Opposition Lowdown: Nathan Jones’ In-Form Charlton Athletic

Reading travel to South East London to face Charlton Athletic this weekend, with both sides riding high off the back of three straight wins. Join us as we take a closer look at the opposition.

Form

Charlton Athletic finished last season in 16th place in League One, one place ahead of Reading, with the two sides only separated by goal difference. This season marks their fifth straight year in the third tier, having been relegated from the Championship at the end of the 2019/20 season.

The Addicks are currently playing around mid-table, sat in 11th place in the league after nine wins, six draws and seven losses. They are only six points away from the playoff places with two games in hand on sixth-placed Barnsley.

Their recent form has been strong and they are unbeaten in their last five league games, winning their last three games and drawing the other two. Their New Year’s Day game against Crawley was called off due to the weather, which means their last game was a 2-1 home win against league leaders Wycombe Wanderers last Sunday.

Reading claimed a 2-0 home win against Charlton when the two sides last met at the end of August, after goals from Charlie Savage and Sam Smith.

The boss

Nathan Jones: Jones was appointed Charlton manager last February, taking over from Michael Appleton who was sacked following a 12-match winless run.

Jones had a 20-year playing career as a midfielder, starting out in his homeland of Wales, before representing the likes of Southend, Brighton & Hove Albion and Yeovil Town. Following his retirement, Jones took on a coaching role with Charlton in 2012, working with their under-21 team. He joined Brighton a year later as assistant to head coach Oscar Garcia.

He then had a spell as caretaker manager of the Seagulls in 2014 before taking on his first full-time manager role at Luton Town in 2016. Jones was in charge of the Hatters for three years and guided the side to automatic promotion to League One in 2018.

Jones joined Stoke as manager the following season but only lasted nine months before his sacking in November 2019. A return to Luton followed in May 2020, and he guided the side to the Championship playoffs, while also winning manager of the season in 2022.

An ill-fated spell at Premier League Southampton followed in November 2022, where he lasted only three months, securing one league win during his time at the club.

Jones guided Charlton to a 16th-place finish last season and currently holds a 40% win percentage at the Addicks after 45 games in charge. The 51-year-old Welshman likes his sides to play pressing football, with intensity in and out of possession.

Team news

Forward Chuks Aneke is expected to miss out on this weekend’s game as he continues to recover from a groin injury.

Predicted lineup

Maynard-Brewer, A. Mitchell, Jones, Gillesphey, Edwards, Coventry, Docherty, Small, Berry, T. Campbell, Leaburn

Key player

Lloyd Jones: Defender Jones joined Charlton in June 2023, signing on a free transfer following the end of his contract at Cambridge United.

He spent time in the youth setup at Plymouth before joining the Liverpool academy. Although he signed his first pro deal at Liverpool, he never made a first-team appearance but did have loan spells at Cheltenham Town, Accrington Stanley, Blackpool and Swindon Town.

Jones left Liverpool to join Luton on a permanent deal in 2018, but he only made 14 appearances for the Hatters over the course of almost three years. Jones signed a permanent deal at Northampton Town at the end of 2020, following time on loan at The Cobblers. The 29-year-old went on to join Cambridge United in 2021 and this is where he has made the most appearances so far in his career, with 69 games for the club.

Since joining Charlton, Jones has made 53 appearances, scoring three goals. In the earlier stages of his career, Jones has played for both England and Wales’ youth teams. A centre-back by trade, Jones is strong in the air but also displays good passing skills.

One to watch

Miles Leaburn: Striker Leaburn moved to Charlton in 2019, joining their under-16 side, having previously been in the youth set-up at Chelsea.

Son of Charlton legend Carl Leaburn, Miles signed his first professional contract with the club in 2022. He made his debut for the Addicks at the start of the 2022/23 season and made an instant impact, scoring the equaliser against Accrington Stanley, after coming off the bench.

Leaburn has gone on to make 75 appearances for Charlton, scoring 28 goals, with four of those goals coming this season.

The 21-year-old usually plays as a striker, but can also play on the wing. Standing at 6ft 5, Leaburn is an aerial threat, who is also a strong finisher.