Lee Bowyer pleased to see Norwich loanee Akin Famewo come through return to Addicks action unscathed

BY LOUIS MENDEZ

Charlton manager Lee Bowyer says Akin Famewo’s return to action was the main positive to take from the 1-1 draw at Fleetwood Town.

The central defender, on loan from Championship outfit Norwich City for the season, had suffered a hamstring problem during a 2-0 win at Portsmouth back in October.

The 22-year-old was able to play the full 90 minutes of a 1-1 draw at Shrewsbury in early December but then suffered an ankle injury in training and had been absent until the clash at Highbury Stadium this afternoon.

The Lewisham-born defender lasted the whole game on the Fylde Coast to mark his return and Charlton supporters hope he will play a part in tightening up a defence that has only kept three clean sheets in 16 outings.

“I thought [Famewo] did well,” explained Bowyer.

“He made us better. Solid performance for someone who has been out for so long. I’m pleased I played him. I’m pleased he’s come through it, even more so. We’ve just got to see how he goes next couple of days.

“We’ll be in tomorrow with the game on Tuesday [against Burton Albion]. It’s how he recovers. We’ve got to be sensible, he’s been out a long time. But the most important thing is he got through it and he looked quite comfortable.

“There’s not really many positives to take from [the game] as we didn’t play well. Yes, we’ve got a point and it’s something to build on and work on. It’s another away game that we haven’t been beaten.

“The biggest positive is that Akin has come through 90 minutes. That’s my biggest thing that I’m taking from this. I’d have liked us to play better but we didn’t.

“Now that it’s all over, you assess it. Ask questions why. I question myself all the time. As hard as I push the players, I push myself. We’ve got a point against a good side away from home but the one thing is that Akin has played 90 minutes and he’s okay.”

PHOTOS: KYLE ANDREWS