Charlton Athletic boss Nathan Jones was full of praise for his side after a much-changed Addicks outfit booked their place in the second round of the Carabao Cup with a 3-1 win over Stevenage at The Valley on Tuesday night.
Jones made 11 changes to the side that featured at the weekend, handing opportunities to several young players and a few summer signings - and he was delighted with the outcome.
“The main thing was to win and be in the hat for the next round,” Jones said. “We made 11 changes, which shows the strength and depth of the squad. Stevenage are a good side and have started the season really well, so I’m really happy with the result.”
One of the standout stories of the night was Ibrahim Fullah, who marked his first professional start with a goal.
“It won’t be his last, that’s for sure,” Jones smiled. “The kid’s a fantastic footballer - energetic, confident, and with great qualities. He’s not naturally a wing-back but we asked him to do a job, and he did that really well. I’m proud of him.”
Goals from Miles Leaburn and Luke Berry added to the tally, and the manager was pleased to see both players on the scoresheet.
“Miles was excellent, and Berry’s done that for me time and time again - getting into the box and being clinical. That’s what he does.”
Despite the convincing win, Jones wasn’t entirely satisfied, pointing to moments of wastefulness in front of goal and the manner of Stevenage’s consolation strike.
“We should’ve killed the game off before half-time. Tanto had a great chance and just overthought it. And I was disappointed with the goal we conceded - we didn’t stop the cross and weren’t alive to the runner.”
Still, the night served its purpose, with vital minutes for several players building fitness including recent signings Harvey Knibbs and Charlie Kelman.
“Their transfers were quite protracted," Jones explained. "They missed pre-season with their former clubs, so it’s important we get them up to speed. Tonight helped with that.”
With two wins from two at The Valley so far this season, Jones is keen to maintain a winning mentality.
He said: “We want to win games - it builds momentum. The young lads who came in tonight acquitted themselves brilliantly, and I was proud of the experienced ones too. Macca [Macaulay Gillesphey], Alex Mitchell, Joe [Rankin-Costello], Karoy [Anderson] - they were all solid.”
Looking ahead, attention now turns to Saturday’s away clash against Bristol City in the Sky Bet Championship.
“It’ll be a very tough test. They had a great result at the weekend, and we know every Championship game demands the best version of ourselves. But we’ve managed to rest and rotate tonight, so we can prepare properly.”
Charlton will find out their Carabao Cup second round opponents when the draw is made on Wednesday evening.
“It’d be nice to get a big tie - something the fans can really get behind,” Jones added.
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