Nathan Jones is expecting another tough Sky Bet Championship test this weekend, as the Addicks travel to the West Midlands to take on Birmingham City (KO 3pm GMT).
The gaffer spoke about the difficulties that Saturday brought after Norman Barker sadly passed away following the Addicks’ abandoned match against Portsmouth.
"Saturday was an unprecedented day for the football club," said Jones. "It's been emotional, tough and it’s been a test. It's coincided with internal issues, injuries and against a tough run of fixtures, it's been a difficult week."
Jones was asked what is needed to be able to see an upturn in the Addicks’ league form. He explained: "We have to do the basics well and be difficult to beat, as we have been for a year now. We have come away from that recently - we've been depleted in certain areas which we've had to compromise constantly on."
Jones gave an update on the status of his squad as injured players work towards their recovery. Onel Hernández did not feature on Tuesday night against Middlesbrough after picking up a hamstring injury.
"It’s not days, it's weeks [for Onel]," the gaffer said. "It’s unfortunate, the situation was that we had to gamble in the free agent market and sometimes that's difficult because the Championship is relentless.
“The volume of injuries we've had, people are trickling back. In the coming weeks, we'll be in a much stronger position and we look forward to that."
The Addicks face a Birmingham City side that they went toe-to-toe with twice in Sky Bet League One last season.
"Birmingham are a very good side, they're well-coached and they've adapted to the Championship. They're in decent form. It’s the Championship - every game poses a different test but every game is a test.
"They were tight games last season and the margins were small. There was very little in either game. The respect level is there from us to them and it’s another championship game that we're looking forward to."
The Addicks are back at The Valley on Saturday, December 20th for the visit of Oxford United. Click here to purchase your tickets now.
