IntroductionLife is never straightforward as a Charlton fan, and the last week and a half has proven just that; Unfortunate against Preston, a no show for the visit to Rotherham, and then you could argue we were touch fortunate against Bolton - The 2-1 victory at the Toughsheet Stadium has meant that the Addicks are once again just four points away from the Play-Offs... That reward constantly seems so close to hand, yet always so far away... With plenty of points still on offer, anything can yet happen in this roller-coaster of a campaign!!
The OppositionName: Shrewsbury Town (22nd) - Manager: Gareth AinsworthGround: The New MeadowPrevious League Result: Shrewsbury 2-1 WrexhamUp next for Charlton, is Shrewsbury Town who'll be visiting the Valley with a little bit of their own confidence.
After all its been a bit of a tough campaign for Salop who find themselves battling to survive in League One this season, they're currently six points away from safety (albeit with a game in hand) - Yet come into this fixture off a decent run of form, they've lost just the once since mid-December, a 1-0 defeat at Leyton Orient meaning that there could be light at the end of the tunnel for those fans visiting from Shropshire this weekend.
Overseeing this run of form, is Gareth Ainsworth who replaced the sacked Paul Hurst on the 13th November; Ainsworth is of course no stranger to this Division having won promotion with Wycombe Wanderers in 2019/20. However after his disastrous reign at Queens Park Rangers, he's now back in League One trying to restore the slight damage done to his reputation, and based on current results is potentially achieving just that.
John Marquis leads the line for Shrewsbury and scored twice last Thursday in an impressive victory over Wrexham, although he did miss a penalty (Where have we seen that before) and so miss out on his hat-trick - Lets hope that the prolific Striker continues to have a torrid time at the Valley this Saturday, with both sides desperate for the three points.
Charlton Team NewsOur performance against Rotherham last Saturday looked to be the sort of display from a group of players who'd played too much Football of late, with some individuals in need of a rest - It would therefore be understandable for some to be replaced for the clash with Bolton on Tuesday night, yet instead Nathan Jones gave his players a chance of a reprieve... It didnt quite work in Lancashire and it was the substitutes who rescued the match for us on Tuesday evening, so Jones must now decide whether to stick, or twist.
One name who surely wont start is Chuks Aneke, so we can expect to see a continuation of Tyreece Campbell and Miles Leaburn up top... Behind them we may see Karoy Anderson given a start, after he "scored" the winner at Bolton - Elsewhere, both Tennai Watson and Kayne Ramsay have returned to full fitness and are available for selection again... Does Jones decide to shake up a defence which usually so reliable, has instead conceded five in the last two matches?
Maynard-Brewer
A.Mitchell - Jones - Edwards
Ramsay - Coventry - Docherty - Small
Anderson
T.Campbell - Leaburn
Substitutes Bench: Mannion - Edmonds-Green - Gillesphey - Berry - Kanu - Aneke - Godden
Comments
- Charlton Athletic are unbeaten across their last six league games against Shrewsbury Town (W4 D2), keeping five clean sheets in that time and conceding just one goal in total.
- Shrewsbury Town have won just one of their last nine away league games against Charlton Athletic (D3 L5), conceding 2.2 goals on average during that time. Just three times this century have the Shrews conceded six goals in a league match, the last of which came against the Addicks at the Valley in April 2023 (6-0).
- Charlton have lost just two of their last 19 home league games (W7 D10), though have scored more than two goals in just one of those matches.
- Since April last year, Shrewsbury have won just one of their 16 away league games (D6 L9), a 5-3 win against Crawley in October.
https://www.efl.com/news/2025/january/23/sky-bet-league-one--pre-match-stat-pack/I’d also keep Berry in, we are going to have a lot more of the ball than we normally do against Shrewsbury and he is one of our better players with the ball at his feet. Anderson is better suited for games where we will have less of the ball
Absolute must win, no excuses.
Worryingly I'll be turning up not only expecting a win, but to be entertained, too. Never learn!
If we really want to make this season one of contention then there’s no excuses and there needs to be no slip ups here. Only concern is how Shrewsbury raised their game recently v Wrexham
1-0 to the Addicks or a 1-1 draw.
Believe we will win but will be a scrappy affair with a team fighting for survival.
2-1 Leaburn and Doc
As in very far away!
1-0 masterclass in meh!!!
A win for us after another hard fought afternoon. Probably we'll be unchanged again after the Bolton win, barring injuries. As an aside, I was pleased that Maynard-Brewer had a good game v Bolton, let's hope that was a good boost to his confidence.
The best I can say is 1-1
It's not ben great viewing to be fair, our recent performances have been long coming, and we seem to be finding our true form.
Another run of wins has to happen for our hopes of getting into the top 6.
As a seasonal Charlton TV subscriber, I was wondering if I an eligible for any discount for tickets?