Michael Appleton demands more after Charlton held by Shrewsbury

Posted Sunday, October 01, 2023 by PA

Michael Appleton remains unbeaten since taking charge of Charlton but demanded more after a poor first half in the 0-0 draw with Shrewsbury.

Lloyd Jones and Louie Watson went close in the second half while at the other end, Harry Isted denied the Shrews’ Morgan Feeney and Tom Flanagan and scrambled to keep out a fantastic Carl Winchester effort.

Appleton said: “I enjoyed the second half. I didn’t enjoy the first half very much, but I thought the response and performance (was good) and the keeper made some good saves, as they did ours in the first half.

“But a clean sheet is a positive, which they have not done since the opening day of the season.

“So pleased with the way we reacted but ultimately, as a group, they know – and there are certain individuals who know it more than others – that we have to be more competitive than we were in that first half.

“We were braver (in the second half). We passed the ball forward and were more aggressive in our approach with the ball, which means we got higher up the pitch, and we were obviously playing a lot of the game in their half of the pitch, and the stats tell us that.

“I have to be mindful and slightly disappointed with the way we started the game, but at the same time, don’t take too much away in the way the lads responded.”

The Addicks went close to breaking the deadlock early into the second half when Watson’s cross was met by Jones but Marko Marosi tipped it over the bar – before then saving Watson’s long-range strike.

The home side were close to registering their first goal of September with under 20 minutes remaining through Winchester. The right wing-back unleashed a strike from his own half after seeing Isted off his line, but the Addicks keeper scrambled back and pushed it away for a corner.

Shrews boss Matt Taylor said: “The players have given me and the fans and everyone who has watched today everything, I thought physically we were excellent.

“The first half, they couldn’t live with us. Why? Because the players ran, they harried, they chased, and they made good decisions and got to some unbelievable positions on the pitch. I have never come off a pitch where we have had 30 crosses, 15 shots.

“We have missed some glorious chances. The defenders have done their job and the goalkeeper, when Marko was called upon, did his job. I just feel today, regardless of the result, our performance was really good.

“We are all disappointed that we didn’t get three points, but leading up to this, we had lost the last three games. I have never shied away from the facts, and I never will.

“We have to use this as a springboard going into Tuesday night at Oxford. If we play like that and the players reproduce that, whoever plays in the team, then we are going to pick up positive results in this league.”