Blues manager Kieran McKenna liked the way the Blues went about winning 2-1 at Charlton Athletic, his side having gone behind to the Addicks in the opening minute.

A misplaced Ben Johnson pass led to the South Londoners taking the lead through Greg Docherty after 44 seconds but Darnell Furlong levelled on 36 and then Jaden Philogene netted from the penalty spot just before the hour to secure three vital points which take the Blues back to second in the Championship, ahead of Millwall on goal difference but with a game in hand on the Lions.

“A big win,” McKenna said. “I really like how we won, to be honest, because conceding a goal so early in such a big game was a big blow.

“And then naturally from that the first 10 minutes were tough and you can’t get a foothold in the game, the opponents are right up and the crowd’s right up, it was a big night for them as well.

“So to come back from that and the way that we did it in terms of showing belief in our football, sticking to it, imposing ourselves on the game, we played our way back into the game, stayed confident in what we do.

“We scored a really good goal in the first half, one or two other big chances and then came out in the second half really strongly and got a deserved lead at that point.

“It was a big show of character from the group, a big show of progression over the course of the season, clearly a show of progression from our first game against Charlton, and we’ve spoken about that plenty, about how this group has had to come together and learn over the course of the season how to react in those sort of moments.

“So, I think that was the big thing from the night. Of course, we would have liked to have got the third goal, maybe controlled it a little bit more with the ball in the second half, but it’s natural in this type of game at this stage of the season that it doesn’t always go that way.

“And we had to see it out with some fantastic defending, headers and blocks at the end, and actually if you go through it, I’m not sure we’ve given up a chance in the second half against a team who were really trying to put it on us. That was another really strong bit of the performance.”

It was Town’s second comeback win of the season following on from the 2-1 home victory over Birmingham on Easter Monday but their first success having been behind since Watford in December 2023.

“We had the feeling coming into this run of three games that we would probably have to do that at some point,” McKenna continued. “We’ve spoken about plenty and you guys have spoken about it plenty, about this group and showing those qualities.

“And over the course of the season I’ve said all along that I think it’s been coming and I think to do it away from home on a night like tonight was a good night to do it.

“But we’ve got two more tough away games now [at West Brom on Saturday and Southampton next Tuesday], really tough, in quick succession, so it’s good that we’ve shown those qualities tonight.

“But there’s every chance that we’re going to need to show it again in the next five or six days if we want to be successful at the end.”

Regarding Furlong’s goal, his first for the club, McKenna said: “A brilliant strike. A big moment. I thought he was brilliant tonight, to be fair. I thought he was really good against Middlesbrough as well. He’s really stepped up in the last couple of games and a big performance and a big goal from him tonight.”

Reflecting on the importance of the win in the context of the promotion battle, McKenna added: “The three points are appreciated, of course, and at this stage of the season they all feel more important, but in reality it’s the same three points that we’ve been fighting for all season and we have another three to fight for on Saturday now.

“We know the scale of that mountain that we’re going to go and try and climb again on Saturday and turnaround from this one, so we’re happy to get them tonight but we’ve got to get ready to fight for the next one now.”

Photo: TWTD