Nigel Adkins takes the positives from Charlton’s draw with Sheffield Wednesday

Posted Sunday, August 08, 2021 by PA

Charlton manager Nigel Adkins was delighted to hear the roar of the crowd at The Valley for the first time as his side began the new Sky Bet League One season with a 0-0 stalemate against Sheffield Wednesday.

Both the Addicks and the Owls are tipped to be in contention for promotion back to the Championship, and will expect better performances to come following a very tense 90-minute battle in London.

Nonetheless, Adkins felt it was a decent enough start to the campaign in a variety of areas.

“I thought it was a good game,” he said. “I thought there was a lot of commitment from our players.

“Sheffield Wednesday had to defend very well at times. We had some good chances and we waited 17 months to hear the roar of the crowd like that, that’s what we wanted.

“Unfortunately we didn’t capitalise on our chances but we looked strong and had a big variety in our play.

“It wasn’t a good pitch today because of the weather but you could see a very committed group of players working hard for each other.

“We may only be a small group, but you could see their commitment and the fans were really getting behind them.

“Thomas Sandgaard, the owner, started everything off before the match with his speech, then we had the unveiling of Alan Curbishley getting the stand named after him, with all he’s achieved and the legacy he left.

“It made for a great atmosphere and the lads showed some real good quality at times and some real threats.”

Wednesday manager Darren Moore was likewise pleased with what he saw in the first of 46 games in the quest for a swift return to the second tier.

“It was a solid start,” he said. “It was a difficult game but every player to a man did what was expected of them.

“I saw a lot of positives within the team, a lot to work from, a good solid performance and a resolute team display.

“All of the players can feel like they did their part today. There will of course be a time where we need to get better, but today I credit the players for their performances.

“It’s going to take time, but we need to show progression and improvement week after week. We will go to work again next week in terms of getting better but there were a lot of positives we can take from this performance.

“The game was played at a good pace today, and I thought both sides had to soak up the atmosphere and the adrenaline.

“It was a typical first game of the season, and in the end the draw was a fair result for both teams.”