Blackburn, Shrewsbury and Wigan are the top three sides in League One‎. Charlton’s record against the trio makes dismal reading:

Played 4, won 0, drawn 1, lost 3, goals scored 0, goals conceded 7, points 1.

In all but the game at Wigan in late December, the Addicks have been a long way behind their opponents on the day.

Things started brightly on Saturday, but after the first ten minutes, Shrewsbury took control and Karl Robinson’s team had no answer to their high pressing game, as the manager admitted:

‎”We weren’t good enough. They were the better team and we didn’t carry out our game-plan properly.

“We wanted to change our style, we wanted to be a little more direct to play in behind them with two higher players.

“We knew their midfield was dominant and they dominated us. We have got to learn that, when the game gets rough and tough, you can’t always play football.

“Why, against a pressing team, would we want to take a free-kick short and play sideways and backwards?

“We encouraged them and it took me screaming in the first half for us to put a free-kick in the box.

“We didn’t ask enough questions of them. We have got to learn a very valuable lesson from this game,”‎ said Robinson.

The top teams are bi‎g, powerful sides, with a physical presence, something the Addicks lack.

Jason Pearce adds the steel at the back, but he has been missing for much of the season. But the team do not have a midfield enforcer and can easily be bullied.

Robinson has an array of quick, skilful, technically gifted players at his disposal, but lacks a midfielder who can boss the game.

Though blessed with a plethora of pacy players, Charlton’s build up play is often slow and ponderous.

Robinson’s team are still ideally placed to make a push for the play-offs, with two games in hand on some of their rivals. Those games are away at Blackpool and Shrewsbury though, so a six point haul is far from certain.

Two of the sides vying for a play-off spot with the Addicks – Plymouth and Rotherham – will visit The Valley in the next few weeks, and Robinson’s side have yet to go to Peterborough and Portsmouth, as well as Shrewsbury.

The manager said the team did not follow his game plan on Saturday, and he will need to come up with a plan to negate the physicality of some of his rivals.

The first of these is AFC Wimbledon. Charlton travel to Ki‎ngsmeadow on Saturday for a game that is likely to be played on a heavy pitch.

It is a match the Addicks badly need to win if they are to regain momentum for the final few weeks of the season.