Nathan Jones must love fresh Charlton Athletic trend - QPR may not | OneFootball

Charlie Kelman has found form, at a key time in the season. The Addicks are climbing the table, and could finish above QPR.

For Charlton Athletic, the last few weeks have been extremely positive. After a difficult winter, they have started to push away from the bottom three and towards mid-table obscurity in their first season back in the Championship.

Nathan Jones' side are nine points clear of the drop zone right now, with just eight games to go until the 2025/26 campaign comes to an end, and they find themselves on a three-game unbeaten run, in which they have won twice.

While they may have hoped for a little more from their 1-1 draw away to relegation-threatened Oxford United on Saturday, there was an incredible moment for a player who headed into this season with a lot of pressure on his back after a tremendous year with Leyton Orient in League One.

While the O's missed out on promotion to the Championship in place of Charlton, Charlie Kelman has been looking to finally find his feet at The Valley, and after a shaky start, he looks to have done so. Now, his former side QPR must be looking nervously at the league table.

Charlie Kelman has found form for Charlton Athletic in the Championship

Last season, the former USA youth international lit up the third tier with his impressive scoring spree in the North-East of London. He found the back of the net 21 times in 46 league games, while also scoring in the Carabao Cup, the EFL trophy, the FA Cup and the play-offs.

Kelman joined QPR in 2020 from Southend United, but he was never able to make a mark at Loftus Road, and after 26 goalless appearances, he made the switch to the Addicks in the summer for a reported £3.5m, potentially rising as high as £5m through add-ons.

While he is yet to hit his former heights, the 24-year-old is slowly starting to prove himself, and he has now scored twice in his last three appearances. His 93rd minute penalty against Oxford at the weekend may just prove critical in the battle for survival in the Championship, and he has now scored six times in 28 games.

Kelman has started only 16 times in the league under Jones, but he has regained the confidence in himself that he had while at Leyton Orient, and this could be the difference between a comfortable mid-table finish for Charlton, and a tough end to the season.

QPR must surely be fearing Charlie Kelman's new-found form at Charlton Athletic

Although Kelman has not been overly consistent so far this season, the two goals that he has scored for the Addicks in the last couple of weeks have come in extremely handy for his side, while his former club have been in free-fall under Julien Stephan.

While the R's did pick up three vital points on Saturday, they know that they can ill-afford to return to losing ways in the next few weeks with the sides below them picking up points at a time when it truly matters.

Charlton themselves will be extremely keen on catching and overtaking QPR in the next few games, and in doing so, they will put a greater gap between themselves and the relegation zone. Kelman will be crucial in doing this, and if he is able to score even more goals, then the West London outfit must surely start to regret their decision.

The Addicks have proven their Championship credentials recently, and so has their striker. A continuation of this will only serve the club and player well. Yet QPR could be looking on in envy as they never saw the best out of the 24-year-old during his time at Loftus Road.