Miles Leaburn’s quality finish as a late substitute on Saturday afternoon saw the 21 year old reach 30 goals in all competitions for the club.

Leaburn joins an exclusive list of 7 other players who reached that milestone at the age of 21 years old or less.

Dai Astley – 1928 – 1931 – 32 goals

Eddie Firmani – 1951 – 1955 – 51 goals

Stuart Leary – 1951 – 1955 – 50 goals

Keith Peacock – 1962 – 1967 – 30 goals

Paul Walsh – 1979 – 1982 – 31 goals

Robert Lee – 1984 – 1988 – 30 goals

Mark Stuart – 1984 – 1988 – 31 goals

Miles Leaburn – 2022 – 2025 – 30 goals

Well played Miles.

We are now into the last third of the regular season and Charlton’s middle section of the season has seen them move into around the Play Offs places, which gives those fans something to look forward to, unlike the previous 3 seasons where the campaign was heading towards midtable or in the case of 12 months ago a possible relegation battle.

What’s left then? 7 at home with Huddersfield being the only side to head to the Valley, above Charlton in the league table, with the other 6 sitting 10th or below. As mentioned before home form will be key, if Charlton wish to be in the top 6 by the end of play on the 3rd May.

8 games away from home appear to be stronger tests when you look at the table. 4 trips to the current top 6 in Wrexham, Wycombe, Stockport and Leyton Orient. Those last 2 the next away games to face. The proverbial six point clashes. The remaining 4 trips against sides 16th or below, with 3 of those sides in the bottom 5 and fighting to avoid relegation. No easy games on the road but no reason why a dozen points at least from those 8 can’t be achieved.

On the injury front it’s looking excellent, bar Ashley Maynard-Brewer who was withdrawn at Halftime last Saturday at Birmingham with a groin injury. Fair play to all concerned that we have a fairly clean bill of health.

The possibility of suspensions is something to bear in mind as well at this stage of the season with Conor Coventry 1 booking and Luke Berry 2 bookings away from 2 game bans. However this is up to and including the 37th League game of the campaign. Fingers crossed with those two.

And finally we have one more international break left. That coincides with the Peterborough away game on the 22nd of next month. The home game in November was called off with less than a week’s notice when Thierry Small, Karoy Anderson and Kaheim Dixon were called up to represent their respective countries. Conor Coventry was called by the Republic of Ireland at very short notice as well. We will have an answer on that fixture nearer the time if it needs to be rearranged.

A crowd of around six thousand Charlton fans walked out of the Valley on a cold Tuesday night in December wondering what was happening after a 2-1 home defeat to Crawley Town. Left in 12th place with 22 points after 17 games played, and watching football that was being sent up from front to back on a regular basis was not something Charlton fans are used to regularly watching.

Now i have no idea what happens at Sparrows Lane, but does make me wonder if a lot of frustration was vented by the playing staff and management on how things were going after that defeat, as a vast improvement has been witnessed in the much improved style of football and the excellent run of results that has followed.

The midfield are now more involved, Greg Docherty being a prime example of that. Thierry Small being moved to the right wing back role has proved to be an excellent decision, Lloyd Jones back in the side after injury and having a settled staring eleven for the majority of those 12 games has helped with the continuity as well.

25 points from the last 12 games has been no fluke. Okay every team needs a bit of luck on the way (The games versus Bolton and Shrewsbury could have seen us with no points from those 2 fixtures) but in my opinion you make your own luck and if you have a happy ship and everyone is content with the roles they are being asked to perform, then you are more productive.

Still a long way to go this season but since that game in early December, at least we are now all enjoying what we are witnessing.

Another Charlton Athletic home win on Saturday lunchtime has taken them into the top 6 for the first time since September and it’s that home win column that has been a plus for Charlton so far this season and will be over the next 8 home games

So 15 league games played at home as it stands with the addicks on 8 wins, 5 draws and 2 defeats (29 points) at the Valley with 8 clean sheets coming from those games as well.

No games are won on paper but with only one team to come to the Valley who are currently above them (Huddersfield) and the other 7 currently 10th or below in the table, then you want to be getting as many as points as possible to take off the pressure away from home, especially when have to travel to the top 4 in the League in the remaining 9 away games.

3 points this Tuesday night v Peterborough will take the pressure off the trip to Birmingham on Saturday. 20 points from those home games and a minimum of half a dozen points away from home, should see Charlton with a couple of Play Off semi finals to look forward to

The January (Up to the 3rd February) transfer window is now complete at Charlton Athletic and it’s a smaller squad that Nathan Jones has it his disposal with 18 league games remaining with the addicks currently in 7th place in League One and on a fantastic run with 22 points from their last 11 games played.

