Collins Sichenje: Nathan Jones Sets Demands for Harambee Stars Defender and Co After QPR Draw

Charlton Athletic coach Nathan Jones has reacted to the 0-0 draw against Queens Park Rangers at the Valley on Friday evening as Collins Sichenje warmed the bench throughout the match.

The Addicks dominated the first half, creating several chances through Lyndon Dykes, Greg Docherty, and Luke Chambers, but were denied by a resilient Rangers defence and goalkeeper Joe Walsh.

In the second half, QPR grew into the game and tested Charlton keeper Thomas Kaminski, but the home side continued to control possession.

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Despite late pressure from the visitors, Charlton defended well, clearing a stoppage-time header off the line to preserve the clean sheet. The result gave Charlton a hard-fought point and marked their 10th clean sheet of the Championship season.

Nathan Jones reflected on Friday’s 0-0 draw against QPR, saying he would have been genuinely frustrated if it were not for the final eight minutes of the match.

The Charlton Athletic coach explained that in stoppage time, the team had been a little careless, taking risks through the middle that allowed the visitors to create dangerous chances.

He acknowledged the nature of the opposition, describing them as a disciplined counter-attacking side that maintains a rigid defensive structure, but added that for the majority of the 90 minutes, his team had performed very well.

Jones praised his players for an exceptional first half and noted that they had multiple opportunities in the second half as well, although the opposition goalkeeper produced some strong saves and the team did not quite execute as well as they could have in the final third.

He admitted that the final minutes were chaotic, with the game turning into something of a scramble, but emphasised that earning another point and keeping a clean sheet against a strong side was still a positive.

“Really, really outstanding. We needed to score when we were on top. Then we had really big chances in the second half. The keepers made some good saves. We've had enough set plays to have caused them problems, we've had enough territory, enough situations, but we didn't quite show enough quality in the final third,” Nathan Jones told the team’s media.

“And then the last eight minutes are a bit of a free-for-all, it's a bit of carnage, and you probably want the final whistle then. But look, it's another point, it's another clean sheet against a side that is doing well. So, look, we're relatively happy, but there's always a tinge of disappointment when we're at home and haven't scored.”

The coach reflected on the team’s performance, saying the main thing they lacked was composure and precision in the final third.

He explained that the players had created several promising situations but were unable to convert them, noting that set plays and other opportunities were not executed with the quality needed to produce goals.

He also mentioned that normally the substitutes make a strong impact, helping the team push on and finish games strongly, particularly in front of the covered end, but that influence was missing on this occasion.

He added that frequent stoppages during the match seemed to disrupt the flow and made it harder to build momentum late in the game.

Despite these frustrations, he emphasised that earning a point and keeping another clean sheet was a positive, and with four points from the last two games following a disappointing result against Millwall, he felt the overall return was still respectable.

“Just a little bit of composure, I think. I think that's all it was. You know, we got in good situations and just didn't quite do it. They keep missing good saves, missing dykes, he's made fun from Luke Chambers,” the coach added.

“First off, we had a lot of set plays, didn't quite have enough quality for outcomes and things, so... So that's all we lacked today. It was just a little bit of composure, a little bit of quality, that final third bit, which in football is the hardest bit.

“Normally, we go on, but I didn't think we had a real impact from the bench either. That was strange today, because normally we have a real impact from the bench and we go on and normally finish really strong, especially in front of the covered end. But I thought that curtailed it a little bit on about 85 minutes and stuff.”