Nathan Jones issues 'arrogant' Middlesbrough claim after shock Charlton Athletic win | OneFootball

The Addicks boss had some interesting words to say on Boro's recent performances

In a crucial round of Championship fixtures for so many sides throughout the division, Charlton Athletic sprung a major surprise as they defeated promotion-chasing Middlesbrough 1-0 at the Riverside Stadium on Wednesday night.

Although the Addicks came into the matchup against Boro off the back of a 1-0 home success over Birmingham City on Saturday afternoon, it was no surprise that Kim Hellberg's side were expected to re-establish a four-point buffer over third-placed Millwall.

However, the Swede's side, yet again, struggled to break down a sturdy Addicks defensive unit, and have now gone three matches without victory at the Riverside after previously enduring stalemates against relegation-threatened Oxford United and Leicester City.

It is a stark contrast to the level of performances and results showcased by the North East side on their travels. Indeed, Middlesbrough had scored seven goals in the space of six days last week in two statement victories over Birmingham and Queens Park Rangers in an attempt to stay somewhat clear in second place in the Championship standings.

They were brought right back down to earth by the South London side, though, who took just one of their two shots on target when Conor Coady glanced Harry Clarke's long throw past Sol Brynn after 59 minutes.

It is a crucial three points for the capital club, as they are now nine points clear of the relegation zone ahead of a crucial showdown with Oxford this weekend.

Whilst taking immense pride in how his team defended against a total of 34 shots from their hosts, Jones' post-match assessment of the Premier League hopefuls was certainly intriguing, to say the least.

Nathan Jones issues 'arrogant' claim as Charlton Athletic shock Middlesbrough

Speaking in his post-match press conference, the Welshman revealed that defensive solidity was key to ensuring any form of positive result from an Addicks' perspective, whilst also stating how he personally saw Middlesbrough pick QPR apart on Sunday afternoon.

“I’m delighted with both the application of the players and the result," said Jones.

"Look, would we have liked to be a bit more fluid? Would we have liked to have a bit more possession? A few more chances? Of course. But we are very respectful of the level of quality that they have here.

"You know, we’re seven months back in the Championship. Middlesbrough have been either in the Premier League or trying to get out of this league for 10 to 12 years now," he added.

"I remember coming here as an assistant at Brighton with Middlesbrough getting promoted to the Premier League, so they're much, much further ahead in their development than we are.

"I went to watch them at the weekend and they were really fluid and they were confident.

"I don't want to use the word arrogant, but they bordered that in terms of how they played, how they went about it," Jones claimed.

"And we knew that we had to defend well tonight if we were going to keep a clean sheet and get anything from the game. And I felt we did that."

Wednesday night's success was only Charlton's fourth away victory of the season, and a first since January 31st, when they defeated Leicester 2-0 at the King Power Stadium.

Kim Hellberg has to find Middlesbrough solutions as Riverside Stadium frustrations continue

Middlesbrough still have the fourth-best home record in the division, having taken 35 of their 69 points at the Riverside, but it is clear that Hellberg needs to find short-term solutions to their recent home woes.

In their past three fixtures on Teesside, Boro have had 75 attempts at goal, but have only scored once and taken two points from a possible nine, with another home clash to come on Saturday against Bristol City.

They still hold the advantage in the promotion race at present in terms of points, but if the contest against the Robins on Saturday follows a similar pattern, nerves and frustration from supporters will only continue to rise.