Charlton 0-0 Bolton

Charlton's fixture congestion could work in our favour. They lost to Brighton on Saturday, have a relegation battle with Barnsley tomorrow night and then host us on Friday with Sheff W coming up next Monday - 4 games in 9 days.

Seeing as we're now safe, surely this is the time for Dougie to throw caution to the wind and start with Threlkeld, White, Robinson, and a couple of other contenders? With only four games to go and safety assured I can't think of a better time to give some of these young lads the experience they'll need to progress.

If Dougie sends out the current first team I'll predict an away draw.
If Dougie sends out say 5 development players I reckon we'll get beaten but will have progressed as a club.

100% agree.

However, we all know DF wont do it. it will be the same, defensive, boring, cant pass or shoot crap we have had all season...

He won't be playing any kids that's for sure.

It'll be a completely different team from Saturday and the final score will be zzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Terrible performance against another terrible team.

Jammy last minute 1-0 win.

Resilient performance and another 3 points. How dare dougie pick a side that knows how to win a game

Players that Doog wants to get rid of should not be playing now....  what would be the sense of it.

Surely play lads who you want to keep or look over the younger ones.

We will win again (scrappy one)

Hi guys, been off 'cos I was back in hospital. I tried to get downstairs without my crutches and turned my ankle over so badly the bracing screw came out. Anyway, had the ankle re-broken and re-set with two screws on a little plate thing then once the swelling went down they put this weird kind of lockable fibre glass cast round everything to immobilise my right foot. I put my recovery back about four weeks by being dumb, no surprise there then. 

Anyway, onto the match. As strange as it may sound to you I think these scrappy wins are quite encouraging. I still want Dougie gone and think he's the wrong man for the job, the Mason fiasco at the weekend convinced me more than ever that he can't manage to save his life BUT when a team plays badly and still wins it's usually a sign of a team that is on the way up. 

Of course the summer will now be crucial and I wish someone else was in charge for it but since we're stuck with Dougie I suppose we must hope he makes the right signings and continues to grind out wins when we aren't playing very well. 

The primary goal must be to improve football so we capitalise on our strengths and make the most of it when we are playing well and to mount a serious promotion challenge at the very least. I don't really believe Dougie can do that but I'm willing to be shown otherwise. I am like all Trotters primarily a creature of hope and in the fact we played less than brilliantly but still won last time out I'd say there's a small reason to be hopeful.

As to the Charlton match, I predict a one-nil win for the Trotters. Whether we play well or not is something I won't try to predict but I'm confident we'll win either way.

You should change your user name to unlucky peter piper . Glad you're back on the mend

Charlton lost at home tonight to bloody Barnsley. If we can't beat this shite we really are poor.

luckyPeterpiper wrote:Hi guys, been off 'cos I was back in hospital. I tried to get downstairs without my crutches and turned my ankle over so badly the bracing screw came out. Anyway, had the ankle re-broken and re-set with two screws on a little plate thing then once the swelling went down they put this weird kind of lockable fibre glass cast round everything to immobilise my right foot. I put my recovery back about four weeks by being dumb, no surprise there then. 

I've missed you Peter, you utter ponce.

Welcome back mate - sorry to hear about your set back.

At least it's one way of getting out of doing the washing up!

Always look on the bright side!

luckyPeterpiper wrote:Hi guys, been off 'cos I was back in hospital. I tried to get downstairs without my crutches and turned my ankle over so badly the bracing screw came out. Anyway, had the ankle re-broken and re-set with two screws on a little plate thing then once the swelling went down they put this weird kind of lockable fibre glass cast round everything to immobilise my right foot. I put my recovery back about four weeks by being dumb, no surprise there then. 

Anyway, onto the match. As strange as it may sound to you I think these scrappy wins are quite encouraging. I still want Dougie gone and think he's the wrong man for the job, the Mason fiasco at the weekend convinced me more than ever that he can't manage to save his life BUT when a team plays badly and still wins it's usually a sign of a team that is on the way up. 

Of course the summer will now be crucial and I wish someone else was in charge for it but since we're stuck with Dougie I suppose we must hope he makes the right signings and continues to grind out wins when we aren't playing very well. 

The primary goal must be to improve football so we capitalise on our strengths and make the most of it when we are playing well and to mount a serious promotion challenge at the very least. I don't really believe Dougie can do that but I'm willing to be shown otherwise. I am like all Trotters primarily a creature of hope and in the fact we played less than brilliantly but still won last time out I'd say there's a small reason to be hopeful.

As to the Charlton match, I predict a one-nil win for the Trotters. Whether we play well or not is something I won't try to predict but I'm confident we'll win either way.

