Nathan Jones bemoans Charlton’s lack of ‘killer instinct’ at The Valley

Nathan Jones admitted Charlton’s lack of “killer instinct” is a major concern after they lost 2-1 to Preston at The Valley.

The Addicks have not scored more than one goal in a league match since January 31 – an unwanted sequence of 13 matches.

Poor home form – banking just three points from a possible 18 – has left them feeling the heat, with the gap to the bottom three cut to five points.

Joe Rankin-Costello put Charlton ahead in the 15th minute but Lewis Dobbin’s looping header, the eighth goal of a highly-productive loan from Aston Villa, wiped out that lead before the break.

Dobbin turned creator for Preston’s 65th-minute winner on the counter-attack, slipping the ball into the path of Brad Potts to finish across Charlton goalkeeper Will Mannion.

Jones said: “The thing that is concerning me is the home form at the moment. We have probably had 50-55 chances in our last four or five games. But clear-cut ones? That is the thing.

“My worry is for all our play that we haven’t had the conversion rate we need to win games. We can’t create any more or throw any more at people.

“Credit to them – they defended their box – but we’ve had so many chances today and we just cannot find that second goal.

“We are not showing enough quality in the final third. Is that down to decisions or personnel? We have to be better.

“We desperately need that win. We got seven points in a week and since then we’ve got one point. We had three home games coming up where we were really excited and we just haven’t shown that killer instinct.

“Everyone has quality in this division to score a goal – you’ve seen that today. Brad Potts has been outrunning people down that wing for years and we didn’t match that today, for example.”

Preston have won their last six league meetings against Charlton and collected maximum points on the road for the first time since January 4.

North End boss Paul Heckingbottom said: “Sometimes Lewis beats himself up if he loses possession or doesn’t get the final pass right, but he’s a threat all game. His energy is great. I want him risking the ball to make the final pass.

“Then, on the break, Pottsy does what he does. A big strength is him on the counter. He is one of the best in the league.

“I’m really pleased. It was hard-earned – we had to show everything. It was a to-and-fro game. After they scored we got a lot more control of the game. We scored a good goal and created some good opportunities.

“But whenever you can’t get a two-goal margin you know that you will have to defend at some point.

“Nathan put his big men on and I feel Charlton are at their most dangerous when they are direct. It made for a nervy finish and we had to defend our box as well. There were some really good challenges, headers and blocks.

“We were good value and it’s a really good day. I always say an away win is a different feeling – you’ve got to earn it and can celebrate in front of your fans. I’ve always loved that feeling from back when I was playing. It sends everyone home happy.”