Nathan Jones fires subtle Stoke City dig as Charlton Athletic momentum grows | OneFootball

Charlton Athletic boss Nathan Jones was full of praise for his players after they beat Crawley Town on Tuesday.

Charlton Athletic boss Nathan Jones fired a subtle dig at his old Stoke City squad after the Addicks beat Crawley Town on Tuesday night.

The Welshman saw his side extend their unbeaten run in League One to five games in West Sussex, with the 1-0 victory lifting them to fourth in the table and leaving them just five points adrift of the automatic promotion places.

Charlton have been in outstanding form during the last few months, having lost just two of their last 19 league outings, so they will no doubt feel confident that they can continue to put pressure on the teams above them between now and the end of the season.

Jones was in good spirits after the win over Crawley, and was full of praise for his players, while he also drew a comparison between his current group and the Stoke City squad that he was in charge of back in 2019.

Nathan Jones fires subtle dig at Stoke City

Jones was appointed manager of Stoke midway through the 2018/19 campaign, following his excellent work in League One with Luton Town during the first half of that season.

He led the Potters to a 16th-place finish in the Championship before the 2019/20 campaign would be his first full season in the dugout at the bet365 Stadium.

Stoke travelled to Crawley for an EFL Cup tie in September 2019, which ended in victory for the home side following a penalty shootout. Jones did not hold back in his criticism of his players after the game, as per the BBC.

"For 45 minutes, that's as bad a performance as I've had since I've been a manager," Jones said.

"No commitment, desire. A few performances out there were a real eye-opener. We got out-battled and out-fought a bit.

"Whether they don't want to play for me, or it was just playing poorly, you will have to ask Sherlock Holmes. I don't know."

Following Charlton's win at the Broadfield Stadium, it was clear that Jones had not forgotten his visit with Stoke more than five years prior, as per his interview on the Addicks' X account.

"It's a group that is together, it's a group that is hard, it's a group that wants to achieve something," he said.

"I've been in teams, good teams, that come to places like this and lose."

"When I was Stoke manager, I came here and lost in the cup, and it pretty much cost me my job.

"The group I have got now is different, and I am really proud of that win, I really am."

Stoke City sacked Nathan Jones soon after Crawley Town defeat

Jones was sacked by Stoke just over a month after his side were beaten by Crawley, with the club sitting 23rd in the Championship table.

Based on his comments in midweek, it seems as though Jones is far happier with his current group of players, having described them as being "different" to the Stoke squad that produced one of the worst performances he had seen as a manager.

The Charlton boss will no doubt hope that he can return to the second tier and show what he is capable of with a squad of players that are really playing for him, and if they continue on their current trajectory, that may well happen.