Charlton v Wigan | Sat 18 Jul | 12:30pm KO | Match Preview, Predictions, News & Views

Charlton Athletic v Wigan Athletic
Saturday 18th July 2020 ... 12:30pm Kick-Off
Referee: Gavin Ward (Surrey)
Last Charlton game: Charlton Athletic 2-3 Doncaster Rovers

Introduction
Football really does have a habit of stiring the emotions doesnt it, unfortunately for Charlton Athletic its never in the right way is it? - Last night saw us on the cusp of achieving yet another minor miracle under this Management team, we were promoted from League One with our own fans expecting nothing short of a titanic battle to try and survive in this tier of English football and the Championship hasn't let us down. Victory against Birmingham City would have all but secured our status in this League for another year, yet in true Charlton fashion we must do it the hard way, its still in our hands yet with two games left we're at the stage where mistakes will be punished on a scale that the most positive fan doesnt even want to think of.

Its not over, there surely has to be another twist in this tale!!

The Oppositon
Name: Wigan Athletic (13th) | Manager: Paul Cook (Win Rate: 41.8%)
Nickname: The Latics
Previous Result: Wigan Athletic 2-0 Charlton Athletic

Would like to invite all Charlton fans to the LMA Manager of the Year awards, they're about to name the winner and Jurgen Klopp of Liverpool prepares to stand and receive what is a deserved honour, blah blah blah!! - As is nealry always the way it is Premier League that will receive the focus of that award yet like Alan Curbishley, Steve Coppell, Eddie Howe and Chris Wilder there is one man that deserves absolute recognition this season then it is Paul Cook at Wigan Athletic!!

I dont need to go into detail, we all know the reasons... Wigan unfortunately are a club that can join Charlton and countless others in the Football League that have been shafted by the "owners" that run these historic clubs. Quite simply the Latics have gone from a team at Christmas that appeared destined to fight a relegation battle to the very end, to a club that now could have reached the Play-Offs had they started this impressive run of form just that little bit sooner... Of course that form runs hand in hand with the punishment dished out to clubs who drop into Administration, our opponents are a team not just desperate to claw back the twelve points they'll be deducted yet also desperate to survive, not just for themselves but for the seventy five people laid off at Wigan Athletic, the people in the background that get forgotten, ignored when scandalous actions like this are taken.

Putting my admiration to one side though and this is a game where its not just about Wigan's survival, we have our own issues so need the three points ourselves yet it will be difficult... Wigan even before Administration had turned into a team who'd kept seven clean sheets on the trot and know how to score too, their display on Tuesday night a testament of that. Yet is this where it could work in our favour...

Wigan have nothing to gain in sitting back like our last two opponents, they'll attack us and whilst they are the better team it wont be the one sided affair like the one at Griffin Park, we've proven in recent games that we can create chances, we just need to take them!!

Charlton Team News
Last Saturday would see fan unrest when the starting eleven against Reading would show key players on the bench - Naturally it meant they'd start against Birmingham but due to the rotational approach from Management they would each be withdrawn before the end of the game... You'd hope that it means we'll go into Wigan utilising those players from the off, rather than saving them until the point when there is no point in using them

Bowyer certainly gave away one clue in his post match interview last night when he admitted that Darren Pratley had picked up a slight injury prior to the equalising goal, does that mean we'll see Sam Field given a rare successive start? - Elsewhere and we saw Alfie Doughty too receiving treatment for an ankle issue which hopefully wont rule him out of this key fixture, it surely wont be Lewis Page starting in his place who is finally fit and ready, it would be a true fitting end to the season should he come and play a part that saves our statuts!!


Prediction
Well we all know the latest Wigan score and I'm happy enough to put my hand on my heart and say that it wont happen against us... Yes they'll travel down full of confidence whilst we'll be realing from the last minute equaliser against Birmingham, yet football is a funny old game and has a habit of showing a lack of interest in what clubs have achieved previously - I've honestly given up trying to predict what'll happen in this barmy relegation battle!!