Charlton 0, Albion 1

It has not taken Chris Hughton long to turn Albion from a naive team into one much harder to beat.

They had only four clean sheets in 22 games in the Championship under Sami Hyypia.

They have kept two in as many matches away from home under the ill-fated Finn's shrewd successor.

While the quest to strengthen the squad continues this month, Hughton is making the most of what he has.

Hyypia was an idealist, trying to fit players into his philosophy. The full-backs bombed on like wingers, midfielders were supposed to fill in behind, he operated with a narrow front three in which mobility and movement was key.

Hughton is a realist. He has looked at what he has and utilised the players currently available to him in a manner providing the best chance of getting results.

That means playing with not one but two defensive midfielders in Danny Holla and Rohan Ince, whose second half header secured a second successive win under the new manager.

Now Albion have not a solid back four or five in front of the increasingly assured David Stockdale - they have a solid back six.

It allows the likes of Solly March and Jake Forster-Caskey, used in a more advanced role on his return from illness, the scope to express themselves safe in the knowledge there is extra security.

Hughton said: "It's about getting results and how you can get those results. Certainly away from home, in the two games I have been involved in, you have got to try to make yourself tougher to beat.

"And I think when you know you have got good footballers in the side it's a very good platform to build from.

"But you are relying on the players putting it in, a back four and a goalkeeper that can marshall those in front. You are relying on two players in particular in Danny Holla and Rohan Ince doing their jobs, because you know around that there is good quality.

"I thought Solly March showed some really good quality. He is a real threat on the ball and we have four forward-thinking players in front of them (Holla and Ince), so it's a good base at the moment."

You also need little bits of luck, the sort of luck Hyypia was hideously denied throughout his reign.

Hughton acknowledged he is fortunate to have come in off the back of a draw and win achieved under caretaker Nathan Jones, which lifted morale.

He has also had the benefit of captain Gordon Greer recovering from knee trouble to stabilise the defence.

Most of all, those fine-margin moments that turn matches - so often against Albion when Hyypia was in charge - have gone for Hughton.

Albion could just as easily have fallen behind and lost in his first game at Brentford. It was a similar story at Charlton, although they only came under pressure this time once ahead against a side drained of confidence by a run of eight games without a win.

Shortly before half-time the fit-again Joe Bennett appeared to handle a cross. Referee Lee Probert was some distance away but his assistant was well-placed.

Several Charlton players protested to the officials as they headed to the dressing rooms minutes later.

Hughton said: "I must admit my first impression was I was worried. It was on our side (of the pitch). I haven't asked the players and I haven't seen it again but my first reaction was, yes, I was worried that it was going to be given.

"If it was a handball then they are the moments in the game that either go for you or they don't go for you."

There was another 'if only' moment for Charlton after the break, of the kind frequently suffered by Hyypia's Albion.

Chris Solly, moved from right-back to midfield following the half-time withdrawal of skipper Johnnie Jackson through injury, crashed a 20-yard shot against the crossbar.

Moments later Charlton conceded a soft free-kick on the right flank, March swung over an inviting delivery and Ince rose at the far post to head in.

Unlike at Brentford, where another penetrative free-kick from March created the breakthrough for Lewis Dunk, Albion had considerably longer than a few minutes to see the game out.

Hughton said: "We were always going to be under pressure from the moment we scored the goal and you have got to have enough resilience to withstand that.

"The Brentford game was more about resilience, because we were under a lot of pressure and we had to deal with an awful lot more.

"Once we got the goal at Brentford I was very confident we would go on and win it. I knew we still had a lot of work to do, because I knew they (Charlton) would come at us."

Stockdale, maintaining his fine form, made a smothering stop from debut sub Tony Watt to accompany a pivotal save at the end of the first half from a Jackson header from a corner.

Standard Liege loanee Watt, a threat when he came on, should have equalised but slotted wide from eight yards.

The opportunities for Albion were more sparse, although Forster-Caskey should have made more of a clear one early in the second half carved out by March and Sam Baldock.

Being picky, they are not creating enough. Only two of the five goals securing a hat-trick of victories in the capital have been in open play. The need for a goalscoring threat also remains obvious.

The merit of this latest victory should not, however, be under-estimated, in spite of Charlton's horrible sequence. They had only previously lost once at home in the league, by the same score against third-placed Ipswich.

It will take a while for Hughton to build a squad equipped to be that high again. For now, breathing space at the bottom is a welcome prelude to three home games in a row.