We can compete at this level. The longer that last season become a memory and the more the off field issues, budget and disappointing transfer activity have dominated, its escalated concerns that this will be a hugely difficult season. It may well still be, but an opening day victory away from home has given everyone an enormous lift. A poor start to the season would have ramped up the negative backdrop and increased the pressure to perform and succeed in the upcoming home games. That pressure has been lifted, for now, and cancelled out a lot of the growing fear for the season within just a few days.
The spirit in this squad is still there. Much was made of this last season, with experienced people like Bowyer saying ours was the best team spirit and togetherness in a dressing room they had encountered. With the loss of key players over the summer there was a question mark on whether the core spirit of the group was still there. Judging by the rallying, cohesive ethic displayed on Saturday, it still is, and will be a key feature if we are to outperform expectations this year. 
Ben Purrington is a great example of how a player can improve when playing with confidence. When Purrington joined on loan earlier this year he was a rigid full back, solid but playing percentages. The intercept, run, offload and continuation of his run into the box which led to our first goal on Saturday would simply not have occurred 7 months ago; he would have intercepted, offloaded, retained shape. Bowyer’s belief and attacking flexibility have given him (and Djiksteel on the right) the licence to get forward from deep, and the player now has the confidence in his ability to carry it through.
Darren Pratley is a hugely underrated squad man. He has not the ability of a Bielik or a Cullen, but he is a workhorse with a tremendous attitude who will always give 100%. He had an excellent game at Wembley and he was impressive again on Saturday. Pratley stands up to be counted, is versatile in where he can play and his willingness to play. In a thin squad that may carry huge value this season.
Dillon Philips is in need of a boring game. Neither the OG at Wembley nor his OG on Saturday were his fault, but goalkeepers thrive on confidence more than any other position on the pitch and I’m sure these couple of freak goals have marginally destabilised his mindset. There were a huge amount of goalkeeper errors seen in the Football League on the opening weekend, simply where small mistakes creep in where keepers have lost that regularly and groove in their game. Dillon has improved hugely in 12 months and hopefully a couple of stable games will help him settle down and feel confident and comfortable at this higher level.
Comments
Very true about Pratley being underrated and was the same last season.
I really rate Dillon and think he should definitely be our No1, No1 as it were.
Saturdays own goal was definitely not his fault, it was a flukey unfortunate turn of events.
Wembley though ?- yes Sarr should not have played it back in direction of goal, but Dillon did let it go straight through him into the goal.He has to have some portion of blame for that one surely.
Made up for it very quickly with a great save, and is one of my favourite players at the moment.
Yeah, fair point about the Wembley one. I'm still not100% convinced on where the blame should be there but i suppose when i think of a goalkeeping mistake i'm psychologically thinking of saves that should be made, crosses dropped or positional errors, as opposed ot a backpass going past his foot!
Agree i didn't think that one through properly though.
All for one and one for all!
one car, ten trains, three cabs and a bus. I love following Charlton.
Soul destroying times.
never regret a tingle :-)
Thats gotta be explained. That’s proper tingle material that :-)