Those who look for omens and auguries will recall that it was in this fixture last season that the first cracks appeared in Chris Powell's Charlton. At the time the 2 - 1 away defeat seem a mere set-back soon to be corrected in front of a bumper Valley crowd v Exeter. How wrong we were.
But this is an almost totally different Charlton squad and Chris Powell is an older and wiser manager, in large part due to the hard lessons taught since that defeat at Victoria Park.
What could have become a similar slide post Stevenage has been quickly averted by solid wins v Carlisle and away to High Wycombe. Powell played the same starting XI in both and that points to a hat-trick of unchanged teams. Dale Stephens is the most likely to make either the starting line up or bench but Powell has said that he has been carrying an injury or two as well as his new baby so don't count on it. Winning games and so sticking to the same team is officially seen as a "good thing" at CL Towers but it doesn't half make writing previews difficult.
As for Hartlepool they started very well and looked as if they could be this years Bournemouth ie the unfancied and underfunded team who breaks into the top six but they have fallen away badly in recent weeks. They have won only won one of their last five (away to Chesterfield) and not kept a clean sheet in six. 36 year old Nobby Solano has been missing from the past few squads but ex-Palace keeper Scott Flinders should give those hardy Addicks fans making the trip someone to share some "banter" with.
With Charlton making the journey to this match by plane the headlines about "high-flying Addicks" are waiting to be written. 2 - 0 to the Londoners.
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The statto bit
Charlton 1st. Highest Possible 1st, Lowest 2nd
Hartlepool 10th. Highest possible 5th; Lowest 14th
Saturday, 29 October 2011 - Selected Games
A Poolie View
http://www.pooliebunker.co.uk/newbunker/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=41391 
Comments
But thanks for the constructive feedback : - )
Are you sure about the team flying oop north, Henry ?
Steve Kavanagh said he was making them go by coach this time.....
They're going by train tomorrow afternoon.
Good feeling about this one (again) so it will no doubt be a disaster.
Lots of talk about our good disciplinary record this week. Early red card and 2-0 defeat.
And even a rugger hater like me knows that West Hartlepool play the odd shaped ball game.
Hard fought 1-1 draw I think in the cold North.
BWP with a late leveller in front of the 300 travelling hordes.
More concerned about what is the difference between an ''omen'' and an ''augury'' . (I think they both mean 'portent'...)
Away win, by three goals to nowt.
That will give us 37 pts - and with only five games left until Xmas after Sat, I predict CAFC top of the league on 25/12 with 48-50 pts.
so only a couple of years in it, then Stig
Nigel, thought you would have got the flying + augury allusion being the smart arse you are but obviously flew right over your head, literally : - )