Shinnie: "As the weeks go on, we can only really get to know each other better and get stronger"

Speaking after the Addicks' 2-0 win over Oxford United on Tuesday night, Andrew Shinnie touched on Charlton's recent run of good form, gelling with his new teammates and the test of Portsmouth at the weekend.

Conor Washington bagged the opening goal of the game on Tuesday after being fed through by the Scotsman and he explained that it was a crucial moment in a difficult fixture.

"It was a tough game, they were a good side and they moved the ball well. They test you defensively and it was difficult at times but we just kept our shape. We have got quality in the team that can hurt other teams at any minute.

"With Conor’s first goal we just sprung on them. I managed to play it through and then he finished it. I felt that we were pretty solid overall, I don’t think that they had many good chances even when we went down to 10-men I thought that we saw the game out well."

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In what has been a busy period for the Addicks coming off the back of the transfer window, Shinnie explained that it's impressive to get the results and performances they have been getting.

"Lots of us haven’t played together. With so many games we haven’t been able to train as a side either and work on movements and patters of play so to get the results we’ve been getting, the clean sheets and looking solid as a team it’s been better than you would think because we’ve not really been able to go through it on the training ground.

"As the weeks go on, we can only really get to know each other better and get stronger."

Having played his part in the opening goal, the midfielder then doubled Charlton's lead with a stunning free kick. He explained that he was determined to take the free kick after seeing his teammates efforts yield no joy.

"I’ve been bullied off them, the last few games I’ve played. I said, 'I’m having this one.’ I just went to whip it back post and the keeper maybe should have done a little bit better but it just tried to put it on target and it went into the back of the net.

"But Jake Forster-Caskey hit a few good ones in the Wigan game and he scored the winner and then I said today ‘first free kick, I’m having it’ and luckily it went in."

Charlton now face a trip to Fratton Park at the weekend to take on Portsmouth, another side with sights on promotion. But Shinnie explains that the tough fixtures are part and parcel of aiming for promotion.

"If we want to get to where we want to be this season, we have to play the best teams. Pompey will be up there as they always are. But we’ll go there full of confidence. It’ll be a tough game for them as well because we’re coming off of some great wins with clean sheets and solid performances.

"Obviously we’ll miss Ryan Inniss at the back because he’s been solid for us and I think that [Ben] Watson might be suspended as well.

"As the gaffer said, we’ve got two for every position right now. We’ve got great players in the squad and people will step in and we’ll go there and try to win."

Click here to purchase a pass for Saturday's game against Portsmouth.

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