Manager says positive performance at Charlton is no consolation following defeat a The Valley
Neil Lennon says his Bolton Wanderers side must discover a cutting edge in the final third if they are to begin climbing the Sky Bet Championship table.
The Trotters turned in a dominant second half display at Charlton Athletic on Tuesday evening but ultimately left empty handed and initially falling two goals behind.
Dean Moxey’s first goal for the club halved the deficit after George Tucudean and Johnnie Jackson had put the hosts two goals up.
“To us a golfing analogy, tee to green we were very good, but we’re struggling with the five-foot putts,” Lennon said after the game.
“Even at 2-0 down I still believed we would get something out of the game.
“At times in the second half it was like the Alamo and Andrew Lonergan pretty much got frostbite, but couldn’t find that goal.
“It’s okay us standing here and saying we played well, but that’s no real consolation as we lost the game.
“I’m sick of hearing about fight and commitment. That’s the bare minimum I expect from the players. We want to see some quality.
“The players gave me everything tonight and I was pleased with what I saw, apart from putting the ball in the net which is one of the hardest things to do in football.
“The Charlton manager Bob Peeters paid us a big compliment saying that we were a completely different team to the one he watch a Fulham a few weeks ago - that’s nice but we have to get rid of the anxiety in the final third.
“I know we’ve got a good team here. We’ve come to Charlton who have had a very good start to the season and played very well.
“I feel that in my time here we’ve shown very good desire, but we maybe have a bit of a soft centre when trying to see games out. That’s something we have to address.”