Cheltenham boss talks up Charlton

Cheltenham Town manager Michael Duff talks up Charlton ahead of tomorrow's game so that he can brag about even a draw.  To be fair, his remarks are sensible and balanced.

'I went to watch them at Crewe on Wednesday night and it was a funny game. They were excellent for 20-25 minutes, conceded from two set plays and then sort of came away from what they do. They had a go in the last 10-15 minutes and were probably unlucky not to get a result really. They had a disallowed goal, which was a bit of an odd decision.

'But since Johnnie (Jackson) has gone in, they have been on an unbelievable run and they have some good players. I expect them to be better than they were against Crewe and we played well at their place so I don't think they'll take us lightly. Again, as always, Charlton against Cheltenham is a big team against a little team so we'll have to be at it. We are both similar in the table, so it shows it could be quite a close game.'

I don't think they will underestimate us. . I am not sure if they underestimated us on the day, but there was a bit going on at the club at the time. It wasn't quite working, but if you look at the form since Johnnie has gone in, his record before the last three has been excellent. They have some good players and they are a big club in the league. 

They'll be disappointed with where they are in the table and I imagine they'd expect to be in the top six. They'll be expecting to kick on in the second half of the season and whether they get into the top six, I don't know. But they will definitely be expecting to be higher than they are now by the end of the season.

They are a good team with international footballers. People like Ben Watson on the bench, who has won the FA Cup and the career he has had. They have quality throughout the squad. Jayden Stockley could come in [no chance], another good player. Jonathan Leko and (Conor) Washington up front at Crewe, so we are under no illusions that it'll be anything other than a difficult game.'

Cheltenham have won five, drawn four and lost four at home.   The CAS Trust preview is here: https://www.castrust.org/2022/01/cheltenham-time-for-some-self-respect/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=cheltenham-time-for-some-self-respect