MATCH PREVIEW: Charlton Athletic vs. Preston North End - Saturday 11th April 2026 - 3pm Kick-Off
Charlton Athletic vs. Preston North End
Saturday 11th April 2026 - 3pm Kick-Off
Referee: Josh Busby
Introduction
With just a few games left in the 2024/25 Championship season, it seems as though Charlton are edging their way slowly towards mathematical safety. There are eight points between Charlton and the drop, with just 15-pts left up for grabs, and with the six sides below us unable to close the gap last Saturday (despite all facing each other), it would require the Mother of all errors for us to head into the Final Day of the Season looking nervously over our shoulders.
The Opposition
Name: Preston North End (14th) - Manager: Paul Heckingbottom
Ground: Deepdale
Previous League Result: Preston 1-1 West Brom
Preston themselves come into this fixture, like Bristol City before them, having dreamt big at the start of the season, only for it to all disappear as the season dragged on... For large parts of the campaign, the Lilywhites had spent time in the top six, thinking they'd be able to swap a disaster of a season last time out, surviving relegation by just a solitary point, with a promotion campaign this time around.
Instead like others around them, their season has fallen apart (similar to last year actually), they've just won the single game since mid-February, and 3-1 win over Stoke City, with their last two games ending all square, against fellow relegation sides: Leicester City (2-2) and West Brom (1-1), they have though stopped the run of four defeats on the trot, with these last three games yielding seven points... Not all is lost, as they continue the tightly contested battle for 12th place with six teams separated by just three points, as they each go looking for the true prize at this level of English Football.
In terms of head2head and the Addicks have 21-League wins, compared to Preston's 35 wins in this fixture, the latter comfortably winning 2-0 at Deepdale back in October, the visitors will be looking to complete the double over Charlton for a third consecutive time, having won both League fixtures in each of the last two seasons we've faced off.
Charlton Team News
The surprise from the last team sheet saw Will Mannion keeping his place after his error that enabled Bristol City to claim all three points the last time we were at the Valley, in fact there was no Thomas Kaminski to be seen in the line up at all, with rumours of discontent once again flying around - With the Addicks recording a narrow 1-1 draw with Watford on Easter Monday, partly in thanks to the performance from Mannion, who you'd now expect to see keep his place regardless of what is occurring in the background.
Elsewhere and Matty Godden came off the bench to score his first goal of the campaign, and may get the opportunity to start against Preston this coming Saturday. Although one absence will be Conor Coady, the match ball used in the Watford game is still feeling the effects of hitting his face, and so Coady must now sit out for however long as part of concussion protocols, meaning that we'll likely see Conor Coventry back in the starting eleven tomorrow afternoon.
Mannion
Ramsay - Jones - Bell
Clarke - Coventry - Docherty - Campbell
Carey
Dykes - Godden
Substitutes: Brooks - Costello - Fullah - Gillesphey - Chambers - Berry - Kelman - Knibbs - Fevrier
Comments
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0-00
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Maybe too early for Godden to start.
I would like to see Fullah start in place of Carey.8 -
Score bore draw to safety continues and depends on what Mannion we get, the look no hands version or superkeeper!
We cannot score more than one for toffee so 1-10 -
Please not TC at LWB though eh? Would rather Chambers start and have TC come on later on the wing.
Hope you are correct with a start for Godden.
Also hope Small gets another classy own goal!
We have a good chance of all 3 points here.
2-1 Addicks. Godden again with a brace!2 -
Out all day so probably a 5-0 home win and a Fullah hat trick, one of which comes from a Mannion assist4
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I have a feeling we will see a bit of an experiment this weekend, and a switch to four at the back.
Mannion
Ramsey Jones Bell Chambers
Fevrier Coventry Docherty Fullah
Dykes Kelman
Subs - Brooks, Gillesphey, Gough, Costello-Rankin, Knibbs, Carey, Campbell, Godden, Leaburn
Leaburn is fit and training, but Clarke and Kaminsky were not on Thursday...0 -
Would be great to get a good win at home.I’d actually take a point on the basis that I think we need 2 more for safety (possibly 1), and getting to safety is still the most important thing, even if it means limping over the line
For me, this is the sort of game I want to see players show they’re worthy of a place in the team next season. I want the likes of Carey, TC and the attacking players to make a statement that they belong at this level and should be part of a team that looks to establish itself in the Championship
Let’s do something out of character and win 3-05 -
Would like to see Godden start. Kelman on the bench with Leaburn if he is fit. Just want to win this one and don't mind how. 1-0. Godden again ?2
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Their danger man is Tom Finney. Keep him subdued and we should be OK.12
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A draw will probably do but would like to see an attacking lineup.2
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We need a win and I’d love it to be an emphatic one against these spuds.
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This is the one where we put the season to bed - we will win and then I’d be happy to lose to Ipswich3
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COYR0
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Kaminsky injury will most likey keep him out again although he did train yesterday .. other then that pretty much the same but would be great to see Kelman and Godden up top together … either way Campbell can’t start again
2-1 win for the reds8 -
Comfortable home win, 3-0 , and relax.1
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I see this as one of only two games we will win this season, with the other being Sheff Wed. It would be nice if we could put in a last10 minutes display from the off. As a home fan base it's been great to have set up another season in the Championship, but we have endured some dire football, so it would be nice to end off with something uplifting, which I don't see happening against promotion chasing Ipswich or Hull.3
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I have a good feeling about this one and think we will get the win that will more or less guarantee safety. I also fancy us to score more than one goal.
