Charlton Athletic v Plymouth ArgyleBoxing Day ... 3pm Kick-OffReferee: Andy Woolmer (Northamptonshire)IntroductionTwas the night before Christmas (well maybe a few), when all through Sparrows Lane not a centre-back was stiring, (surpisingly) not even a Full-Back?... The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hope that St. Lee soon long be there... The players were all snug in their beds, while visions of Plymouth Argyle danced in their heads!!
Memories from Swindon will of course remain for a while yet, two points thrown away as it was against Shrewsbury, the management team once again under the spotlight given the amount of late goals we've conceded these past two years - We now approach the Christmas period, a time of year where the games tend to come thick and fast; 2020 with COVID cant even do that right, our next game called off, which turns this period into a typical match week!!
The OppositionName: Plymouth Argyle (14th) |
Manager: Ryan Lowe
Nickname: The Pilgrims
Previous Result: Plymouth Argyle 1-0 Milton Keynes
A bit like my last preview we approach this match having already faced Plymouth this season... Whilst Swindon were defeated in the League Cup, it was Plymouth who proved victorious in our last encounter, it was the visitors who advanced to the second round of the FA Cup, a tie that wont go down in memory with just the one goal seperating the two teams.
Back in League action since that game though and Plymouth have very much gone from Play-Off contenders to mid-table obscurity, since winning at the Valley they've only won the single league match which came in Devon against Milton Keynes last weekend, defeats havent been tight either with scorelines being; 5-1 (Fleetwood), 4-0 (Rochdale), 3-0 (Bristol Rovers) - Of course looking forward, Plymouth do still have an FA Cup third round encounter to look forward to, they travel to Huddersfield Town having despatched Lincoln City in the second round, so could well be a season where they'll be consolidating live back in League One whilst having the lower league cup run that we occasionally see each year!!
So who from the Plymouth squad should we be wary of this Boxing Day? - The obvious choice is Luke Jephcott, top scorer with eight goals this term and was someone I'd never heard of until
@Sage's own insight for Plymouth last month - This is the youngsters first full season for the Pilgrims and has already surpassed his goal scoring abilities (in the Football League at least) having previously relied upon sporadic appearances these last two years.
Plymouth will surely see it as a job well done if he remains in the Green and White come February!!
Charlton Team NewsLee Bowyer understandably received critiscm last weekend from the fans when he made the substitutions that he did, and once again (as there is every week) there will be much focus on his team selections - The usual long term injuries remain absent from the squad, although Albie Morgan returned to training on Monday following the completion of his self-isolation...
The biggest absense has no doubt been that of on-loan midfielder: Andrew Shinnie, substituted against Milton Keynes with a tight thigh, and hasnt been seen since!! - You'd hope that he'll be back in the squad sooner rather than later, especially with bigger battles up and coming against the likes of fellow promotion chasers: Hull City and Accrington Stanley. Elsewhere and we may see a return for Paul Smyth, the attacker has since started running again following his own injury (coming at Ipswich Town) so could well be visible in the team this weekend!!
Both Alex Gilbey and Chuks Aneke remain on four bookings, should they avoid a fifth beyond the Hull fixture, they will avoid a suspension
Amos
Gunter | Oshilaja | Pearce | Maatsen
Morgan | Watson | Forster-Caskey
Maddison
Bogle | Washington
Substitutes Bench: Maynard-Brewer | Purrington | Matthews | Pratley | Gilbey | Williams | Aneke
PredictionJingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the way... Oh what fun it would be to see when Charlton win again... Eh?
Of course by now I'm not the sort to make scoreline predictions in this section, purely because I'm personally loath to ever predict a Charlton defeat. Plymouth though have been on a recent poor run, last Saturday for them could have been an end to that (allowing them to kick on), or it could have been a false dawn for their fans. The FA Cup showed that they're not going to be a team that'll sit back against us so will give space for the likes of Maddison to exploit... December though has rarely been a great month historically for the Addicks, for Plymouth its another matter, since the turn of the century they've played nineteen games (ten of those on the road) on Boxing Day, winning twelve of them!!
2020 has been a awful year, not just for Charlton Athletic, lets end it on a high with a win!!
Have a safe and Merry Christmas everyone, get drunk, be merry... stay safe
Comments
Argyle Life asked me to answer a few questions again ahead of this fixture, much of what you have wrote is what I answered to them. Not surprising that we see things similarly.
I would love to see Williams and Aneke starting, I think it’ll give the rest of the team the lift they might need from the beginning. Whether we see that or not, is another matter. Huge that Aneke doesn’t go into the book as you’ve mentioned too.
I think our home record on Boxing Day is usually quite good, the only time we have lost in recent years at home was against Ipswich back in 2012.
I am making a score prediction, and going for a 3-1 home win with Maddison finally getting on the scoresheet in the league.
Thanks for the weekend previews as always, and I hope that everyone has a very happy Christmas, 2021 will be much brighter.
Wonder if we'll see Williams starting but Aneke kept on the bench to try and avoid the suspension ahead of Hull - Agree with you over Maddison scoring, was impressed with how he played against Plymouth in the cup and got a lot of space from them
I still think we’ve got problems. 40 good mins against Wimbledon in 7 games has been a poor return. I expect to see the same sort of nervous, slow football that has besieged our team unfortunately.
I think we’ve got enough in the tank to get a draw. Hope I’m proved wrong
I really hope we see Williams starting, it also then allows Maddison a bit more of a real role without the pressure of being the person everyone expects to create something. A team who have conceded the 4th most in the league, they’re clearly vulnerable of a team goes at them. We’re at home, we can’t sit back again.
Gunter | Pratley| Pearce | Maatsen
Williams| Watson | Forster-Caskey
Maddison | Aneke| Washington
This is the team I hope for, although pretty sure that will be too attacking for Bowyer currently
Plymouth will have seen from the likes of the mighty MK, Burton, Shrewsbury and Swindon how to get something out of us - the question they have to ask is are they bad enough to nick a point or 3? One place above Wimbledon so we ought to win, but then they have lost 6 of their last 7 league games and before last weekend hadn't won in the league since before they knocked us out of the cup, beating Swindon 1-0. Yeah, this has Boxing Day disappointment written all over it.
or a glorious 2-1 victory hanging on with 11 men behind the ball .
1-1 it is then at least we didn’t lose zzzzzzzz
thanks to sage and foreveroptimistic for their previews , Merry Christmas to you all x
Thanks for all the intelligent previews over the past difficult 12 months
CAFC 2 v Plymouth Argyle 0
1-0 Charlton. Aneke.
Thanks FA.
Amos
Osh Pratley Pearce
Gunter Maatsen
Watson
Maddison Williams/Morgan/Gilbey
Aneke Washington
Perhaps for the first time, fans are keeping an eye on Bowyer's decisions and balls than the players' heart and work rate.
Aneke's body can handle a start. He has played 155mins in 3 weeks. Telling your best player that he's better from the bench will not keep his confidence/motivation sky high. We just need to not start the game half asleep and wait to play once down.
Please make Lee Bowyer pick our first eleven and not leave our best two players on the bench every bloody week..
Yours
Grumpy
Amos
Subs: Maynard-Brewer, Matthews, Pratley, Purrington, F.Caskey, Morgan, Washington,
You would think/hope that LB on reflection on the last few matches must recognise that going to a back 7 in the last 20 minutes is suicide....
Fingers crossed that he learns as I love the fella but have no doubt he's feeling some pressure from Thomas who wants success.
3 nil to the Addicks. 🤞