Johnnie Jackson pleased with Charlton’s ‘good battling point’ against Rotherham

Posted Wednesday, November 03, 2021 by PA

Charlton caretaker manager Johnnie Jackson praised his side’s spirit after they came from a goal down to snatch a point in a hard-fought 1-1 draw with Rotherham at The Valley.

The visitors grabbed the lead on the stroke of half-time when Mickel Miller smashed the ball into the roof of the net from close range.

But Charlton came out fighting in the second period and finally equalised in the 83rd minute via a deflected strike from Conor Washington.

“I thought it was a good game, two good teams going at it, trying to play for the win,” Jackson said.

“Rotherham are a good side and I don’t think they disappointed in their play. They got their goal on the stroke of half-time and I didn’t feel like we deserved to be 1-0 down at that stage, but that’s where we found ourselves.

“Then it was a challenge at half-time – can you get back into the game? Can you show a bit more energy than in the first half? I thought from the minute the whistle went in the second half, we took the game to them. I thought we were on top, we were dominant, we got the goal we deserved.

“In the end, we were the ones pushing for it but like I say, Rotherham are a good side, they’ll be right near the top come the end of the season. It’s a good battling point.”

When Jackson took over the managerial post following Nigel Adkins’ sacking, Charlton found themselves mired in the relegation zone. But seven points from his first three games in charge has seen the Addicks climb to 18th.

Rotherham boss Paul Warne has not found the sudden resurgence surprising, believing Charlton are a much better side than their early-season form.

His own team arrived at The Valley on the back of a nine-game unbeaten run in League One and the point in south London extended that streak, leaving them third in the table.

“In fairness, we probably weren’t at our scintillating best tonight but that’s a credit to Charlton,” Warne said.

“They played really well, caused us problems, pinned us back, stopped our midfield from being as fluid as normal. It was an end-to-end competitive game.

“If you’d have offered me a point beforehand, would I have taken it? Possibly. I think Charlton are a top-six team so a point here could end up being a really good point for us.

“We’re a good away team. But tonight were we good enough to get three points? Possibly not. So I think a point is probably fair for both teams.”