2 new loans were brought in on deadline day, both from the Championship. Alex Gilbert a 23 year old Midfielder from Middlesbrough and 26 year old Tom McIntyre a 26 year old Left sided defender from Portsmouth.

Jones mentioned last month he was looking to bring in quality, so no doubt then that these two will walk into the starting eleven starting this Saturday. Jones has also mentioned they he does not like developing other clubs players, but at their ages how much more development do they need. Just win games.

Now to the other part of the window, the Out’s. 8 in total. 3 loans, 1 recalled from his loan and then off to Scotland, 2 gone after their short term contracts expired, 1 on undisclosed terms and 1 sold for a Undisclosed fee to Leyton Orient.

From those have that departed it seems to be either they needed minutes elsewhere or the others were either not pushing for a starting eleven place on a regular basis, or if a bit of money is being offered for a player then thank you very much especially if that opinion is they can disposed off without effecting your strongest eleven. Which happened 2 years ago in this window with O’Connell and Stockley in their view.

Now what’s left. 21 players. 2 Keepers, 8 defenders, 5 midfielders and 6 forwards. Gone to far in the term of numbers? Possibly if injuries and suspensions kick in and then we start to slide back towards mid table.

Should we have been more bold in the window like one or two other clubs? That’s a question for the Senior Management team. That online meeting they held last month should have been held after this window was closed so more questions could have thrown at them. By holding in it the middle of the window, means they throw away loads of those questions on the transfer business, with lets see where we are. That goes for the one they hold in August as well. Next season if you are going to do these meetings have them in the middle of September and February.

So 18 league games left plus a possibility of Play Off games in May. Do we stand a chance of getting promoted? Of course but like all sides it will need a little bit of blooming luck to go there way if the next stop is the Championship.

XI:

Dean Kiely, John Humphrey, Chris Powell, Peter Shirtliff, Richard Rufus, Colin Walsh, Mark Kinsella, Claus Jensen, Robert Lee, Derek Hales, Clive Mendonca

Subs: Darren Bent, Scott Parker, Mark Reid

Hard to leave out the likes of Bob Bolder, Paul Walsh, Colin Powell, Nicky Johns, Yann Kermorgant, Paulo Di Canio etc

Manager:

A choice from two here, but after 15 years in charge and 7 of those seasons in the Premier League it has to be Alan Curbishley. Relegated the following season after he went which showed the man’s legacy of how good he was with Charlton

Lennie Lawrence just behind him and what a job the man did with us playing away from our home, getting us promoted to the First Division for the first time since 1957 and then spending 4 years in the top flight against all odds. Found some wonderful players in his just under 9 years with Charlton.

Moment:

5th December 1992. Back at the Valley after 7 long years away from home. Colin Walsh’s winner v Portsmouth still brings goosebumps to myself every time I watch that goal back plus Brian Moore’s iconic commentary.

Game:

The 1998 Play Off Final v Sunderland is now 25 years old but there won’t be many better games at Wembley than that one. From Mendonca’s Hat Trick to Ilic’s save in the shootout, 8 goals, 13 consecutive scored penalties and Richard Rufus first goal of his career. Premier League football will be at the Valley.

The scenes arriving back on the train to Charlton Station and then drinks in the Royal Oak. What a day.

Nickname:

Derek ‘Killer’ Hales – Deadly in front of goal and the clubs highest ever goalscorer with 168 goals plus a man who loved to go out Shooting with his shotgun in his spare time hunting for pheasants.

Hard Man:

Eddie Youds – A man not to worry about reputations of international strikes from throwing Michael Owen into the dugouts at Anfield to giving Dennis Bergkamp a rough time which had Arsene Wenger moaning about it (He saw that then! Selective vision) and on his debut v Nottingham Forest’s Pierre Van Hooijdonk where he welcomed himself to the Valley faithful. Top man who likes a pint.

Song/Chant:

No it’s not Addicks to Victory you will be glad to read. A choice of two which I can’t split between. The Red Red Robin being played as the teams walk out or Valley Floyd Road sang to the song of Wings, Mull of Kintyre by the Covered End Choir and the rest of the ground

Special mention to the Andy Hunt song about him playing up front and having a name like a fanny! Bernie Taupin never wrote anything like that as good for Elton John.

Cult Hero:

Charlie Wright who played in goal in the sixties. Proper entertainer who would swing from the crossbar and have a chat with the home crowd whilst the ball was up the other end. Prone to the odd howler with a shot between his legs.

If coins got thrown at him by opposition fans he would pick them up, put them in his flat cap and give them to the kids at the front behind the terraces

Ran a cafe for a while in Greenwich.

Season:

1999/2000 – After being relegated from the Premier League Charlton still had a strong squad minus Danny Mills but a big plus in the signing of goalkeeper Dean Kiely from Bury.

