"When I was at Southampton" - Nathan Jones makes Saints claim after big Charlton Athletic win v Birmingham City | OneFootball

Nathan Jones compared Charlton's win over Birmingham to when his Southampton side beat Man City.

Nathan Jones rated Charlton’s win over Birmingham City alongside Southampton’s victory over Man City when he was in charge of the south coast side.

Blues made the trip to The Valley having won seven league games on the bounce, and they’re firm favourites to win the League One title due to their incredible summer spending.

However, Charlton were well worth their 1-0 victory, which came thanks to a Matty Godden goal in the second half.

Nathan Jones heaps praise on Charlton Athletic team

Of course, it was a real collective effort from the Londoners, with the team pressing from the front as they looked to disrupt the visitors’ passing game - and it worked.

And, speaking after the game, Jones drew comparisons to when his Saints side beat Pep Guardiola’s Man City in the League Cup in January 2023, which was the campaign they won the treble.

“Look, it was an outstanding performance. Professional, aggressive, front-footed.

“Mind you, I had a result when I was at Southampton against Man City, where they didn’t have a shot on target for the first time in seven years.

“It ranks along that type of performance, because when you play a good side that is so fluent with the talent and what they've spent and how they are coached, and the confidence levels that they have, it takes a lot to nullify that, but we showed today that, that when we're at it, we are a good side.”

Quizzed about whether it was important to go into the game with no fear, Jones added: “I have no idea what other clubs go into games with, but with the greatest respect, I was in the relegation zone in the Premier League and went up against Man City and pressed the life into Man City.

“So doing that in League One, I have experience of that, so that's kind of helped me, I think. So we had no fear today, and he showed that in the performance. And as I said, it's not us getting euphoric and jumping around. They’re a very good side. And if you finish on level points with Birmingham, you'll be a Championship side next year.”

Charlton Athletic must take momentum from Birmingham City win

It has been a decent season for Charlton so far, but they had lost three on the spin before welcoming Blues, so they had undone a lot of that good early season work.

So, it was a big game on Saturday, and the players responded in style - and Jones needs to ensure these standards are maintained moving forward.

It is a marker from the squad in terms of the ability they have, but also the effort and work-rate that is required to win games at this level.

Of course, beating a side like Birmingham should only breed confidence among the group as well, and it’s now a chance to build momentum and close that gap on the top two.

Charlton are back in action on October 19 when they host fellow promotion hopefuls Stockport County.