Charlton Athletic face Ipswich Town at The Valley on Tuesday night as Johnnie Jackson’s Addicks look for a valuable three points to help them climb the League One table.
Reds Revival
Athletic look a different side to that which had such a poor start to the season, with Caretaker manager Johnnie Jackson guiding the reds to four wins in seven games after the former Charlton player replaced Nigel Adkins in October this year.
Despite this recent upturn in form, last time out in the league Jackson lost his first game in charge of the Addicks as they slumped to a 1-0 defeat away at Shrewsbury as a 93rd minute winner from Daniel Udoh meant that they would return home empty handed.
The interim boss will be hoping his side can bounce back from this reality check as they welcome Ipswich on Tuesday evening, with his team currently sitting 15th in the league table.
Over 22,000 tickets have been sold for the League One encounter under the lights at The Valley as this figure includes 3,000 visiting supporters. “I can’t wait to see The Valley packed and rocking again”, interim boss Johnnie Jackson told the club media.
The Visitors
Ipswich Town travel to South-East London on the back of two defeats in their last three league fixtures. The Tractor Boys were tipped by some as favourites to win the league at the start of the season after a summer rebuild, but currently sit 11th in the League One table.
As a result of this disappointing beginning to the season, as well as some disappointing results in other competitions including Saturday’s FA Cup 0-0 draw against League Two opposition in Barrow, manager Paul Cook was sacked on Saturday evening.
This means that both teams will likely have a caretaker manager in the dugout for Tuesday’s game, with ex-Swindon and Colchester United manager as well as former Ipswich player John McGreal expected to replace Cook, his former teammate at Tranmere Rovers, until a new manager is appointed.
Despite this recent sticky patch and the current management situation, the Blues will still be a difficult team to play against and have a familiar face in their squad hoping to cause some damage.
Bonne Returns to The Valley
Ex-Addick Macauley Bonne will return to The Valley on Tuesday after joining the Suffolk outfit on a season long loan from Queens Park Rangers in the summer.
The forward was a fan favourite for Charlton as he made 40 appearances and scored 12 goals over the 2018/19 season and at the start of the 2020/21 season before moving to QPR in October of 2020.
Bonne has returned to his boyhood club on loan this season and has been a key player for the Blues, scoring 11 in 19 league appearances since signing back for his boyhood club for the season.
However, the 26-year-old hasn’t scored in four league matches, last scoring in Ipswich’s 4-1 away thrashing against Wycombe at the start of November.
The Zimbabwean international will be desperate to score against his former club and the Charlton backline will find it difficult to keep him quiet.
Superb Stockley
Charlton could have the key to unlocking the opponents’ defence in Jayden Stockley.
The striker joined the club on loan in January of last season scoring eight goals in 22 League One appearances, and he has continued in the same vein after signing for the Addicks permanently in the summer, bagging six goals in 17 league games in this season.
Stockley was sorely missed in the last league game after receiving a red card against Burton Albion but will likely start up front on Tuesday after serving the last game of his three-match ban against Shrewsbury Town.
The in-form striker has scored three in his last two in all competitions, last bagging a brace in Charlton’s 2-0 win on the road against National League North outfit Gateshead last Friday night and will be confident that he can find the net on Tuesday evening.