Charlton went on to win the First Division title with 91 points despite not winning their final last 7 games of the season.

12 consecutive league wins from Boxing Day to the beginning of March pulled them 12 to 13 points at the top of table away from Ipswich and Manchester City to give them that buffer.

Andy Hunt was the man main up front that season with 25 goals in all competitions after Clive Mendonca’s last game away at QPR in December

Owner:

Roger Alwen – A club director from 1987/1988 who become Chairman of the Football club the following season and saw us back home to the Valley as Chairman along with the other directors in 1992.

Happy 57th Birthday (14/10). When you think back to that promotion winning season of 1997/1998, then the centre midfield pair would always be him and Mark Kinsella. Jones would play in all Charlton’s games that season bar a couple of league games and a League cup fixture (Kinsella ever present) and the pair dovetailed superbly and was part of that spine from the start of that season (Rufus, Jones, Kinsella, Mendonca) and that would see us in the Premier League.

Jones came in from Southend United (Where he played with Chris Powell) for £150,000 in September 1994 and ended up playing over 80 appearances in the following three seasons but it was that 97/98 season where he will be fondly remembered, with Kinsella and ended up with 3 league goals (Winner v Man City, Crewe and Swindon, all at home).

The Play off final v Sunderland with his ball from inside our own half to find Super Clive to make it 2 each. and hiss penalty in the shoot out to Perez’s right. Fully deserved.

Then into the Premier League where he ended up playing 23 times (10 as sub) and that famous winning goal at home v Liverpool.

Keith finished his Charlton career with another promotion (1999/2000, 17 league games) back to the top flight before leaving on a free transfer at the age of 35 to Reading after 176 appearances for the club.

Underrated? Possibly by some but every team needs a Keith Jones in their starting eleven. Never shirked a challenge. A proper professional who gave his all for the shirt. Happy Birthday Keith.

Well it’s been a while since I have done a blog on this account, but no better time with the season coming to an end. This season has been a poor one especially with some of the noise coming out of the club during the summer, so from next season what is required to gain promotion to the championship.

Well let’s look back at the last 4 Promotions for starters. First of all in all of those campaigns one person would score over 20 League goals. From Mendonca, Hunt, Wright-Phillips and Taylor, they knew where the net was, but also they each played over 40 League games in those seasons. Our top league scorer is Washington on 10 goals from 28 league games

You need your best players playing over 75% of your league games if you want to be good. Okay we could go and sign 6 players who could do that, but they have to be bloody good otherwise you may as well sign a bunch of marathon runners. Fit but no good if they can’t kick a ball.

Our promotion to the Premier League back in 1998. Now 12 of those players played over half of the League games. Eight of them over 75% and Mark Kinsella who was ever present. Bar the keeper that season most of the side would be there most games. Keith Jones, Newton, Robinson, Bowen, Rufus, Mendonca, Kinsella were on your team sheet if you were guessing who would play in the pub beforehand. 

The same with the title winning side from 2000. Even more so this season with your regulars. 13 of those players over 50% of league fixtures. Nine over 75% and 5 of them in Kiely, Robinson, Rufus, Hunt and Newton over 90%

The play off winning season from 2019, not so much like that, however 5 of those players in Taylor, Solly, Aribo, Sarr and Bauer would play in over 75%, but 16 in that squad would play over half the league games. Now with 7 subs on the bench by then, that would be more likely but again you knew what the spine of your team would be. Phillips, Bauer, Cullen, Bielik, Aribo and Taylor.

Now onto this season. 31 different players have been used in 39 League games so far, with 13 of those over 50% of League games played, with 7 of those playing over 75%. More than the last promotion winning season but more players are being used in other positions down to injuries and trying to find players to get us out of the mess in the first 2 months of this campaign.

So how to improve. Well we need to be looking at good quality players you can play over 35 league games a season. No point having someone playing 6 games here and there, then getting injured again. We need consistency. Get the spine of the side right. Also someone with a record of scoring over 20 league goals. Okay saying it but with the likes of Taylor on a free 4 years ago and Kermorgant (Also on a free) they can be found.

Fingers crossed we can have better 2022/2023 and a push for at least a Play Off Spot.

Four games into the resumption of football after lockdown and the addicks have gained 7 points and moved out of the bottom 3. This has been written before the other weekend fixtures so the picture will be a bit clearer then however everyone is still hurting from last night.

Using our heads we would have taken those points if offered to us. 3 clean sheets with the impressive Phillips in goal and the defence has been solid. However the loss of Taylor has put added pressure on the goal scoring front. The 2 goals in 4 have both come from Corners and the ability of the front men to score has dried up. That is not for the want of trying. Like them all they leave everything out there.