Who will recover first?  Holden or Peter?  Best wishes for a speedy recovery to both of you.

luckyPeterpiper wrote:Hi guys, been off 'cos I was back in hospital. 

Hope you're doin' ok, Pete.

Remember, for a brief window in the marriage, Wendy has to actually put you first because you're basically disabled right now and it'd look bad if she expected you to carry on as normal with a bad leg.

I'd make her wipe yer bum, if I'm honest, mate........and fetch beer.

Just go for a poo then give it a big "crash" in the bathroom, throw towels all over the floor, look a bit useless and pleading and shit, then give her the Doe eyes.....

Your bum will be clean and you'll have a nice cold one in your hand before you know it......

And you'll know she loves you.......

Sorry about your setback, LPP - best wishes.

Hi LPP you clumsy ****!
Glad your back on your foot and rejoining the world of the almost living.

Ref watch: Malone on duty

The Football League have confirmed that experienced match official Brendan Malone will take charge of Friday afternoon's clash with Charlton Athletic.

Malone, based in Wiltshire, has refereed 26 games so far this season, handing out 65 yellows and three red cards in the process.

Having spent the majority of his career refereeing in the lower reaches of English football, Saturday’s game in Hertfordshire will be the second time in which Malone has taken charge of a Bolton game after he oversaw the Whites' clash at Watford earlier this season.

Stuart Butler and Geoffrey Russell will run the line, while Darren Deadman is the fourth official.

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Preview: Charlton Athletic

Setting The Scene

Wanderers travel to the capital this coming Friday looking to extend their unbeaten run in the league to seven games against Charlton Athletic.

Coming into the clash off the back of a 1-0 victory over Barnsley last time out, the Whites head to London on Good Friday aiming to close the gap on the teams above them as the season heads into its final furlong.

Having been held to a 1-1 draw by the Addicks in the reverse fixture at the Reebok Stadium, Dougie Freedman and his side will be hoping to go one better at The Valley and continue their fine form of late.

With Charlton entering the clash sitting just a solitary point above the Championship drop zone, the game could prove to be an important one in José Riga’s quest to ensure that his side remain in England’s second tier come the season’s conclusion.

Team News

Mark Davies will miss out as he continues to regain fitness, but Wanderers otherwise boast a clean bill of health aside from long term absentees of Marc Tierney, Stuart Holden, Darren Pratley and Joe Riley.

Opposition Camp

Having finished a respectable ninth in the Sky Bet Championship league standings last season, narrowly short of the play-off positions, many expected Charlton to challenge again for a return to the top flight for the first time since their relegation in 2007.

The campaign has proven to be a testing one for the London outfit however, with the club currently sitting just one point above 22nd placed Millwall, albeit boasting a game in hand on their rivals.

After losing 20 of their games so far however – nine on home soil – the Addicks now find their destiny in their own hands as the season heads towards its conclusion with a new manager at the helm after the club replaced Chris Powell in the Charlton hotseat back in March.

Set to come up against an in-form Wanderers side however and having been defeated by fellow strugglers Barnsley at The Valley on Tuesday evening, Riga and his side will be hoping for a change in fortunes in the final weeks of the campaign.

One To Watch

Having notched four goals from midfield in 39 appearances this season, Johnnie Jackson has been a stalwart for Charlton in a testing season for the club.

A man who began his career with Tottenham Hotspur, Jackson failed to make the breakthrough at White Hart Lane, being sent out on a number of loan spells with the likes of Swindon Town, Colchester United, Coventry City, Watford and Derby County during his seven year stint in North London.

Clearly impressed by his efforts, Colchester proceeded to bring him to the club on a permanent basis in 2006, with Jackson going on to become an integral members of the U’s line-up.

Following his departure from the Colchester Community Stadium in 2009, the Camden-born midfielder enjoyed a brief spell with Notts County before joining Charlton, initially on loan, in 2010.

His exploits for the Addicks were enough to convince the club to sign him in the summer of the same year – a move which has certainly reaped dividends with Jackson having found the back of the net 44 times in just over 160 appearances.

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I think we'll get a draw, big game for Charlton and a nothing game for us if i'm honest.

Because we don't need to win we could even make it four wins on the bounce.

Freedman out.

I always consider Charlton to be one of our luckier grounds, saying that we blew a 2-0 lead last year.

Would always back us at this venue.

LPP hope you are soon back on your feet, The Joe Mason thing from last week, i can understand.
Cardiff stuck a 2 million fee on the lad, meaning we can't sign him,so why play him? Now the Juke being left out that baffles me.