Portsmouth v Charlton

ALAN CURBISHLEY has fired off an early warning to his Charlton players ahead of Saturday’s match at Portsmouth.

When the players reported for training on Monday morning they found the manager’s mood had not lightened following the team’s shambolic first-half performance in the 2-2 draw against Manchester City.

Curbishley said: "We will get nothing if we give anything like Saturday’s first-half performance. If we do we might as well give Pompey the points now.

"I’m still not over Saturday’s first-half. As a team we pride ourselves on working hard for one another to give ourselves a chance. But that first-half was so poor, in every aspect, that it will take days for me to come to terms with it.

"The players are deeply upset with the performance and it’s up to them to make amends against Portsmouth."

Curbishley, who watched fifth-from-bottom Portsmouth toss away the lead before losing 3-1 to Fulham on Sunday, added: "We have a decent record at Fratton Park and if Portsmouth don’t get a result against us, and others go against them, they could be in trouble."

As his players licked their wounds after Saturday’s footballing mauling by City, the Charlton manager issued a timely reminder that they can contest the final shakedown for the UEFA Cup places.

"We’re two points behind a European spot and we’ve won one of our last six games, so there is still everything to play for. What happened on Saturday was dreadful but we’re still in with a shout of playing in Europe next season.

"We going to Portsmouth, where we’ve got a decent record, and if we put in what I would call a proper Charlton performance, then we’ve got a chance."