Michael Appleton: Charlton had to kill the game off at Carlisle when in the ascendancy

Charlton boss Michael Appleton felt his team missed chances to kill the game off after they threw away a lead in a 1-1 draw at relegation-threatened Carlisle United.

The result means the Addicks have won just two of their last seven League One outings – a run that leaves them seven points adrift of the play-off places.

The South Londoners had hit the bar through Blackett-Taylor in the first half and finally made their supremacy count shortly after the restart. Tennai Watson slipped past Alfie May on the overlap, taking control of the ball and teeing up Blackett-Taylor for his seventh goal of the campaign.

The lead was short-lived. Former Addicks defender Sam Lavelle swept home from close-range to haul the Cumbrians level on the day they celebrated a recent takeover by the American-based Castle Sports Group.

Appleton said: “It is [two points dropped] because of how well we played at times. Especially in the second half. We were a lot more of a threat in the second half, albeit it in the first half we had some decent opportunities. We’ve conceded a goal which has ultimately made us all frustrated. Everyone will concentrate on that goal we’ve conceded but for me it should be more looking at the opportunities we wasted.

“There were opportunities today where we got in great positions and didn’t do enough with the ball.

“I did think we should have been value, going into a game where we could score goals today. But one or two players had an off day and that can happen. The good thing is we go again in less than 72 hours [against Cheltenham at The Valley].”

The Addicks have won just once on their travels in League One this season and Appleton admitted that his side must show more killer instinct in games like today in order to challenge at the right end of the table.

“The players know that,” he said,

“We’ve made them aware of that. If we do want to compete with those sides and be more consistent, we have to recognise when we have a team on the ropes. A lot of those occasions can be when you’ve scored. When we scored today that was the opportunity to get three or four and we didn’t take it.

“[Carlisle’s goal] came from the long throw initially. We dealt with that fine but when it popped back to their left-hand side there was a lapse in concentration on who was dealing with their runner. When the ball came in, you wouldn’t expect Lavelle to be there. But we had a lot of numbers in the box and looking back we could have done better.”