Charlton are back at The Valley on Saturday afternoon (3pm) when they face Shrewsbury Town, targeting back-to-back SE7 wins having had their first taste of victory on home soil in nine on Tuesday evening.
Lee Bowyer’s men ran out 2-1 winners against Northampton Town in midweek thanks to Conor Washington’s second-half brace which saw the Addicks climb up to eighth in the League One table, just a point adrift of the play-offs with 12 games remaining.
Shrewsbury head to south London on the back of a 2-0 win on the road against bottom-placed Rochdale to create daylight between themselves and the drop zone, with the Shrews having games in hand on those around them. Steve Cotterill’s side currently sit in 17th position.
Team News
Bowyer will be hoping to recall Akin Famewo to the heart of his defence having rested the Norwich City loanee against the Cobblers after complaints of a tight hamstring.
Saturday will likely come too soon for midfielder Alex Gilbey, while Adam Matthews (hamstring) will miss out, along with Ryan Inniss (quad) who is set to gain some minutes with the U23s before making his long-awaited return to the first team. Jake Forster-Caskey is also questionable at best after feeling tightness in his hamstring following the win against Northampton.
The visitors will make a late call on captain Oliver Norburn who has missed the Shrews’ last two outings, while Matija Sarkic will be assessed after missing out in midweek with a groin problem.
Salop will be without defensive duo Aaron Pierre (calf) and Donald Love (groin).
Opposition Player To Watch
Harry Chapman
The 23-year-old arrived in Shropshire in January on a season-long loan deal from Championship outfit Blackburn Rovers and has since notched five goals in his 10 appearances, making him Salop’s second-top scorer behind Shaun Whalley on six.
Having been an unused substitute in midweek, the Middlesbrough academy graduate will be raring to go at the weekend should he be restored to the starting XI. Chapman already has strong League One credentials with three promotions in as many seasons during fruitful loan spells with Barnsley, Sheffield United, and Rovers who then signed him in the winter window of 2019.
A former England youth international, Salop’s number 32 was part of England under-20’s World Cup-winning squad in 2017 alongside Addicks academy graduates Ezri Konsa and Ademola Lookman.
Head-to-Head
Saturday’s encounter will be the 27th instalment of this fixture, with the Addicks winning eight, the Shrews ten, and the remaining eight matches resulting in draws.
The sides drew 1-1 in the reverse fixture at Montgomery Waters Meadow in December as Oliver Norburn’s stoppage-time penalty cancelled out Ben Watson’s opener.
Shrewsbury’s last trip to The Valley came in August 2018 and saw the Addicks win 2-1. Lyle Taylor broke the deadlock with his second-half strike before Lenell John-Lewis levelled for the visitors, but academy graduate Karlan Grant ensured all three points stayed in SE7 with a 91st-minute winner.
