Yes. Anywhere else on the pitch, the referee gives it.

“Momentum in football is massive. We were on a good run at the beginning of the season – they were getting pats on their back. Now we have to take the rough with the smooth.

“There is no point in me papering over the cracks, they are going to be low on confidence – one win in five is not great on the eye.

“We’ve got to start doing the ugly side of the game and start doing it well like we did earlier on in the season.”

Tag:


Attention: Third parties may advertise their products and/or services on our website.7M does not warrant the accuracy, adequacy or completeness of their contents.
Your dealings with such third parties are solely between you and such third parties and we shall not be liable in any way for any loss or damage of any sort incurred by you.