Charlton Athletic manager Chris Powell has conceded that Ipswich Town were the better side in their Championship clash this afternoon.
The Addicks fell two goals behind in the first half and, although they pulled one back through Danny Haynes, Ipswich held out for a 2-1 win over Powell's men.
The 43-year-old, who was celebrating his 100th match in charge of the club, believes that the first-half performance was what let his side down the most, and he challenged his players to bounce back from the defeat.
"I'm not enamoured with what happened, especially first period. We were duly punished. It doesn't matter if it is against a team in the lower reaches, or any team. If you are not at your full capability you will get punished and that is what happened in the first 45," said Powell.
"It shows how quickly things can change in the Championship. We went on a superb run but now we have lost three in a row. We have been here before and have responded and we have to do that again.
"No excuses. We were beaten by a better team, especially in the first half. We were very loose and sluggish in our marking. Ipswich didn't have chance in the second period but the damage was already done We were huffing and puffing and put players on, but you need a platform to perform and we were very up and down."
The result leaves Charlton 18th in the Championship table, just seven points clear of the relegation zone.
Barney Corkhill
