Charlton boss Lee Bowyer praises Nicky Ajose after Portsmouth win
Posted Sunday, April 22, 2018 by PA
Lee Bowyer saluted goal hero Nicky Ajose after his strike earned Charlton a crucial 1-0 win over play-off rivals Portsmouth at Fratton Park.
Ajose struck five minutes before half-time – his first goal for the Addicks this season – as Bowyer’s men took a giant step towards sealing their place in the top six.
Caretaker-manager Bowyer said: “Nicky took his goal superbly. It was his only real chance of the game and he stuck it away.
“This was a big win for us but I still think we need to win both our last two games and once we are in the play-offs there is no team that will beat us over two legs.
“Everybody wrote us off but now we have turned it around and that is just from fighting for each other and a togetherness.
“Our run-in has been hard. From the last 10 games six of our opponents have been above us.
“The lads know they are in a good place and they are a totally different animal from when I took over.”
In a game of few chances Ajose slotted coolly past onrushing goalkeeper Luke McGee after latching on to strike partner Josh Magennis’ knock-down.
Former Southampton youngster Ben Reeves almost marked his return to the south coast with a goal when his second-half volley shaved a post.
Charlton goalkeeper Ben Amos saved well from substitute Connor Ronan and captain Brett Pitman as Pompey pressed for an equaliser late on.
The defeat, coupled with Tuesday’s reverse at Bradford, all but ends Pompey’s own hopes of gate-crashing the play-offs.
Home manager Kenny Jackett admitted his toothless side lacked a cutting edge.
Jackett said: “Charlton won the midfield all the way through the game and that was the key difference between the sides.
“We built up good momentum in the second half and had a lot of pressure but couldn’t find that moment or that bit of spark.
“I have not looked at the table but for us we are looking in the last couple of games to see if we can get in the top six or not.
“Either way it is important if we want to do well next season we finish well this season.
“It hurts we are not quite in the picture at the moment and we have ambitions to be successful next season.
“We are hopeful we can finish the season strongly and show we can go one better next year.”
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