Charlton Athletic v Lincoln CityTuesday 4th May 2021
Kick-Off: 19.00pm
Live on Charlton TV (Valley Pass)Previous Result: Lincoln City 2-0 Charlton Athletic (Grant 45+1', Montsma 88')Referee: Kevin Johnson - Previously officiated Charlton in our 3-2 home loss to Gillingham where he sent off Aneke for two bookable offences.
IntroductionAs this is likely to be my final preview of the season (unless we somehow secure a play-off spot), I'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has contributed and supported throughout what has been a really difficult season for us all. It's been a great sharing the responsibilities with
@ForeverAddickted too. Not being able to attend matches has been an enormous challenge for many. It's the release from reality and life's struggles that we so often need. I hope that these previews have allowed some of us to feel that tiny bit closer to the team, getting up for the matches, and keeping interest high. But my main hope is that when I next write a preview, we will be back. Back supporting the team and making the most of it. Let's look forward to that.
Make no mistake about it, Charlton will always do things the hard way. After an awful game to watch away at Accrington Stanley, Adkins' Addicks have it all to do and have to hope that we get a favour along the way if we manage to do our own bit. Performances, and of course results, haven't really been good enough to warrant a place in this season's play-offs, yet we are still in the running at this stage. Make your own conclusion from that... Next up, our penultimate game at The Valley and of the season, we face a side who have already secured their place in the play-offs. A game that really is win or bust for us, we take on what were the first opponents from the Sandgaard era, Lincoln City.
OppositionManager: Michael Appleton (43.5% win rate)
Stadium: LNER StadiumLeague Position: 4th | Nickname(s): The ImpsForm: WWWLWDLincoln travelled to promotion winners Peterborough United on Saturday, drawing 3-3 after being 3-0 up. Their line up was:
Palmer
Poole | Montsma | Eyoma | Bramall
Rogers | Bridcutt | Grant
Anderson | Hopper | Scully
Lincoln will travel to The Valley with the best away record in the division. Even after throwing away an incredible 3-0 lead at Peterborough on Saturday, a result that secured The Posh's promotion to The Championship, The Imps are a serious force away from home having only lost 3 games on the road all season. Regarding their form, every club in this league will go through spells of poor form or a 'blip'. Lincoln's happened between the beginning of February and the end of March. A spell of 13 games saw them pick up only 12 points, and from looking like a side who would get automatic promotion, Lincoln were in danger of falling out the top six completely. They've since won 4 of their last 6, and will be pushing to finish as high up as possible. The Imps have kept 18 clean sheets this season, 11 of them coming away from home including at Hull, Portsmouth, and our most recent opponents, Accrington Stanley. Everything points to this being a very tough game.
Lincoln have some excellent players at this level as you would expect from a side who could feel disappointed not to be finishing in the top 2. Goals and assists coming throughout the team means the threats they pose will be coming from all directions on Tuesday evening. Jorge Grant, who scored their opener back in September, was selected in EFL League One Team of the Season. The former Nottingham Forest midfielder has 17 goals and 12 assists in all competitions thus far. Incredibly impressive from the 26 year-old who finds himself out of contract in the summer. Whatever league Lincoln are in next season, you would expect Grant to be plying his trade at a decent Championship club in 2021/22. The same could be said for Anthony Scully. The winger who signed from West Ham United U23s in 2020 has had a wonderful season, scoring 16 and assisting 9 in all competitions, including finding the net twice on Saturday against Peterborough. He too is out of contract in the summer. Finally, another who has set The Imps alight this season is Brennan Johnson. On-loan from Nottingham Forest, the 19 year-old attacking midfielder has 12 goals and 13 assists in all competitions this season. Whether young Johnson will be fit for Tuesday remains to be seen. A hamstring issue saw him out of their trip to London Road on Saturday.
Charlton Team News
The Charlton team that played in Sandgaard's first game as owner away at Lincoln will be very, very different to the one which will play on Tuesday night. A goal which was as offside as you could imagine put the home side ahead on the stroke of half-time before a late set-piece ensured Lincoln would keep the points in Lincolnshire back in September. The Addicks lined up: Amos; Barker, Oshilaja, Famewo, Purrington; Oztumer, Pratley, Levitt, Doughty; Bonne, Washington. in fact, including the bench, you could argue only 8 of that 18 will be involved on Tuesday night. A huge change in a single season.
