Lee Bowyer said it’s up to his team to “prove everybody wrong” as Charlton fight to avoid relegation from the Championship this season.

The Addicks, who won promotion from League One via the play-offs, are among the bookies’ favourites to go straight back down come May next year.

Despite the bleak predictions, Charlton currently find themselves at the “wrong” end of the table as they occupy second place behind promotion favourites Leeds United. The draw at Barnsley leaves them with seven points from their opening three fixtures.

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Few could have perhaps asked for a better start back to life in the Championship following a three-year absence, and 13 signings during the summer transfer window have at least improved Charlton’s prospects of survival.

Bowyer appears undaunted by what others have said, as does the team, but has insisted they won’t get “too far ahead” of themselves given there are still 43 games left.

He said: “That's for everybody else to make their decisions and make their predictions but, for me, I've got a group of players in there that's going to give me 100 per cent, and give this football club 100 per cent, every time they step on the pitch.

“I'm not really worried what other people are saying. I know that they are going to give me that, and if they [the players] keep doing that and keep performing like they did today then I think we'd be okay.”

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Although the Addicks boss wouldn’t be drawn on a prediction of where Charlton might finish in the table, he added: “I'll go with what the bookies are saying and they're saying that we'll finish bottom, and if that's the case, it's down to us to prove everybody wrong.

“Do I think we're going to be in the bottom three? No.

“Our aim is to stay out of the bottom three, but if everyone wants to put us in their bottom three then that's their choice. I'm not going to [challenge them].”

Charlton’s next two games are at home, against Nottingham Forest and Brentford respectively, before their August will be rounded off with a trip to Reading.