Charlton Athletic v Peterborough United
Tuesday 11th February 2025
Kick-Off: 19:45
Live on Sky Sports+
Referee
Lee Swabey - Officiated two previous Charlton games at The Valley this season, both wins against Wanderers 2-0 against Bolton and 2-1 against Wycombe.
Introduction
Saturday was probably about as comfortable as a 2-0 win can be. The run of wins, and our general run of form, continues to grow and with that so does confidence and belief that we can get into the play-offs this season. And that early kick off win against an otherwise solid defence of Stevenage leaves us sitting in 6th place. Things are looking good right now, let's hope it continues. Next up at The Valley is a team that everyone was expecting to be challenging at the 'right' end of the table, but instead they're sitting just one place outside the bottom four. Peterborough United travel to SE7 on Tuesday night with the Addicks looking to make it 6 from 7.
Opposition
Stadium: Weston Homes Stadium
Manager: Darren Ferguson
Nickname(s): The Posh
Fun fact: Peterborough's always been a club associated with goals and in the season 1960/61, they scored 134 goals, the most in any English professional league.
Form: LDDLWL
Previous result: A 3-1 defeat away from home against our last Tuesday night (under the lack of floodlights at The Valley) opponents, Bristol Rovers. Their line up was:
Bilokapic
Johnston - Hughes - Nevett - Edun
Susoho - Collins
Odoh - Conn-Clarke - Jones
Lindgren
The Posh are massively underperforming this season, sitting just one place outside the relegation zone. In fact, they're in a similar position as to what we were last year. Hoped to be fighting for something good and yet find themselves at the wrong end and looking very nervously over their shoulder. It could be said that Peterborough's season has fallen apart, catastrophically, since their biggest threat and one the best players in the league, Poku, got injured in their game against Burton back in December. Since then, they've picked up 9 points from 13 games. The Addicks have picked up 25 in the same timeframe.
However, Peterborough's season isn't just down to a single player being unavailable (although their owner recently compared the loss to as if Liverpool lost Salah for a prolonged period of time). The Posh have a very young team, the youngest average age in the league, and their away form is horrendous picking up just 8 points on the road all season. Only bottom of the league and rivals, Cambridge, have worse. With the run of form they've been on and with our own form, especially at home, this is going to be seen as a huge opportunity for us to make that play-off place even stronger come 10pm on Tuesday. Additionally, manager Darren Ferguson recently criticised his squad following their 5-1 away defeat at Lincoln. Fergie Jnr said he was embarrassed and they're the softest group of players he's ever managed. Not quite sure that's going to help this young group improve, but he knows them better.
As in every preview I put together, no team in this league are without their strengths and threats that can cause us problems, and as mentioned, Peterborough are always a team associated with goals. Scoring 45 so far and conceding a shocking 55, they're the only team in the 92 to have had 100 goals in their games so far this season. Up front they're based around pace and flair, Ricky Jade-Jones is rapid, the injured Poku too, and Mothersille and former Charlton academy player, Odoh, aren't slow either. Behind the main striker is Conn-Clarke. The attacking midfielder scored over 20 goals in the National League for Altrincham last season but has yet to open his account for The Posh, hopefully that can wait a little longer beyond Tuesday night. Other notable players who are otherwise usually very good for the level are Archie Collins and Hector Kyprianou in midfield, whilst they've got young Man City loanee Susoho coming into the side of late. There will be the return of Tayo Edun too on Tuesday night just 26 days after leaving us.
Charlton Team News
Matty Godden made it 3 in 3 as Nathan Jones named yet another unchanged starting eleven. The striker's instincts in and around the 6 yard box is as good as we have seen in the Addicks red for quite some time. It doesn't matter the level we are at, or been at, Godden's ability to find space and ultimately find the net from reactions or balls across the box is outstanding. His game has really been complemented by TC's and Small's ability to get to the byline, but so has our all round game stepped up a notch or two as well. There are so many players at the moment playing well that it a) makes things easier for Jones and backs up his point for wanting to work with a smaller group, and b) helps build a siege mentality that we are really looking to achieve something come the end of May.
As Godden will be looking to make it 4 in and 4, at least, and 2 in 2 against former clubs, as well as Berry scoring the second at the weekend, you would anticipate Jones will be looking to keep the same eleven. I think Gilbert will have to wait a few more days, at least, to make his first start for the club as Birmingham on Saturday is going to be a very different game to this midweek one. Another clean sheet would be perfect to go along with 3 points as we look to strengthen our place in the play-offs, and with Huddersfield not playing until Saturday, a win will put us 5th. I think we will get the 3 points and go 5th, but I think we will also concede.
AMB
Ramsay - Jones - Gillesphey
Small - Docherty - Coventry - Edwards
Berry
Godden - TC
Mannion, McIntyre, Mitchell, Gilbert, Aneke, Kanu, Leaburn
Charlton Athletic 3-1 Peterborough United
Godden
TC
Aneke
Comments
2-0 Charlton.
I am always a glass half full character but despite that I still have that nagging feeling that we quite often find a banana skin under our feet once in a while…..let’s hope my fears don’t materialise and we get the very important victory we are all expecting.🤞🤞🤞
3-1
Godden, Leaburn , Gilbert - Edun for them because of course.
If we can scrape a win by hook or by crook - it doesn't matter -
Win this and we start to get a bit sticky in the top 6.
Nothing runs smoothly with Charlton I refuse to get hope or belief even off the ground.
Feel Peterborough believed their own hype around finding rough diamonds a bit too much this season and bought in so many untried young kids from non league.
7-0 Charlton. Godden with all of them.
I refuse to believe
I refuse to believe
I refuse to believe
I refuse to believe
I refuse to believe
I refuse to believe
I refuse to believe
I refuse to believe
0-1
2-1
Seriously i'm going for a 3-0 win ( Godden , TC and Leaburn)
Gonna go for 2-0. Leaburn and Gilbert.
I would be over the moon if Berry scores another goal, ecstatic if this is from a Gillesphey cross field raking pass and will happily take recommendations from other posters now familiar with humble pie retailers following our recent turnaround under Nutter Jones should we also keep a clean sheet.