 Curbishley has been criticised for Charlton's lack of goals |
Charlton manager Alan Curbishley has defended his side's recent run of goalless draws as they stand one game away from an FA Cup semi-final. They go to Middlesbrough on Wednesday for an FA Cup quarter-final replay after a goalless draw at the Valley, the sixth 0-0 in their last nine games.
"I wouldn't have been thanked if we were scrapping at the bottom, losing by three or four like we were," he said.
"The amount of draws we've had is about average, they've just come at once."
 |  It's all right sitting up in the stand saying entertain me, but we were getting heavily beaten and that didn't entertain me, I assure you |
Charlton were among the early season pace-setters, but a poor run of form around Christmas saw them slide down the table.
And Curbishley was unrepentant about sacrificing style for substance in the form of results, which have helped them draw clear of the relegation zone.
"It's a long season and we had a dreadful run before and around Christmas. Something had to be done about that," he said.
"It's all right sitting up in the stand saying entertain me, but we were getting heavily beaten and that didn't entertain me, I assure you.
"The clean sheets have helped us back on track. Now that we've tightened up I want us to get back to being more fruitful in front of goal and start scoring some more."
MMIX
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