Charlton are off to Swindon tomorrow. The Rocking Robins are something of a bogey team for us. A play off defeat comes to mind, but also an occasion when I bought a sponsorship hospitality package at The Valley and we lost 0-1 to Swindon against all the odds because of a rare Dean Kiely error. What's more, one of my guests (an Addick) was from Swindon.
A friend this week referred to watching Charlton as 'entertainment'. When you have been watching them as long as I have, suffering might be a more appropriate term.
None of our fans can go tomorrow, but as Swindon is Tier 2 there will be 2,000 from Wiltshire to cheer their team on.
Even if it is not currently in use, at least they have covered their away end. I remember getting soaked there and serenading Johnnie Robinson with 'we're singing in the rain'. At least we won that day. In a burst of late middle aged hooliganism, I drove through Burford on the way back blasting out Valley Floyd Road with the windows down to the bemusement of the Cotswold posh set.
On our last visit to Swindon in 2016 we lost 0-3: https://www.castrust.org/2020/12/bookies-immune-to-our-optimism/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bookies-immune-to-our-optimism
After their 2-1 defeat at Doncaster on Tuesday, manager John Sheridan wants his players to be more clinical in front of goal: https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/sport/18951415.john-sheridan-says-swindon-town-playing-well-enough-win/
Swindon are currently 22nd, having lost their last four games. They have lost seven games on the road, but do better at home, having won four and lost five. Inconsistency is their hallmark. However, they are the only team in the EFL and Premier League to have beaten a current member of the 92 in a competitive fixture at some point in their history (including Barrow).
I know it's a cop out, but this does strike me as one of those games that could go any one of three ways and could turn on a few incidents. If pushed, I would say a narrow win for Charlton.
I remember it well, we were on an impressive run and Deano had nightmare moment. Stay safe.
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