Chuks Aneke came on and scored the equaliser against Accrington Stanley on Saturday, and will be looking to finally get a start under Adkins on Tuesday. We all know the impact Aneke makes from the bench, we all know about his injury history too. In a game where only 3 points will do, it would be a shame if Aneke does not play from the start even if he has only started a mind-boggling 11 games this season. He's the type of player who on his day, if he turns it on, is unplayable against any defender in this division.
Ben Watson was left out of the squad on Saturday due to the conditions of the game and the pitch, and to allow him to be ready for Tuesday evening. It would be wise to assume the midfielder will be drafted back in for fellow experience head, Darren Pratley. Ryan Inniss completed 90 minutes without really seeming in any pain so would hope that he will be fit and ready to go again, he should partner captain Jason Pearce as Adkins is likely to match up Lincoln and return to his favoured 4-3-3 formation. With that, Purrington could come back in at left-back which would see Maatsen pushed higher up as a winger. Diallang Jaiyesimi has returned to outside training, but may not be ready in time for this game.
Subs: Maynard-Brewer, Gunter, Famewo, Pratley, Morgan, Washington, Aneke
May the fourth be with us! We're in for a tough game and will need all luck and superstitions on our side to give ourselves something to play for when league winners Hull City travel to The Valley on Sunday 9th May. Before that, we have a small matter of Lincoln to overcome, and that is not going to be easy. Everything is telling me not to get my hopes up and to be realistic, the play-off dream will come to an end on Tuesday. Our home form is just not good enough and will be the reason for us to miss out. However, this is Charlton and it wouldn't be us if we didn't manage to pull a result out the bag, and leave the tiny glimmer of hope lasting until the final day of the season just to be hurting come 2pm next Sunday. A dramatic late winner...
Charlton Athletic 2-1 Lincoln City
Stockley
Aneke
Comments
1-3
Then we get to see how committed TS really is.
It'll be an interesting summer I hope.
1-3
COYR
3-0 defeat
0-3 to the mighty Lincoln City
But I never want us to lose.... but I just want to be put out of my misery this season.
But, if we play like we did against Peterborough, just with a better clinical edge, we can win this and win comfortably.
But then we have to find what we had against Plymouth, but I don't think that's possible.... but we could.
'but' kind of sums up the season for me.
CAFC 3 LCFC 2
Amos
matthews Inniss Famewo purrington
morgan Gilbey JFC Millar
Chuks Washington
PL13 W4 D5 L4 GD-2 PTS17
Without digging out your virtual programmes, or pulling up your search engines, who are the other two? :-)
Charlton 0-3 Lincoln
As there's nothing to play for now (realisicly )I would only play players who I want to keep for next season.
Can't see the point of using players who are not going to feature nest year.
3.1 Lincoln as we are just not good enough.
We'll be lucky to scrape a draw.
3-1.
Whoops.
That was before they pulled the wool over everyone's eyes.
Now they're the 3rd best team in the League, both position & form wise AND all their players are fit including their top goalscorer
1-3. Grant with one, and upon scoring lifts up his shirt to find a t-shirt underneath with a picture of Jonny Rotten & his immortal words......." ever get the feeling you've been cheated".
If we finish two points short the missed penalities will haunt us especially the Oxford one. The dozen gift goals didn't help.
6 wins out of 21 home games so far is relegation form. Lee Bowyer couldn't find a solution and was also worn out trying, so the problem is now Nigel Adkins and his coaches. A myriad of reasons in my book but the biggest reason for me is the striker with the most goals to minutes played in League 1, Chuks Aneke.
He never seems to break down in a match like Lewis Page did on a regular basis but playing 15 minutes when we need him is baffling.
Is it a groin strain ? Calf, back ? Maybe we can be told ?
No more slagging off the 3rd tier saying its Shite: it's where we are and where we will play next Season. We have no right, just like Sunderland to assume we should be a Championship club because we have a Championship ground and support.
Just like the ESL idea, which was wrong because of entitlement. Charlton need to