Lee Bowyer hopes to strengthen depleted Charlton in January

Posted Sunday, December 22, 2019 by PA

Charlton boss Lee Bowyer is hoping for a change of luck and some new signings following a dramatic 2-2 draw at QPR.

The injury-plagued Addicks rescued a point courtesy of Naby Sarr’s equaliser with 11 seconds remaining.

But their injury crisis worsened when Jonathan Leko went off with a knee problem in the first half, and Bowyer is desperate to strengthen his depleted squad when next month’s transfer window opens.

Bowyer said: “The physio has just said to me that it’s a knee injury and it doesn’t look good.

“He’ll have a scan. It doesn’t look like it’s a very good injury. Unfortunately we can’t control that.

“The only good thing is that January’s coming. We need to bring some bodies in – we have to because these lads can’t keep doing what they’re doing. They’re running through brick walls every week and they need some help.”

Charlton, now without a league win in 11 games, levelled through Lyle Taylor after Geoff Cameron had given QPR an early lead.

Marc Pugh put Rangers back in front but Cameron’s misplaced header in the dying moments teed-up Sarr.

Bowyer hopes that will signal an upturn in his team’s fortunes.

He said: “It may be that change of luck. For the ball to fall to Naby a couple of things went our way – they should probably have cleared it and it ended up going into Naby’s path.

“Hopefully that’s the bit of luck that we needed and things start going our way because of late there’s a lot of things not been going our way.

“It was the least we deserved. We created a hell of a lot of chances and on another day we should win the game comfortably.

“This group will keep going and in the end we got that reward. If we’d have lost this game it would have been another tough one to take.”

QPR manager Mark Warburton blamed his team’s failure to take their chances rather than the late lapse which cost them two points.

Nahki Wells was the worst culprit, missing two glorious opportunities before the interval when the hosts were one up.

Wells headed against the crossbar from close range and then shot straight at goalkeeper Dillon Phillips after being put through on goal by Ben Purrington’s appalling back-pass.

Warburton said: “We weren’t clinical enough. Everyone will naturally focus on an equaliser with 11 seconds to go but the fact is the game should have been over by then.

“If we’re more clinical then it relieves the pressure and removes the nerves of the crowd. The game should have been out of sight. We didn’t finish them off.

“We had 21 shots on goal and 11 on target. But football’s about putting the ball in the back of the net and if you’re not clinical you can pay the price – and we paid the price with 11 seconds to go.

“It’s difficult. No player ever misses on purpose. We are creating chances, but being more clinical – putting the ball away and getting your rewards – is what the game’s about.

“As a team, not just Nahki, we didn’t take our rewards. We defend as a team and we attack as a team.”