Dean Kiely: Fun is over and it's time for business (MikeHewitt/Allsport)

Before he embarked on his career with Charlton Athletic, Kiely used to supplement his income as a lower division goalkeeper by working on the motorways of his native north-west.

It was a hard life and one that the 30-year-old is not keen to return to. But rarely has Kiely endured a day's work as painful as that which saw him retrieve the ball from his net five times at Upton Park on Tuesday.

Charlton manager Alan Curbishley has since absolved his goal-keeper of any blame for the defeat, choosing to carefully exclude him from the acerbic, public admonishment he delivered to the rest of his squad.

Kiely, however, has not been so easy on himself. 'It's a horrible feeling. It has left a bad taste in my mouth,' Kiely told Soccernet at the icy expanse of Charlton's Greenwich training ground this week.

'Whenever a goal goes in, it stings me and hurts me. I think it needs to. If it did not, then I do not think that I would be fully committed to my job. You can ask my wife how it makes me feel when things like this happen.

'I don't become an ogre with my kids or anything but it certainly makes me miserable. I am not too clever to be with.

'This game takes up all my life and what happened on Boxing Day hurt badly.

'You take your beatings the same way as you take your victories - with dignity. But what happened at West Ham was unacceptable. It made me feel embarrassed and I think we all felt humbled by it.

'Sometimes when you come off the pitch you can blame things and make excuses. But on this occasion there was absolutely no way that anybody could deflect the criticism.

'What the manager said was justified, absolutely. He didn't even need to say it. The 14 players who were used that day did not perform. It was a freak, a totally bizarre situation. All we can hope now is that it turns out to be a one-off. It's the only way we can perceive it.

'We simply cannot serve that up again. If it was a habit and it was recurring there would be some worried people here. But that's not the case.'

This afternoon brings a meeting with Manchester City at Maine Road - offering both sides an opportunity to escape from trends that are threatening to ruin their seasons.

In common with most of the capital's clubs, Charlton cannot win away from home - just one victory at Newcastle so far - while Joe Royle's team have taken just five points from the last 10 games.

City were woeful in drawing 0-0 at home to Derby on Boxing Day and Charlton sense Saturday could be the day to begin a move towards the top 10 and away from a relegation zone that creeps ever nearer.

Curbishley's response to the biggest defeat of his team's season has been to work his players harder. As such, Charlton have not had a day off since last Sunday and were to be found slipping and sliding around the training pitch once snow had covered the capital on Wednesday night.

'We haven't had a day off and we didn't deserve one either,' said Kiely, who worked on the motorways with his father during his time with York City and then Bury.

'I have been doing plenty of goal-keeping work and that is what I needed. It is no good festering on what happened last weekend. I have done what many people do when they feel lousy, I have thrown myself into my work.

'It would be nice to be sitting on a beach somewhere in May knowing that I am still a Premiership player. That would mean a lot. I don't reflect on what I have done this season at all. That can wait.

'It would be easy for me to have stars in my eyes and spend all my time telling my family and friends about the grounds I have played at and the players I have faced. But what good would that do? That would just make me sound pathetic.

'I would not be doing myself justice. I feel I have contributed this season and I am quite happy with the way my season has gone on a personal level.

'I have tried to be consistent and dependable. That's what makes a good goalkeeper, not one who is man of the match one week and the villain the next.'

The fact that Curbishley chose to exclude Kiely from criticism of his side on Boxing Day serves as an indication of the esteem in which the Manchester-born keeper is held at The Valley.

Already, though, the 4-0 defeat of City on the opening day of the season is a distant memory and it would appear that, despite their excellent home form, Charlton face a fight to the finish to ensure survival.

'Everybody was up for that game and, of course, it worked out very well,' recalled Kiely. 'But here we are now, halfway through the season and the novelty of the Premier-ship has worn off. Now, it just comes down to the professionalism of the players. There are no qualms about it. Live or die, it's up to us.

'We know we are good enough to still be here next season but we have to prove it.

'We also want to do it for the manager. From my point of view, I always feel that if somebody has done something for me I want to repay it.

'With that in mind, I don't think there's anybody here who doesn't owe something to Alan Curbishley. We all want to get results for him.