A year ago, in mid-September under the new management of Michael Appleton, we faced a high-flying Stevenage badly needing points on the board. A lot has changed since then but once again we’re hoping that the short train ride out of London will provide us with a platform for building up a full head of steam for some very tough October fixtures.
Last weekend against Blackpool we weren’t really at the races for a large percentage of the game but luckily some of our promotion rivals fell at the same hurdle, keeping us in the play-off zone. But having played one another the week before, League One pacesetters Wrexham and Birmingham both picked up another three points, in advance of October trips to The Valley which could well decide the direction of Charlton’s season.
It’s important then that we take points away from Stevenage, who seem to be experiencing a little bit of second-season syndrome, having exceeded expectations with a ninth placed finish last time out, almost equalling their best ever finish. That came in Charlton’s 2011/12 promotion winning season under Chris Powell, when The Boro finished 6th in a very strong division, before losing out to Sheffield United in the play-offs.
Interestingly, at the weekend, amongst some fans in The West Stand and perhaps other places, there was a bit of a comparison going on between our teams of 2012 and 2019, and that of 2024/25. The consensus was that the ingredients for a promotion push are there but a few bolts perhaps need tightening in the engine room. Last Saturday we got bullied into submission by a very streetwise team who at times seemed to be auditioning for parts as extras in Coronation Street or General Hospital.
But what’s done is done and we move on to what’s potentially another tricky fixture against a side who probably don’t see the present League table as a true reflection of their ambitions. Just like Blackpool, in one sense of the term, they’re not going to roll over easily simply because we’re presently hanging around opposite ends of the League One table.
They’ve also shown an ability to spring surprises when least expected, such as in a narrow 4-3 League Cup defeat to Norwich City and a surprise hammering of high-flying Barnsley in their last home game, a fortnight ago. With Northern Irish international striker Jamie Reid returning to the squad in recent weeks too, Boro will be hoping for a repeat of September 2023’s fixture when he scored against us. A lot has changed since then, though, not least our renewed ability to bounce back from setbacks. And with that in mind, we too will be hoping for more of the same on Saturday.
It’s not the end of the line if we don’t travel home with all three points, but they would set us up more comfortably for the business end of the table’s battles that are coming with Birmingham, Wrexham, Barnsley and Stockport in October.
