Charlton Athletic boss Nathan Jones hailed his side’s confident, controlled and composed performance as the Addicks secured a dominant 3-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers at The Valley on Saturday.
Goals from Macaulay Gillesphey, Sonny Carey, and James Bree capped a superb afternoon for Charlton, who produced arguably their most complete display of the season so far.
“I’m very pleased, really proud of that performance,” said Jones. “That’s as good as we’ve been. You’ve got to consider the opposition too. Blackburn are a perennial Championship side. They were unlucky not to beat Ipswich last week, and they’re always a threat. But after the first ten minutes, once we got to grips with things, I thought we were outstanding.”
Charlton’s second-half performance in particular drew praise from the manager, who highlighted the team's energy, athleticism, and attacking intent.
“It had everything: quality, energy, we looked dangerous," he added. "And in all honesty, it could have been more. We created real clear-cut chances that on another day, we take. But if someone offers you a 3-0 home win in the Championship, you bite their hand off.”
Jones was quick to credit the depth of his squad, with standout performances from players who have had to wait patiently for their chance.
Macaulay Gillesphey, in particular, earned plaudits for his display at both ends of the pitch.
“I couldn’t be prouder of Macaulay if he was my own child,” Jones smiled. “He was massive for us last season, playoff semi-final, final, outstanding. It’s been tough for him not starting in the Championship yet, but we’ve shown our faith in him. I told him to stay ready, and today he showed exactly why.”
The same applied to James Bree and Reece Burke, both of whom made important contributions in the Addicks back-to-back victories.
“We’ve got lads like Kayne [Ramsay] who aren’t happy not to start, and rightly so. But we’ve asked them to show humility and put the team first. That’s the culture we’re building, it's about the group and what we can achieve together.”
Sonny Carey added his name to the scoresheet with a thunderous long-range strike in the second half, a goal that helped Charlton assert full control of the game.
“I was actually shouting for him to square it to Bree,” Jones admitted. “But the ‘ginger genius’, as we call him, went for it and what a strike it was.”
Bree himself capped a brilliant performance with a goal and an assist, underlining the quality that Jones knew he was bringing to the club. He explained: “I’ve taken James to three clubs now. I know what he gives you, he's a super athlete, great technician, great lad. People talk about signing ex-Luton players, but these aren’t Luton players. They’re my players.”
Jones also praised his midfield for nullifying Blackburn’s threat. He said: “Blackburn have always been tough to play against, even going back to the Tony Mowbray days. They overload the midfield, they make it tricky. But we were front-footed, single-minded, and aggressive and I thought the midfield were excellent.”
Saturday’s victory made it back-to-back wins and clean sheets in the Championship, and Jones believes the confidence gained can act as a springboard going into a busy week on the road.
“It builds confidence, absolutely. But it also reinforces our core message: if we do the basics well, we give ourselves a chance. From there, we can evolve, more possession, more final-third entries, more chances. That’s the process we’re in, and today was a big step forward.”
