Charlton Athletic manager Lee Bowyer has admitted his side have five players out of action for this weekend's match against Portsmouth, but he won't reveal which ones are struggling.

Charlton lifted themselves into fifth place with a surprise 2-0 win against Shrewsbury this week, meaning Bowyer's side now have the upper hand in the race for a top six finish. Both Scunthorpe and Plymouth have games in hand making this weekend's match with Portsmouth a must win, for both sides.

Pompey are eighth, one point outside the top six but again conceding games to Plymouth and Scunthorpe. It is set to be a 'winner takes all' clash at Fratton Park, but Bowyer confessed his players are struggling.

"I just spoke to the physio and I think he named five players, whose hamstrings are sore and tight," he told News Shopper. "Shrewsbury’s pitch was very heavy. We’re going to have to look and see how they are this morning. It shows you the work-rate they put in against Shrewsbury on Tuesday night. But there are no fresh injuries that I’m aware of, it’s just fatigue and tiredness."

Arsenal's on loan striker Stephy Mavididi was amongst those who came off on Tuesday night, but Bowyer remain tight-lipped about their identities.

“Hopefully they’re not too serious. There’s one that’s a bit more than tightness, but again, we won’t know until this morning. At this stage of the season, it’s not like you need to keep them fit, because they're already fit, it’s just a matter of getting their bodies the best we can to go again on Saturday."

The Verdict

Lee Bowyer is turning into quite the astute manager, careful about naming players who are struggling as he doesn't want to give too much away.

When Karl Robinson left the side looked down and out, but he's certainly got them performing again. Whether it is enough to secure them a top six finish remains to be seen, but if he does manage it he'll have a great case for taking the job on a permanent basis.