Charlton Athletic head coach Karen Hills was frustrated for her team after they failed to find the back of the net against 10-player Reading at the Select Car Leasing Stadium on Saturday evening.
The Royals were reduced to 10 players early in the second half after Sanne Troelsgaard Nielsen was dismissed for an off-the-ball altercation. Charlton Athletic were unable to make the additional player count as the two sides played out a goalless draw in Berkshire.
When speaking to the media after the match, Hills admitted that her side could have dealt with the situation a little better and they can take learnings away from the game.
“We moved Reading around so well in the first half, created some really good opportunities and then obviously when they went down to 10 players, we should have used the spare player a little bit better,” Hills said.
“We will look at that and see where we could have done better and if those moments happen again within the season, we’ll be ready for it.”
New signing Carla Humphrey came on as a substitute on the hour to bolster Charlton Athletic’s attacking options. The midfielder came closest to converting for the away side, as her low curling effort was denied by the left upright deep into the second half. Hills admitted that she is very happy with her summer additions.
She said “I’m happy with all my signings. I think I’ve got a fantastic squad, great people, they’re really together in such a short space of time and I think it’s an exciting team.”
Charlton Athletic’s next test is against Watford on Sunday, where Hills’ side will be looking to get their first win of the campaign. The Addicks boss is hoping to see her side build on their latest performance.
She said “We will be looking at things that we’ve done really well and then looking at some of the things in the final third. We just need to give the forwards a little bit more confidence, give them lots of opportunities to have chances on goal.
“We’re playing at The Valley, a place where we enjoy playing, a place that the players are comfortable with and feel brave when they play football. I’m really looking forward to seeing [us] bounce back and hopefully, there will be more goals next week.”
Charlton Athletic take on Watford at The Valley at 2pm on Sunday afternoon.
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