So with 5 games to go what do we see us getting from those. An in form Brentford at Griffin Park will be tough. Anything from there will be a bonus, but the last 4 are games we should picking up points.

What do we need to stay up? Probably 6 more points and the Reading and Birmingham games are games we must looking to get maximum points. No reason why not and if we don’t then a game against a 12 point deducted Wigan side has now become more tricky. Through no fault of the players they have been hammered and will now be more determined to prove people wrong and stay up.

Then onto the final game at Leeds. If we need anything to stay up hopefully they would have been crowned Champions then and might be suffering with the after effects of too many shandies.

The players and the management have been hammered with the still on goings fiasco off the pitch. Limited funds, no money to spend on fees in January, transfer embargo etc. Injuries are part and parcel but we have received our more than share of those.

So keep the faith. It is what it is and if we do stay up it will be one hell of an achievement. If not well we go again, but what that future is, who knows.

Stay well and keep safe

With a few days left of the January transfer window, it looked hopeful that for the first time in the reign of Roland Duchaletet, Charlton may have a decent start of the year window.

The loss of Jed Steer back to Aston Villa was replaced by Chris Maxwell on loan from Preston North End. Ben Purrington came into the problem left back slot with a loan from Rotherham United and the best signing of the lot was the free transfer on a Six month contract, of Jonny Williams from Crystal Palace. If fit and injury free, a good Championship player at least.

However one or two were always going to leave and it was no real surprise that Nicky Ajose left for a loan spell at Mansfield Town and Billy Clarke was released from his remaining six months with a move back to Bradford City.

All ok with the above, but then things never go smoothly in SE7.

Karlan Grant at the start of this season was probably not in most Charlton starting eleven’s but Lee Bowyer saw something in a front two with him alongside Lyle Taylor, and the pair of them proved him right with 26 goals in 29 League games.

The last thing we needed was a bid for Grant from a Premier League side. Sadly an offer of up to 2 million was accepted from Huddersfield Town and Bowyer was left with a couple of days to bring in at least 1 replacement.

Regardless who the owner is Grant would have gone. You would have to be deluded to think otherwise. However any other owner would let the manager have a bit of that fee to spend. Not here I’m afraid.

This next bit is guesswork on our part so bear with us. Our theory is at the start of pre season, Bowyer and Steve Gallen were given a budget for the whole of the season. Regardless who is sold for a fee, that is still your budget. Even if someone went for 5 million. Whatever wages you free up can go back into your budget, but you will not see a penny more.

If we are right on that, then as Bowyer says “It is what it is” They know where they stand and get on with it.

Deadline day arrived and bar Clarke leaving not a dicky bird of anyone coming in. Then as we got into the last hour of the window, a new signing in Josh Parker from Gillingham appeared. Not what we all expected but that’s not the fella’s fault.

The window closed. Then the news came out. Deals for Erhan Oztumer and Mohammed Eisa from Bolton Wanderers and Bristol City respectively, never happened due to those clubs wanting replacements before letting them go. Just how a normal football club is run.

With Taylor serving his 2nd of a 3 match ban, it was up to young Reeco Hackett-Fairchild to make his first league start at Fleetwood Town with Parker on the substitutes bench. The addicks suffer their first league defeat in 6, but a top 6 spot was still there for the Addicks.

Time to look at the free agent market then for Bowyer and Gallen. With the money not spent (Wages) on Oztumer and Eisa, maybe they could find a bargain once again on someone.

However the press conference with Bowyer after the 1-1 home draw with Southend United, seemed that all was not well. Last Friday Bowyer mentioned that there is a striker who he would like, but other clubs are interested.

This season Bowyer has kept things in house. With him playing under the management of Sir Bobby Robson, George Graham, Terry Venables and Alan Curbishley during his playing days, he would have picked up some great habits. Digging out individual players after the game is not one of those, and so unlike him.

Then he came out with the lad we want, there are others who are talking to him, but I don’t know if the owner will allow it.

Monday morning his worst fear came true when it was announced that the owner told Gallen that you can’t bring in another striker as you already have Taylor, Parker and Igor Vetokele.

So what happened to the money then from the Oztumer and Eisa deals? 11 days ago he would have brought those in if all went to plan. So why now he can’t spend it. Like the English weather, the owner changes his view from hour to hour. People have given up trying to second guess him.

So for the first time all season since Saturday evening, Bowyer has shown some anger towards the owner. His contract along with First Team Coach, Johnnie Jackson is up at the end of the season. With 17 possible games to go, here’s hoping that they stay and get us into the Championship. We are sure they will as they are in a win win situation, but what happens at the end of May is anyone’s guess. Fingers crossed!