ADDICKS columnist MATIAS GREZ is impressed by Charlton’s new found resolve as epitomised in Saturday’s 1-0 victory at Birmingham.

OUR 3-0 defeat to Burnley seems like a very long time ago now.

In just over a month, we have gone from looking like gutless relegation candidates to looking like the team which reached the heights of ninth place last season.

We’ve conceded just one goal in the last five games.

Compare this to the previous five games in which we conceded eight goals and I think you can see why our fortunes have changed.

In a league which is so competitive, and where most teams have squads with much more quality -and money - than ours, hard work and building from the back becomes so vital to any success the team has.

The 1-0 wins away at Blackburn and Birmingham have been far from pleasant to watch from a footballing perspective, however, you will not find a single Charlton fan complaining about picking up six scrappy points.

And bar the 6-0 demolition of Barnsley, the two recent victories were reminiscent of the away wins which earned us so many points last season.

This new found hard work and commitment, which was so lacking against Millwall in particular, was epitomised by Johnnie Jackson and Simon Church on Saturday.

I can’t recall a game in which I’ve seen two players have work so tirelessly and selflessly as those two did at St Andrews, and both were more than deserving of the rapturous ovation they received after the final whistle.

On top of their hard work, a standout performance from Rhoys Wiggins, along with a solid display from the other three defenders, meant Birmingham were very limited to any real chances.

Excluding a late Peter Lovenkrands effort, Blues never really looked like troubling Ben Hamer.

The first half was far from a brilliant spectacle and Bradley Pritchard’s individual performance summed up our efforts.

He had a terrible opening period in which nine times out of ten he lost the ball, leaving the vast majority of the away end chanting Callum Harriott’s name and urging Chris Powell to make a substitution just half an hour in.

However, instead of shying away from the match, he came out in the second half and more than made up for his earlier mistakes, putting in a typically Pritchard performance by winning the ball back and never giving the opposing midfielders time to breath.

And it came as no surprise his improved performance coincided with a much better team display, and winning goal, after the break.

If the last five games are anything to go by, come the end of November we will be looking up rather than down.