Francis Jeffers issues Charlton Athletic warning despite Alfie May positives | OneFootball

Francis Jeffers has had his say on Charlton Athletic's start to the season under Nathan Jones.

Former Charlton Athletic striker Francis Jeffers has praised Nathan Jones and the team for their "positive" start to the season without 2023/24 talisman Alfie May but warned them not to get carried away just yet.

The Addicks find themselves in the play-off places at this very early stage, having picked up nine points from their first four games, with a 2-0 defeat at Reading last time out the only occasion they have dropped points.

With Jones having shone at this level in the past with Luton Town, Charlton will hope to be in the mix for promotion come May, but a hectic summer meant there were a lot of unknowns going into the campaign.

Francis Jeffers backs Nathan Jones to do well for Charlton Athletic

The boss made major changes to the squad ahead of his first full season in charge, and he also had to contend with the loss of the prolific Alfie May, who was snapped up by big-spending Birmingham City.

Yet, speaking exclusively to Football League World, Jeffers warned the Addicks not to look too far ahead despite making a strong start and showing they can cope without May.

“Excellent start from my old club Charlton,” he said.

“Nathan Jones is a proven manager and is showing what he can do with the squad he had. Defensively the team are good, and they have scored goals without Alfie May, so it is early in the season, but it’s a very positive start and there is no need to look further than the next game to get as many points on the board as possible.”

Alfie May’s goals will be missed by Charlton Athletic

Jeffers is right to say that Charlton have adapted to life without May well so far, but the reality is that they have only managed four goals in four games, with their success built on solid defensive foundations so far.

Meanwhile, the 31-year-old has wasted little time in showing his quality with Birmingham, as he has scored four in four.

This is a player who found the net 23 times for Charlton last season, so he is going to be missed at some point, and Jones will need other players to step up.

Gassan Ahadme has had a mixed start to life at The Valley, but he is a player who can get goals at this level, and the likes of Matty Godden and Chuks Aneke will hope to chip in with their fair share over the course of the season.

So, the boss will feel he does have enough options, and it’s down to the individuals who are in the XI to take the chances that come their way.

Charlton Athletic will feel promotion is a possibility

Overall, even with the defeat at Reading, Charlton will feel they’re in a good position to make a genuine attempt for promotion this season.

As Jeffers says, it has been a good start, and you can be sure that Jones is only taking it one game at a time, as he knows just how difficult this league can be, but he crucially knows what’s required to be successful as well.

The league will start to take shape over the next few weeks and months, and Charlton will want to be in the play-off picture as a minimum heading into 2025 when the January window can be pivotal.