'More resilient' - Charlton star commends Nathan Jones influence ahead of Derby County

The Charlton goalkeeper, Harry Isted, praised his team's defensive resilience following the Addicks' 0-0 draw to Portsmouth at the Valley on Saturday. Isted, who previously played youth level football for Pompey growing up, spoke to the press after his team's draw and was full of commendation for how his team have fared against the likes of the Fratton Park side, Bolton and Derby, knowing this has put them in excellent stead heading into March.

After the whistle the 26-year-old goalkeeper said of his team's efforts: "I thought it was, not a fun game maybe, (but) there was a lot of directness between the two teams. I thought we had more chances than them in the second half, I didn't make a save in the second but I thought both teams were very similar.

"We've done really well at learning from our mistakes and adapting if a mistake happens. I'm there to save the ball and if I make the save, then that helps us!"

It had been 22 games since Charlton last secured a clean sheet with Isted confirming there was a huge relief that this feat has now been accomplished. "It's massive", he continued. "We go out every match day and we want to get a clean sheet. It's been a long time so it's a nice feeling. We've got a good bunch of lads and we go into every game thinking positive thoughts. When you don't get a clean sheet for that long it is tough and it's maybe mentally tough but we've got it now and it's something to build on."

Nathan Jones has only been with the Addicks for just a few weeks but Isted is no stranger to the Welshman having worked with him at Luton Town. When asked about Jones' transformations within the team, the ex-Hatters man said that since Jones' arrival, "there's more of a structure to the team. A style of play that hopefully fans can see. We're more resilient defending as well. We put our bodies on the line and we're defending the 'cage'."

With only three days before their next game, which is against another top side in League One, Isted has confirmed the club will continue to build and there is no doubt that they will put in the required performance to extend their run of form against Derby County.

"Take us back to when we did play Derby at our place (3 February). It was 1-0 and they had one chance. I think that was a good platform. We starred defensively, they didn’t look like they’d score or that they’d have many chances and hopefully it’s the same again on Tuesday. 

"We’ve had a tough run of fixtures but I think we’ve got good results and it’s more about building that platform going into fixtures where we definitely see we can pick up three points. It gives us positive thoughts and gives us a good base, going into the March fixtures. You see, in February, it’s been tough and we’ve managed to pick up three points out of it and two of those points are against really good sides."