Following the most dramatic of dramatic successes at the weekend, Charlton Athletic make a swift return to The Valley to host Bristol Rovers in Tuesday's League One affair.
The Addicks left it incredibly late to defeat Shrewsbury Town 1-0 at the weekend, whereas their visitors' inconsistency continued in a 2-0 loss away to Wigan Athletic.
Match preview
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After 95 scoreless minutes at The Valley on Saturday afternoon, the most unlikely hero arc was written, as 20-year-old Thierry Small struck his first League One goal of the season to propel Charlton to their second straight win in the third tier.
Small's last-gasp winner succeeded a horror miss from Shrewsbury man Jordan Shipley, who ought to have been ruing his howler as Nathan Jones's men were sent into raptures, and deservedly so after dominating the Shrews throughout the contest.
Also boasting a 2-1 triumph over Bolton Wanderers from their most recent midweek affair, the Addicks are to be taken seriously in the playoff conversation as they occupy 10th place in the League One standings, just two points behind seventh-placed Barnsley with a game in hand.
A 4-2 loss to Rotherham United, the winter season has indeed been a wonderful one for Charlton, who now have five wins under their belt from their last seven League One games and are seldom outfought on their own soil.
Indeed, the former Premier League outfit have lost just twice at The Valley all season in the third tier - only Wrexham and Birmingham City (both zero) have been beaten in fewer - and Jones's men have only conceded twice in their last 450 minutes of home football.
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Speaking of teams conceding twice, Bristol Rovers' yo-yo form continued at the home of Wigan last time out, where Inigo Calderon's men were fighting an uphill battle just six minutes in thanks to a header from James Carragher.
The Gas had no response to that quickfire strike from Jamie Carragher's son, and the die was cast when Jonny Smith doubled the Latics' lead with 20 minutes of normal time remaining, as Wigan strengthened their survival hopes at the expense of their opponents.
Following a win-loss pattern over their last four games, Calderon's 18th-placed outfit only sit seven points clear of the relegation zone and cannot move any higher up the division no matter what transpires this weekend, although they do have a game in hand on several of their bottom-half rivals.
Repeated failures on the road are mostly to blame for Bristol Rovers' predicament, as no team in League One has suffered as many as the visitors' 10 losses away from home this season, and they have shipped at least two goals in nine of those reverses.
However, Bristol Rovers have interestingly had Charlton Athletic's number down the years, winning each of their last five league games against the Addicks, most recently surviving a second-half Charlton fightback in an engrossing 3-2 home success back in October.
Team News
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Charlton boss Jones should be working with an identical squad from the recent victory over Shrewsbury, where right-back Kayne Ramsay was fit enough to come off the bench for his first appearance since sustaining a knee issue in October.
Ramsay was a stalwart at right-back before entering the treatment room, but Alex Mitchell has deputised well in that area of the field and will not cede his spot easily.
However, Gassan Ahadme missed out again at the weekend with a foot problem - which he sustained in a freak accident with teammate Tyreece Campbell - and it remains to be seen whether the attacker is fit to feature here.
As for Bristol Rovers, one of the big talking points from their trip to Wigan team-news wise was the omission of experienced defender Jack Hunt, who has been back in training for a couple of months following a calf injury but is yet to make his competitive comeback.
Calderon could not guarantee that the 34-year-old would still be at the club at the end of the transfer window, but while his absence may be tactical, Kamil Conteh (knee) and Promise Omochere (hamstring) are confined to the treatment room.
The Gas otherwise have a clean bill of health for their battle with Charlton, where Shaqai Forde and the veteran Scott Sinclair could provide alternative options in attack.
Charlton Athletic possible starting lineup:
Maynard-Brewer; Mitchell, Jones, Gillesphey, Edwards; Coventry, Docherty; Small, Berry, Campbell; Leaburn
Bristol Rovers possible starting lineup:
Griffiths; Senior, Wilson, Taylor, Sousa; Sawyers, Lindsay; Forde, Hutchinson, Sotiriou; O'Donkor
We say: Charlton Athletic 2-0 Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers may have been a bogey team for Charlton of late, but the Gas have been found wanting away from home all season, whereas the Addicks have developed a defensive mean streak on their own patch.
As a result, we have complete faith in the hosts to end their hoodoo against their visitors in midweek, enhancing their playoff credentials in the process.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ben Knapton
