Play Up Corey! Corey Play Up!

A much improved display saw Charlton run out winners (again!) at Fratton  Park last night.

This was much more like it with a return to the pressing and more physical and battling approach that went a long way to securing the permanent role for Jackson.

There were so many good performances across the whole team. We were much more solid as a unit.

Albie Morgan continued his recent good run of form. So often, he has promised much and not delivered. There have been several false dawns. One can but hope that he finally realises what’s needed, is more consistent and secures his place in the team.

Inniss was once again magnificent and produced another superb tackle to match the one he made against Norwich in the cup.

It is so good to have Chuks back in the side. He offers a real presence up front, is strong and has good feet. The ball stays there when he gets it.

Corey Blackett-Taylor had a fantastic game and later received the man of the match award on Sky. He was a constant threat and was so close to scoring what would have an outstanding goal.

If one can be critical I feel CBT could be even better if he released the ball a bit quicker on occasion and be a little less selfish in and around the area.

Pompey had the better opening few minutes and ought to have gone ahead a couple of times. However, they didn’t and we gradually took control.

I felt that it stayed that way well into the second half and it was only when Portsmouth scored that we looked a bit shaky. That’s to be expected of course when only one goal up away from home. The onslaught is inevitable but we withstood it.

Luckily for us Michael Jacobs didn’t start! He was the one player who was making things happen for Pompey.

Jacobs hasn’t had the career I thought he would. I recall seeing him years ago playing for Northampton and he really stood out. A move to Derby followed that and since he has been at Wolves and Wigan with a couple of loans thrown in.

It was a good day all round for the Addicks with Scott Fraser joining from Ipswich earlier in the day. He is an excellent signing and will really bolster our midfield.

Like a few of our players he is another ex-Milton Keynes player. We seem to have had a few now over the years. I’m not sure how we missed out on Deli Alli!!!

This has been a much better transfer window and it bodes well for next season especially if we can do similar good work in the summer one.

The one downside is the move of Mason Burstow to Chelsea. Yet another youngster who we’ve seen little of and will leave us before we do or he’s achieved anything with us.

I know we can put the money (I assume it’s a decent amount) to good use but I’d like to have seen him play in the 2022-23 season. We should have pushed for that as part of the deal.

Having Mason loaned back to us for the rest of this season is pointless. Despite our dearth of strikers we don’t really need him if we’re honest. In addition, we’re just further developing a player who won’t be with us next season.

The player himself is being short changed by his agent. At least more one season with us would have been so beneficial to him.

I’ve little doubt that he’ll be loaned out somewhere but I doubt he’ll make the progress I feel certain he would with us in comfortable surroundings.

Good luck to him but I won’t be getting too excited whatever he does between now and season’s end simply because he’s no longer our player. Added to that we’ve got bugger all to play for so he won’t be bagging the winner at Wembley in May or anything!

This is typical Chelsea and in all likelihood Mason won’t ever make a first team league appearance. I hope he does for his sake of course but one has to be realistic and we’ve seen it all before.

Parker went there too but as a much more experienced and promising player. He hardly played at all for them and I’m certain it cost him an England place at the time.

Onto February now and the games don’t get any easier! AFC on Saturday offers our best chance of 3 points this month!

Bizarrely, we seem to raise our game against the better teams so it wouldn’t surprise any of us to see a defeat against the Dons followed by magnificent wins in the other matches!