Charlton boss Jones erupts over disallowed goal with 'volleyed his cat' linesman rant

Nathan Jones produced a post-match interview for the ages after Charlton Athletic were held to a 0-0 Championship draw by Queens Park Rangers at The Valley on Wednesday, with the Addicks boss furious over a disallowed goal that he believes cost his side three points.

Typreece Campbell’s first-half effort was ruled out for offside, a decision Jones refused to accept — and his description of the assistant referee’s reaction quickly became the talking point of the night.

“The arrogance of the linesman is mental because he’s like looking at me as if I’ve just volleyed his cat,” Jones told reporters. “He is looking at me as if I have done something and going, ‘Nah.’ The biggest error of the night and he’s cost us the game.”

Jones was equally pointed in his assessment of the wider officiating picture, insisting the call was one of several poor decisions across recent weeks. “They were giving offsides willy-nilly because we had one in the second half that wasn’t and the goal is a great goal,” he said. “It’s a great ball, it’s a great counter-attack, it’s onside and it’s cost us three points. That’s cost us three points once again.”

The frustration appeared to spill over from Charlton’s previous outing, a 4-0 defeat to Stoke City last weekend in which Danny McNamara was sent off and an early Justin Devenny penalty set the tone. Jones stopped short of naming the official involved in that game, citing the risk of punishment. “I’m sick of it,” he said. “On the weekend, I had to put up with a performance from an individual that was — I want to use adjectives but I can’t because I’ll get in trouble — that was beyond the realms of belief.”

Despite the dropped points, both sides had entered the fixture in strong form. Charlton and QPR each carried 10 points from their opening five Championship games, meaning a win for either could have lifted them to the top of the table.

“That is the Championship,” Jones added. “Because the Championship is brutal — these are a good side, we’re competing with monsters.”

Charlton return to action on Saturday against Portsmouth, while QPR face a trip to current league leaders West Bromwich Albion.