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Charlton Athletic will be looking for their first league win since mid-December as they welcome Fleetwood Town to The Valley.
The Addicks enter this fixture sitting 15th in the league with the visiting Cod Army finding themselves just two spots above the relegation zone. It will be Johnnie Jackson’s 20th game in charge of Charlton having replaced Nigel Adkins after their terrible start to the season.
Despite finding themselves in real danger of slipping into the drop zone and potentially into League Two next season, Fleetwood have won four of their last seven games in the league with 1-0 wins against Doncaster Rovers and Rotherham United leaving them four points clear of 21st placed Morecambe.
Charlton Athletic slipping back down the table
Jackson’s appointment as the caretaker manager in October, after the dismissal of former boss Adkins, sparked a turnaround in fortunes for the club. Just two days after taking up the role, the second time he has done so at the club, his side earned a miraculous 1-0 win away at high-flying Sunderland thanks to Jayden Stockley’s second half header. It was also the first points that the Black Cats had dropped at home all season.
Subsequent victories against Doncaster, Burton Albion and Plymouth Argyle as well as draws at Rotherham and Morecambe ensured Charlton rose from 22nd to 14th in just six games.
A loss to Shrewsbury was soon amended with more wins but their home victory against Cambridge United on December 11th was the last time they earned three points.
Due to their form prior to an away loss at Plymouth, Jackson was named as the new permanent Charlton Athletic manager just a day before their defeat and they have struggled ever since.
There is no doubt that he has turned their fortunes around this season and his opening games in charge saw them fly up the table, but they have only won once in all competitions in their last six games, a Papa John’s Trophy victory against MK Dons.
Such form has seen them slip down towards the bottom end of the table once again, a position they certainly would not have expected to be in considering they finished one place outside the play-offs last season. They are now 13 points off that mark with a push for the top six now destined to potentially be a step too far.
The Addicks announced on Friday morning that Juan Castillo had joined the club on loan for the rest of the season from fellow London side Chelsea. He had previously been at Birmingham City in the Championship but was recalled by his parent club and the 22-year-old will provide strong competition for Ben Purrington in the left wing-back role.
Considering their start to the season and the recent return of Chuks Aneke, a top-half finish would prove to be somewhat satisfactory. A win against a 19th placed but in-form Fleetwood would be the perfect way to generate a good run of form.
Are Fleetwood turning their season around?
The Cod Army have just seven League One wins in 25 games, with four of them coming in their last seven games. From mid-October to the start of December, they went on a run of 11 matches without a win in all competitions with Simon Grayson departing as manager during that spell.
Stephen Crainey stepped in to lead the side and soon became their new permanent manager after an improved run of fixtures. Their last game saw them pull off a shock result against Rotherham, who are currently in the play-offs and just one point off the automatic spots.
Fleetwood now have some newfound confidence within their ranks with Saturday’s victory ensuring they are four points off the drop zone with a game in hand over Morecambe. Such a result could spur them on for the next few weeks in attempts to free themselves from any sort of fight for survival in League One.
Ellis Harrison recently joined the club from Portsmouth where he spent three years and was struggling to make an impact under Danny Cowley. However, he arrived at the Cod Army with a bang, scoring on his debut against Doncaster.
He is yet to score against Charlton during his career in six attempts but a goal at The Valley would surely hint that he could be the answer to Fleetwood’s problems this season. Zak Jules was a debutant against Rotherham, joining on loan from fellow League One side MK Dons, as well as Toto Nsiala who arrived from Ipswich Town in a permanent deal.
The club announced on Thursday that Max Clark, who joined in the summer and made 15 appearances this season, has left Fleetwood by mutual consent. Conor McLaughlin also departed earlier in the month due to the expiration of his short-term contract, playing 12 times in his second stint at the club.
Both sides will have something to prove come kick-off on Saturday.
Charlton will be keen to break out of their recent poor run of form after such a promising start to life under Jackson and, despite being six points clear of the relegation zone, they will not want to get caught in a dogfight for survival.
With their new recruitment through the doors this month, Fleetwood will have the chance to continue their recent fine run of results in the hopes of climbing up the table even more. A win would take them above their hosts and their extra game in hand could provide more incentive to secure the three points in southeast London.
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