Charlton 2-1 Birmingham: Jose Riga said Addicks deserved win after fans' protest

Charlton manager Jose Riga hailed his players and the club's supporters after a last-gasp 2-1 win over Birmingham which keeps alive their hopes of escaping relegation to Sky Bet League One.

Defender Jorge Teixeira headed in a 93rd minute winner from an Ademola Lookman corner on a day when the game was halted again by balls being thrown on to the Valley pitch in protest at Charlton owner Roland Duchatelet.

Riga said: "I know that there are two stories from today's game and I want only to be involved in the sporting one, but we really felt that the fans were pushing us today for the whole 90 minutes.

"When you show your passion sweating for the club and fighting for the club, English fans will be behind you. We cannot master the other results and we can't expect help from the other teams, but today I just want to share my happiness with the players and the crowd.

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"We knew from Birmingham's results that all of their games are very close, but at the end I think we deserved the win today.

"It was a great reaction from the players to their goal. It was more open game in the second half but only a win was any good for us today. We knew we had to take points.

"It's not yet enough, but we have taken 10 points from the last five games so it gives us psychologically and mentally the feeling that we can do it again. We know what we can achieve together when we show this will, this commitment and also this quality."

The game was delayed for four minutes when hundreds of small black and white sponge footballs were thrown on to the pitch. When it re-started, Birmingham opened the scoring in the 32nd minute when a low cross from Paul Caddis was turned home by Jon Toral.

Charlton equalised six minutes later through Johan Gudmundsson whose shot took a deflection off Birmingham defender Paul Robinson.

Both sides missed chances to win it in an entertaining second half, but the result all but ends Birmingham's lingering play-off hopes.

Birmingham manager Gary Rowett said: "It was a hugely frustrating afternoon to lose right at the end, but that was the state of the game.

"Both teams were doing everything they could to try and get a winner. They had breakaways, we had lots of breakaways in the second half and really should have made more of them.

"But I would rather concede a counter-attack than from a corner when everyone is back and two or three players were stood watching while their player heads it in. That was particularly galling but a point wouldn't have been a lot of good for us either.

"We've got a hell of a lot to do to make the play-offs now, but I have a really honest bunch of players here so I can't be too disappointed with them.

"We've got seven more games in April and I can't even tell you who we play after Tuesday. I'd need one of those stress balls that were thrown on to the pitch. I did pick one up but I needed it in the 94th minute, not the first minute. We had one in the dugout so I might take it back ready for Tuesday."