Friday 11 March 2022

The glamour is too much

One of the presenters on the EFL show (the Oxford supporting podcaster who was on Charlton Live recently) said that League One was a 'brilliant' league.  Charlton fans might disagree when they have to play the likes of Accrington Stanley.  Watching the live feed in lockdown it was possible to see a park football game going on behind one goal.   The ground can accommodate 5,450 with seats for 3,100.

Yet every team in League One is there on merit.   After the old Accrington Stanley club was finally forced out of existence by the gas being turned off, Stanley made their way up through the non-league system.  (The original founding club in the Football League was just called Accrington).  Sandwiched between Blackburn and Burnley, they have been punching above their weight.   (Some Buinley fans treat them as a second club).

One sensible move they made was to recruit Leamington ace Colby Bishop who has scored a steady 12 goals a season, including at The Valley last year.  The £10k fee was apparently too much for Charlton.

Finding themselves in a battle to finish in the top half, John Coleman's side have won three of their last six games while losing the other three.

Their most recent victory came at the end of February, as they came back from behind to defeat promotion-chasing Wycombe Wanderers 3-2.  They travelled to Portsmouth on Saturday, and, despite the hosts playing with 10 men for 70 minutes, they suffered a 4-0 thrashing.   A furious Coleman kept his players locked in the away dressing room for an hour after the game, delaying their trek back 'oop north.

Accy will now hope to bounce back from that demoralising defeat to maintain their spot in the top half, as the Lancashire outfit look to replicate last season's 12th-placed finish in England's third tier.

Charlton are bottom of the League One form table while Stanley are 11th.   Accy's away record is poor (lost eleven and won just three) but at home they have won ten and lost just four, scoring 32 and conceding 25. The Addicks have won just four away from home and lost ten.

The CAS Trust preview emphasises their strong home record: https://www.castrust.org/2022/03/an-unlikely-point-at-accrington/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=an-unlikely-point-at-accrington

Johnnie Jackson says that Conor Washington will not be available tomorrow whilst Chuks Aneke is 'weeks away' which could mean he will not appear again this season: https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/im-not-holding-my-breath-charlton-boss-provides-update-on-striker/

Ever hopeful, I think we might be able to get a point.

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