Nathan Jones must find immediate Charlton Athletic response given Leyton Orient, Stockport County factor | OneFootball

The Addicks will want to bounce back from their defeat to Birmingham City last weekend as the race for the play-offs hots up

Charlton Athletic were brought back to Earth with a bump on Saturday, as the Addicks’ unbeaten run was brought to an end with a 1-0 defeat to Birmingham City at St Andrew’s.

Nathan Jones had overseen a run of six games without defeat before that point, with Saturday’s reverse just their second in 14 league outings, in a run that goes back to the start of December.

As good as they have been, the south London side still face a battle on their hands to get into the top six in League One, with three points separating themselves and red-hot Leyton Orient in the final play-off position.

With a trip to Brisbane Road coming at the start of next month, as well as showdown with high-flying Stockport County Jones will be trying to put the trip to the Midlands behind them as quickly as possible, and have the perfect opportunity to do so against Exeter City this weekend.

Charlton Athletic storm into play-off contention with strong start to 2025

After an up and down start to the 24/25 campaign, Athletic have really hit top gear right now, with the hope being that the defeat to the Blues was nothing more than a mere blip as they continue to hunt for the play-offs.

A 5-0 victory at Northampton in the week before Christmas seemed to have been the turning point for the former Premier League side, with victories over Cambridge United and Wycombe Wanderers following over the festive period, with Miles Leaburn finding the net four times in three matches to help see the side click into gear.

While a stalemate with Reading and defeat to Rotherham United followed, momentum was once again gained as Bolton Wanderers were turned over on their own patch, with late strikes from Lloyd Jones and Karoy Anderson seeing them come from behind to claim a 2-1 victory.

That sort of desire and belief is something that Jones has instilled into this Charlton squad recently, with the feeling that they can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the division and come away with a result.

A return to form for Matt Godden has helped the cause no end, with the frontman netting four goals in as many games to claim 10 points from a possible 12, before the setback at St Andrew’s.

The former Coventry City man has been sniffing out chances left, right and centre in recent weeks to add to his goal tally for the season, with his spot-kick in a 2-1 victory over Peterborough United seeing him reach double figures for the season.

The only problem that Charlton have right now is that there are so many other teams in form at the top of the division, with defeats like that at Birmingham almost always seeing them lose ground on the play-off picture, but they have the perfect opportunity to play themselves bak into contention over the next few weeks.

Leyton Orient, Stockport County showings could define Charlton Athletic season

Jones has the perfect opportunity to set the record straight this Saturday as Exeter City come to The Valley, with the Grecians claiming a first win in nine league games last time out against Cambridge United.

The Devon side had shipped 13 goals in their previous three league games before that win at The Abbey, and the hosts will be looking to exploit those defensive frailties at the weekend to get themselves back on the winning trail.

After that comes the big showdown in the capital, with a trip to Brisbane Road seeing two key contenders in the play-off race go head-to-head, with Richie Wellens’ Leyton Orient side one of the form sides in the division right now.

The O’s are only one of three sides that can top Charlton’s return of 16 points from their last eight league matches, having won six and drawn one of those outings, with their solitary defeat coming at the hands of Stockport County.

With a competitive encounter with Manchester City thrown into the mix for good measure, Orient have proven they are there for the long haul this season, with that County reverse their first defeat since mid-November.

The race for the top six won’t hinge on next Saturday’s result, but it will give us a great indicator of where things stand ahead of the run-in, and whoever claims all three points will take the momentum into the final few months of the season.

The games then come thick and fast for Charlton, with the hosting of Barnsley to follow in midweek, before another trip to a play-off contender in Stockport County, with Dave Challinor’s side also tasting defeat just once in their last eight outings.

Edgeley Park has become something of a fortress for the high-flying Hatters, with just three league defeats in front of their own fans all season as the winning machine continues to plow on.

County have a wealth of attacking talent that can find the back of the net, and have adapted to life without Louie Barry remarkably, with 19 points taken from the last 21 available.

Charlton have proven they have what it takes to come out of any encounter this season with a positive result, having defeated Orient 1-0 on their own patch back in August, and shared the points with Stockport at The Valley in October, and will be looking to underline their play-off credentials with more gritty determination in the weeks to come.

With the wind back in their sails after a number of seasons in the wilderness, there will be every hope that Jones can be the man to bring success back south London, and if they can put the defeat to Birmingham behind them and come out of the next few weeks unscathed, they could be well on track for being in the mix as the season comes to a close.