EXETER City manager Paul Tisdale says now is the wrong time to start analysing why his side is struggling to score goals.

The Grecians drew another blank – their third in a row and the sixth in their last nine games – as they lost 1-0 to npower League One leaders Charlton Athletic on Saturday.

Yet Tisdale says he is unconcerned with such statistics and is confident his side is capable of scoring the goals they will need to climb away from the relegation zone.

"It might be four, or five games (without scoring)," said Tisdale. "I was happy with how the players have started the last few games defensively strong and that's where we have to start from. We have got players who can score goals and it will come. I'm pretty sure we will score goals.

"I don't want to dig too deep into it. If you try to re-model a golfer's swing you know it's going to go backwards before it goes forward.

"I don't think we are at a stage of the season where it's right to dig too deep. Just let them play and let them run around and off the back of a couple of good results goals will come.

"I know these players are capable of scoring, they will do. I will just let them carry on."

In truth neither side looked like scoring on Saturday – the two sides only separated at the final whistle by Artur Krysiak's goalkeeping error.

Danny Green's sliced 55th-minute cross appeared to be posing little danger as it floated into the Grecians box, but the mis-hit apparently caused Krysiak to mis-judge its flight, and he fumbled the ball against the inside of his near post and into the net.

That horrible moment summed up the mirroring fortunes of sides at the top of the league compared to those at the bottom.

Where the South London side's luck was in, City's was not. The hosts defended valiantly throughout, snuffing out the visitors' attacking threat in the same way Charlton refused to allow the Grecians to create anything at the other end, resulting in a first half that most would gladly forget.

Yet there was a means to that end – the formations for a second-half City smash-and-grab raid had been laid.

The only problem was that just as Tisdale was putting his masterplan into action by readying Richard Logan and Guillem Bauza for action, Charlton scored.

With the introduction of those two, plus top scorer Daniel Nardiello on 64 minutes, City did create enough pressure and chances to get the goal they craved.

Yann Kermorgant passed up a brilliant chance to win the match at the other end when he headed narrowly wide from the impressive Johnnie Jackson's left wing cross.

But the Grecians looked just as likely to get the next goal, with Bauza coming the closest when he controlled Richard Logan's flick in the box, swivelled on the proverbial sixpence and volleyed hard and low at goal, only to see ex-City goalkeeper Ben Hamer parry the attempt.