Nathan Jones said his Charlton side are in “a wonderful place” after Matty Godden’s brace earned them a 2-1 victory over Wigan.
The Addicks have recorded seven straight home League One victories for the first time since 2019 and they are undefeated in their last six matches, taking 16 points from a possible 18.
No wonder fans are dreaming of a top-two finish after Godden, a summer signing from Coventry, scored twice from close range in the first half to take his tally for the campaign to 15 goals.
Godden finished confidently in the 11th minute after Wigan failed to clear Kayne Ramsay’s cross and his second was a routine tap-in after Macaulay Gillesphey headed down Luke Berry’s free-kick after 35 minutes.
Charlton looked to be cruising until Chris Sze cut the deficit in the closing stages.
Jones said: “We were pretty dominant. They have had two opportunities in the game and that shows we have been very, very good defensively.
“We made it a little more hairy and interesting than we needed it to be. We were aggressive, front-footed and moved the ball – everything we work on, we did.
“I’d love to go back to July and look at some of the comments, scepticism and things that said he (Godden) is not him, he is not this or he is a journeyman. I knew he wasn’t.
“I could be really self-righteous now and say: ‘I told you so’. Matty Godden is class. He has had a wonderful career and is a goalscorer. We brought him here to score goals for Charlton Athletic and he has given us the return we wanted.
“Apart from the last six minutes I didn’t see us losing the game but we didn’t kill things off and took the odd liberty late on. I’m just delighted with the win – because that is the most important thing.”
Sze made it a jittery finish for the Addicks when he was able to convert despite an excellent initial save by Will Mannion from Ronan Darcy.
New Wigan head coach Ryan Lowe, initially expected to take a watching brief, was in the technical area.
“It was too late that we rallied,” said Lowe. “I told the boys we need to have a bit more of a calmness. This place (The Valley) is a bit of a fortress and we left it too late.
“(If Owen) Dale goes through second half and he scores, then it is a different ball game.
“We just needed a little more belief and they know that.
“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. There wasn’t much football from either side.
“When we did get it down we looked good but it was balls into the box, set-plays and long throws – that is them and they are quite good at it.”
Ange Postecoglou insisted his controversial cupped ear celebration to Tottenham fans in a 1-0 loss at Chelsea had been misinterpreted on another bad night for the Australian.Spurs slipped to a 16th defeat in the Premier League this season thanks to a 50th-minute header by Enzo Fernandez, but it only told half the story of a typically frenzied London derby.VAR was required to rule out a fine strike...

Chelsea climbed back into the Premier League’s top four as Enzo Fernandez’s header early in the second half earned a 1-0 derby win over Tottenham at Stamford Bridge.Enzo Maresca’s side were under pressure after limping into the international break playing football that had ceased to excite home fans, but they largely had the better of a disappointing Spurs team that failed to tak...

David Moyes believes James Tarkowski was lucky to avoid a red card for his reckless challenge on Alexis Mac Allister as Everton were beaten 1-0 by Liverpool on a controversial night at Anfield.Diogo Jota’s 57th-minute goal, which Moyes claimed should have been ruled out for offside, gave Liverpool a 100th derby win and moved them a step closer to the Premier League title, but both sides were...

Jack Grealish dedicated his goal to his late brother after scoring in Manchester City’s 2-0 win over relegation-threatened Leicester on Wednesday.The England international hit his first Premier League goal for 16 months, on his first start in the competition since last December, as City moved back into fourth with a comfortable success at the Etihad Stadium.It came on the 25th anniversary of...

David Moyes bemoaned an “offside” goal that gave Liverpool a 1-0 win over Everton – but admitted James Tarkowski was lucky to avoid an early red card on a controversial night at Anfield.Diogo Jota’s 57th-minute goal gave Liverpool a 100th derby win and moved them a step closer to the Premier League title, but both sides were left unhappy with decisions from referee Sam Barr...

Eddie Howe hailed Sandro Tonali’s shooting power after seeing him cap a fine display with a stunning winner to edge Newcastle into the race for Champions League qualification.The 24-year-old Italy international brought an incident-packed encounter to a fitting conclusion with a 74th-minute piledriver which beat goalkeeper Mark Flekken from an improbable angle to hand the Magpies a precious 2...

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery believes Marcus Rashford is “progressively getting better” in all aspects of his game following his first Premier League goal for the club.The on-loan Manchester United forward set Villa on course for a comprehensive 3-0 win over fellow European hopefuls Brighton with a 51st-minute finish at the Amex Stadium.Rashford’s milestone strike came three days ...

Southampton boss Ivan Juric vowed to keep fighting as relegation moved sharply into focus after Crystal Palace denied them only a third Premier League win of the season.Substitute Matheus Franca’s stoppage-time header, to secure a 1-1 draw for the Eagles, means Saints will be down at the weekend if they lose at Tottenham and Wolves beat Ipswich.If relegation is confirmed on Sunday, Southampt...

Derby boss John Eustace insists his side are reaping the rewards for the hard work they have put in since he was appointed as manager after the Rams earned a 2-0 win over Preston to climb out of the Sky Bet Championship relegation zone.Derby came out firing after a lacklustre opening period and Craig Forsyth coolly slotted the hosts in front with his fourth goal of the season.The Rams doubled thei...

Notts County manager Stuart Maynard hailed a “massive” three points as his side comfortably saw off MK Dons at Meadow Lane to maintain their promotion challenge.Two stunning strikes from David McGoldrick and Will Jarvis from the edge of the box, either side of Nick Tsaroulla’s close-range effort, earned County a convincing 3-0 win.“I think every three points is massive now,...



- 1 Hot WAG flaunts 'astonishing' washboard abs in bikini
- 2 Danny Rohl hails Sheffield Wednesday resilience in draw at Cardiff
- 3 Alfie May double sends Birmingham step closer to Championship
- 4 Marcus Rashford scores first Premier League goal for Villa in win at Brighton
- 5 Ryan Lowe and Conor Hourihane felt team deserved more as Wigan and Barnsley draw
- 6 Mat Sadler hails Taylor Allen set-piece skills after Walsall snatch draw
- 7 Chris Davies says Alfie May’s goal drought never concerned him
- 8 Football fan 'eats' raw pig's head in ultimate insult
- 9 Marcus Rashford still looking to improve after firing Villa into FA Cup semis
- 10 Chelsea prepare €70m for Barcelona defender