Hull City v Charlton AthleticSaturday 2nd January 2021... 3pm Kick-OffReferee: Martin Coy (County Durham)IntroductionWith the clock ticking down on another year its one that we can honestly look back on and say, good riddance... Its a rarity as previous ones we can look back with highs and lows yet for obvious reasons 2020 has largely not been one of those - On and off the football pitch, the Charlton community has suffered like any other, with the loss of fans, staff, and almost the club itself, this has been one to forget. Whilst its easy to focus on the negatives though, there are also positives that we can take into the New Year; Thomas Sandgaard is our new owner and for the first time in over a decade it looks like we can enjoy the long term future of this great club
Saturday will see us starting the New Year at fellow relegated side: Hull City, if we want to earn promotion then we have to replicate the sort of form that saw us lose just three games in the 2019 half of our League One campaign... Its not going to be easy... But when has supporting this club ever been that?
The OppositionName: Hull City (3rd) |
Manager: Grant McCann
Ground: KC Stadium
Previous Result: Hull City 0-2 Portsmouth
If there is a game to mark the start of 2021 during the never ending COVID pandemic then this match up is surely the best one that can be thrown up, thats if it goes ahead that is!! - The usual festive Christmas fixture list for League One was been thrown in chaos; Hull having their previous two fixtures both on Boxing Day (at Sunderland) and on Tuesday night (hosting Lincoln City) has meant that they must face two fellow promotion chasers on another day. Lee Bowyer would confirm their failure to move this encounter to Sunday 3rd January as another attempt to alter a fixture list to suit ones needs!!
Because like the visitors to the KC Stadium this weekend, you could argue that the hosts have faltered in recent weeks... A 2-1 win at home to Doncaster Rovers left the Tigers five points clear of third place, not to mention with games in hand!! - Yet since that win on the 2nd December they've failed to win in four games, picking up just the one draw at Oxford United, three defeats would follow, coming against Shrewsbury, Blackpool and fellow promotion chasers: Portsmouth - Of course, issues with the current pandemic could well be a reason for their last two cancellations, but getting two important games moved during a bad run of form...?
Yet as mentioned already, we've been in this position before with Hull City... These two sides would meet back in June, the first encounter as part of Project Restart with each side looking to record three points and so stave off relegation - On that occasion it was a sole Jason Pearce goal that would hand all three points to the Addicks. Of course that result would ultimately condemn both sides to League One, so here we are again, this time slugging out for a chance to return to the Championship, rather than a fight to stay in it - On a personal note I've always questioned if Grant McCann is the right person to lead Hull in that attempt. Entering his fifth year as a Manager; McCann has never won promotion, with his Tigers faltering you could begin to question if that unwanted stat could yet leave Hull City in League One come May 2021!!
Charlton Team NewsWell there isnt much to report on the injury front is there? - Paul Smyth and Albie Morgan returned against Plymouth Argyle yet neither were able to make the sort of contribution that would have given us all three points; Ryan Inniss, Akin Famewo and Alfie Doughty all remain sidelined until March at the earliest, whilst there doesnt appear to be a set timeframe on the return of Andrew Shinnie having been absent since the second half against Milton Keynes!!
Naturally we enter January with the hopes of the Transfer Window and being able to make the sort of signings that can make the difference... Since the International Window closed in October there has been hope that Danish Striker: Ronnie Schwartz can make that difference, yet with this window not opening until Monday, we'll have to wait for the Accrington game next Friday before potentially seeing him, along with one other nameless figure - Moving to the squad this Saturday and there was of course much debate over Adam Matthews' inclusion at Left-Back, on that showing; Bowyer will surely believe that the decision worked (allowing Ian Maatsen to get further forward) so may well repeat the tactic this Saturday, depending on any weaknesses he may find in the opposition.
Chuks Aneke will be absent this weekend having picked up his fifth booking of the season!!
Amos
Gunter | Pratley | Pearce | Matthews
Forster-Caskey | Watson | Maatsen
Maddison
Bogle | Washington
Substitutes Bench: Maynard-Brewer | Oshilaja | Purrington | Morgan | Williams | Gilbey | Smyth
Prediction
As already mentioned, we got to this stage of the season with a similar points tally in 2018/19 but to some extent that is where the comparison could very well end - Up until January we had a number of games (like this season) where results didnt quite come off which left us on the fringes of the Play-Offs, as we all remember it was 2019 when things really started getting interesting and with just three defeats it meant we could catapult ourselves into third spot... a similar run must surely now surely happen, worst case this is a period where we really need to capitalise and turn these draws into wins, and so avoid PPG from creating a "what could have been" scenario!!
Comments
1-1 happy fucking new year
Amos
Gunter | Oshilaja | Pearce | Maatsen
Pratley
Willams JFC (Preferably Shinnie if fit)
Maddison
Bogle Washington
Gunter - Oshilaja - Pearce - Maatsen
Morgan - F.Caskey
Maddison/Williams
Bogle - Washington
F.Caskey off for Gilbey, Maddison for Wiiams and Smyth for Bogle all between 60/70 mins. Only make defensive subs if we're desperately in need of them, not to sure up a 1 goal lead.
We don't look like promotion contenders and yet there we are handily placed for push to the finish line.
I for one would like to see some consistency in team selection, players in their right positions and less disruptive rotation..
A bit more fluidity in our play and a forward line that actually worries the opposition.
Christ, in the 70's we often used to fart around in the lower reaches, but at least we had Powell, Hales and Flanagan.
I'm also sick to death of our catalogue of injuries and players who have to be "managed" and can't play the 90.
I guess that's just how it is now, but Christ, when I see a massive toned unit like Chuks being treated like best bone china I pine for the days when Killer was just given an injection and told to fucking get on with it.
2-1 Hull
Definite start for Maddison, he'll be wanting to prove to Hull how good he is after his brief stint there went so badly.
I quite like the little rivalry that there seems to have been in the last couple of years between Bowyer and McCann. Be interesting to see how this next chapter pans out.
**Not until next week
With no Chuks, this would be the perfect opportunity to stick a pacy U23 striker on the bench, but nobody seems to be knocking on the door.