Francis Jeffers drops surprise Charlton Athletic, Reading FC verdict | OneFootball

The one-time England international has given his thoughts on his former club's defeat last weekend

Charlton Athletic's 2-0 defeat to Reading last weekend could prove to be a blessing in disguise for the Addicks, according to the club's former striker Francis Jeffers, who believes it may help Nathan Jones' side to refocus moving forward.

It had been a strong start to the campaign for Charlton, following their 16th-place finish in the League One table last season.

The South London club won their opening three games of the league campaign, with victories over Wigan Athletic, Leyton Orient, and Bolton Wanderers.

All that would change, however, when they made the trip to the Select Car Leasing Stadium last Saturday to take on Reading.

Royals inflicted Charlton's first league defeat this season

Going into the game, Charlton ought to have been favourites, partly thanks to their perfect start to the league campaign.

Reading, by contrast, had endured a more mixed start, claiming four points from their first three league outings.

The Royals also struggled to get deals done in the transfer window, as they continue to work under restrictions amid their ongoing search for a new owner in the wake of their off-field issues.

Yet despite all that, it was the hosts who would claim an impressive victory over Jones' side.

After a goalless first half, Reading went ahead 20 minutes after the break, when Charlie Savage's low long-range strike went in off the post.

Ruben Selles' side then secured the win ten minutes later, when Sam Smith turned home Adrian Akande's cross from inside the area.

But despite that, Jeffers feels that defeat could yet be a good thing, in terms of resetting their focus in the promotion battle, which he expects to be played out behind runaway leaders Birmingham City.

Speaking to Football League World about the implications of that loss to Reading for Charlton, the former striker - who scored five goals in 24 appearances in all competitions for the club - said: “League One has plenty of good sides and although Birmingham City look a cut above the rest, there is plenty of competition for the other automatic promotion spots as well as play-off places and with no team looking exceptional, a defeat to Reading isn’t a bad thing as the strong start been excellent and this can help them go again and keep pushing for more wins.”

Following that defeat, the Addicks now sit sixth in the League One table and are next in action on Saturday afternoon, when they return to The Valley to host Rotherham United.

Francis Jeffers' verdict may be a surprising one

It is unlikely that many fans might have expected Jeffers to give this take on the defeat of his former club.

No fan is going to want to see their side lose any game and this may have been a particularly frustrating one for Charlton given the circumstances.

However, every team will inevitably drop points over the course of the campaign, so this is in no one a decisive setback for Jones' side.

Indeed, some may even argue that this could serve as a wake-up call for the Addicks, in terms of guarding against complacency going forward.

If that does prove to be the case helps them to focus on games ahead as Jeffers suggests, it could certainly prove to help them over the course of the campaign.

With Rotherham having only just been relegated from the Championship, they will be among the sides expected to compete for promotion from League One this season.

As a result, the Addicks do have the chance to make something of a statement with their response to that defeat to Reading, when they take on the Millers this weekend.

It will, therefore, be interesting to see exactly how Charlton perform on Saturday afternoon.