2-0 to the reds, and safety more or less guaranteed!0 -
Up against world beaters in this one (like all the home games of late). Be grateful we only lose 0-2 and look forward to getting on the road to Sheffield when we should play better (though probably not win there either).0
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I am not worried about going down but a win would allow us to try some things in the final games which could be useful. Going to this with my brother.0
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Every game we play recently have got draw written all over them.🤔0
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Win these and we will hopefully be safe....we wont...and it will be squeaky bum time. Its about time we won at home3
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I'm loathed to say a must win, but...🤷♂️
Within the next two matches, Preston and Wendies we need to be out of sight of the bottom three, and a nice three points would be lovely start, so going for a much more positive home performance than of late, and a 3-0 win to boot...
Now, c'mon Charlton , please turn up and start from the first minute rather than the 45th minute eh...🙏4 -
By the way @ForeverAddickted, suggest an edit to the OP is in order..., 24/25 season finished a long time ago mate...😉4
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Home wins in the 2024/25 Division Two season:
August: Watford
September: Blackburn
October: Chef Wendy
November: West Brom
December: Oxford
January: Sheff Utd
February: Stoke
March: Birmingham
April: ???
If we don't win tomorrow it's probable that April will be the only month this season without a home win given our last two matches are against Dipswich (2nd) and Hull (5th).
For that reason, and that alone ...
CAFC 2 (Godden, Fullah) PNE 0
It would be nice if Rev Jones releases the handbrake a wee bit and lets the team play with a little bit more pace and flair. I'm sure some of our players have that ability but have spent the season playing to instructions: defend deep, try and keep a clean sheet, maybe nick something on the break late in the game.
That isn't sustainable going into next season so try and transition into a slightly quicker, attacking style of play - get the midfield further forward and play decent balls to the forwards for them to have shots at goal! There's no point slagging off Kelman etc for not scoring when the supply to them is putrid (if it exists at all) and the midfield spends most of its time at half-back or deeper.
We can but dream ...
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- Charlton are winless in six league games against Preston (D1 L5), losing the last five in a row. They last had a longer losing streak against Manchester United (10 between 2002 and 2007).
- Preston have won their last five league games against Charlton, last having a longer winning streak against QPR (6 between 2016 and 2019).
- Charlton Athletic have lost four of their last five home league games (W1), losing the last two. The Addicks last lost more in a row at the Valley in January/February 2024 in League One (4).
- Preston North End have won just two of their last 15 Championship matches (D5 L8) – since the first game in this run in mid-January, only Leicester (10) and Sheffield Wednesday (2) have fewer points than they do (11).
- Charlton have faced more shots than any other Championship side this season (661). Three of the four occasions a team has faced 30+ shots in a game have been the Addicks, but they haven’t lost any: 31 vs Ipswich in October (won 3-0), 34 vs Middlesbrough in March (won 1-0) and 31 vs Watford in April (1-1).
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So long as there is breath in this body... it will ALWAYS be... the 2024/25 seasoneastterrace6168 said:By the way @ForeverAddickted, suggest an edit to the OP is in order..., 24/25 season finished a long time ago mate...😉8 -
For someone who moans about people not reading properly the opening post of the Match Day threads, you hint paid a great deal of attention to the Preview threads this season ...eastterrace6168 said:By the way @ForeverAddickted, suggest an edit to the OP is in order..., 24/25 season finished a long time ago mate...😉
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Just trying to be of assistance mate...😉Briston_Addick said:
For someone who moans about people not reading properly the opening post of the Match Day threads, you hint paid a great deal of attention to the Preview threads this season ...eastterrace6168 said:By the way @ForeverAddickted, suggest an edit to the OP is in order..., 24/25 season finished a long time ago mate...😉2 -
This stat about 30+ shots has been trotted out a few times this week but the important detail is missing: WHERE have those shots been taken from? If they're all in the goal area then we've been exceptionally lucky to have conceded only one goal but if 90% of them are from outside the penalty area (even allowing for our ability to concede worldies from downtown on a regular basis) then that just shows how good our defensive structure has held up.clive said:- Charlton are winless in six league games against Preston (D1 L5), losing the last five in a row. They last had a longer losing streak against Manchester United (10 between 2002 and 2007).
- Preston have won their last five league games against Charlton, last having a longer winning streak against QPR (6 between 2016 and 2019).
- Charlton Athletic have lost four of their last five home league games (W1), losing the last two. The Addicks last lost more in a row at the Valley in January/February 2024 in League One (4).
- Preston North End have won just two of their last 15 Championship matches (D5 L8) – since the first game in this run in mid-January, only Leicester (10) and Sheffield Wednesday (2) have fewer points than they do (11).
- Charlton have faced more shots than any other Championship side this season (661). Three of the four occasions a team has faced 30+ shots in a game have been the Addicks, but they haven’t lost any: 31 vs Ipswich in October (won 3-0), 34 vs Middlesbrough in March (won 1-0) and 31 vs Watford in April (1-1).
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Do not want:
TC at wing back
Booing of Small.Do want:
Loud cheers for Small as he puts the ball in his own net.10
