MacGillivray
Matthews – Inniss – Famewo – Gunter
Clare – Dobson
Morgan
Jaiyesimi – Stockley – Washington
Substitutes Bench: Harness – Pearce – Elewere –
Watson – Clayden – Davison – Ghandour
Prediction
Charlton
Athletic v Sheffield Wednesday
Saturday 7th
August 2021 ... 5:30pm Kick-Off
Referee: Will
Finnie
Introduction
Three months ago the 2020/21 season ended on a
slightly low note; Oxford United beating us to the last Play-Off spot on the narrowest
margins: goal difference. It resulted in the Addicks being forced to once again
watch another team being awarded the League trophy on the hallowed Valley turf
– This Saturday marks the beginning of a brand new season; Sheffield Wednesday
will be the visitors, what a MASSIVE way to start the season.
The fight for second place and a return to the
Championship starts right here, right now…
Well provided you’re reading this at 5:30pm on
Saturday, otherwise those words are a bit, you know, anticlimactic.
The Opposition
Name: Sheffield Wednesday | Manager: Darren Moore
Ground: Hillsborough
Previous Meeting: Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 Charlton Athletic
August is the time of year when ninety two league
clubs can start anew, it doesn’t matter what transpired previously, and
everyone gets a fresh start, with previous results and league positions
consigned to the history books…
Sheffield Wednesday on the other hand potentially
find themselves in a similar sort position to the Addicks last term in the
sense that they’re under a transfer embargo, the difference on this occasion is
the fact that the Owls can still bring in free transfers and loan players which
means they have been able to strengthen ahead of the new season.
In terms of those players its worth firstly
mentioning Right Back: Jack Hunt who returns to the club after a three year
spell at Bristol City, whilst the pick of the loan signings so far has to be
Goalkeeper: Bailey Peacock-Farrell… As understudy to Nick Pope at Burnley, it
was always going to be difficult for Bailey to get first team action so it’s
commendable that he’s preferred to drop to League One rather than pick up his
wages. It’s also worth noting that he’ll be well aware of our very own Conor Washington;
given the two are International team-mates for Northern Ireland.
Whilst its always worth having sympathy for any team
(especially those with ownership troubles), it’s also quite an ironic first
game of the season for both these teams, especially when you consider how the
Championship season ended two years ago. Of course the Addicks must move on
from that relegation season and put it behind us…
But facing the Sheffield Wednesday in League One,
really does feel like a bit of justice at the very least.
Charlton Team
News
Well it really feels as though Nigel Adkins comments
on the final day of the season have potentially been taken slightly out of
context, the Charlton Manager would mimic Jimmy Seed when we watched Hull’s
celebrations by declaring that he wanted those scenes to be of Charlton
celebrations come April next season.
Unfortunately it perhaps built up expectations of a
squad overhaul that simply hasn’t happened. Whether that’s due to COVID or
other matters, we’ll quite simply we’ll never know but on the basis of
pre-season it does look as though we go into the season strong at least in the
starting eleven, yet weak in backup, especially if we have another injury
crisis like what we’ve seen these past two seasons.
For the most part the main outgoings have been
replaced by incomings, albeit apart from Chuks Aneke (although he and Jayden
Stockley rarely started up front together) – George Dobson and Craig
MacGillivray the newest additions to the Charlton ranks, whilst Sean Clare
makes a return to the team having spent time at the Academy. Of course pre-season always allows the current youngsters an opportunity to impress and force their way into the Managers plans, could it be the turn of Deji Elewere, Charles Clayden and Hady Ghandour this time around?
Be prepared for some celebrations in a corner of the Middle East if the latter does achieve success, given his goal against Reading.
Comments
I think we’ll win 1-0 they’ve done a lot of business the last week so they’ll have selection dilemmas and perhaps players who aren’t ready yet.
Stockley 1-0
Terrific preview as ever FA .. Been looking forward to this day for months, fans back in the Valley, good new players, tough opposition, get in there !!!
CAFC 2 v Owls of Sheffield 1
I think Gomes will sign something and be on the bench probably in place of Ghandour.
No idea what team Wednesday will field they still have some players they need to shift, they also have players that might not be risked pending departure.
The occasion is more of a worry to me than the massive, we have a history of not turning up.
But it's the real start of a new era. 3-0 the addicks.
Yes we concede but bag our first three points without picking up any injuries.
Stockley & Jaiyesimi open their accounts.
Decent first XI, squad is pretty paper thin and needs bulking out.
Would take a draw now
0-1.😔
Fanewo is the only 'leftie' in the team and doesn't take corners or set plays although Clayden and Pearce are on the bench.I am concerned that we won't be able to mix it up a bit.
Gunter covering Left Back makes this problem more acute although to be fair he has played for Wales in this position in the last 12 months and been picked for the land of our fathers over left footed players. I also noted on Saturday he did deliver a couple of left footed crosses into the box.
For this reason I hope we do give Gomes a deal maybe until January unless we have someone else in mind. Ideally I would like a couple in the squad because last season we had Doughty, JFC, Maddison and Maatsen.
If we accept that Clayden replaces Doughty. That still leaves us three short. There was a reason that Bowyer tried to sign Shane Ferguson and Josh Morris on deadline day last January.
Left footed players are comparitively rare.
Yesterday someone posted a made up rumour about Burton's Joe Powell. He would certainly have ticked the left.footed box although I have no memory of him.
That said, without a doubt our Left side is substantially weaker than our right side - I like Washington but he's not really a winger, and he's worse on the LW as he's so right-footed!