Matthews: "We know it's going to be a tough game"

Charlton take on Luton Town next in an important clash with only six points separating the two teams. Speaking after Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Blackburn Rovers, Adam Matthews looked ahead to the fixture against the Hatters, the disappointing defeat, his form and being joined by former Celtic and Sunderland teammate Aiden McGeady.

Touching on the upcoming challenge against Luton, Matthews remarked that his side will be looking to prepare properly to give them the best chance.

“We know it's going to be a tough game. Every game in this division is tough so we’ve got to get a good week in and prepare properly and, hopefully, play a lot better than we did [on Saturday] and I'm sure if we play the way we can, we can get the win.”

Matthews admitted that the team’s reaction to Blackburn’s opener wasn’t good enough and it ultimately cost them as they never recovered and fell to a 2-0 defeat.

“I think we started pretty well the first 10-15 mins, after the first goal we panicked a tad and ended up going long a lo, not playing our natural game which suited them.”

With there being an ongoing storm, the weather also had an effect on the game though Matthews was eager to point out it wasn’t just Charlton who were affected by it.

“The conditions were tough. Sometimes it was quite quiet then all of a sudden you get a big gust and it starts swirling but it's the same for both teams so we can’t use that as an excuse. We’ve just got to try and get it out of our mind and move on.”

After joining the club in September, Matthews has now started the last nine matches and is looking to continue his form.

“When I first signed, I was a bit in and out which was fair enough because I didn't have a full pre-season. It’s a confidence booster for me that the manager has faith in me to play me in the games so hopefully I can play as many as I can in a row.”

Meanwhile, new loan signing Aiden McGeady made his second appearance for the club and got 69 minutes under his belt as he adjusts to new surroundings.

“He has played at a high level his whole career so that can only help, especially since we’ve got quite a young squad, He’s settled in really quick, we saw glimpses today of what he can do.

“Obviously he's a bit low on game time but I’m sure that’ll come in the next couple of games.”

Article by Anwar Yassin

Get your tickets for our game against Luton Town at The Valley on February 22nd.

Read Time: 3 mins