Shrews Away!

The Addicks head off to the New Meadow tomorrow to play a Shrewsbury side that sit one place below us in the league having “enjoyed” a similar start to the season.

The Shrews have a minus 5 goal difference and it is to be hoped that come 6pm tomorrow (time added on and all that!) it will be even further in the negative.

Strangely I can’t see anyone in the current Shrews side that has a Charlton connection. There’s usually at least one in every team we play at this level.

Given Appleton’s start to his tenure and the recent results and improved performances allied to Shrewsbury’s poor form this is a game where we ought to be reasonably confident of a win. I’m thinking most of us will be really disappointed if we don’t.

The 3 points would help us to make a more significant move up the table. Then we might allow ourselves (well me anyway) a more optimistic take on this season’s prospects.

The players returning from injury have added a complication, in a good way, to team selection. I still feel we should go for a 4-4-2. For me, it’s a nonsense playing Leaburn out wide.

Myles has said all the right things in response to questions about being asked to out wide but I’m sure he’d rather be more central. Last week he naturally headed the ball forward on more than one occasion but to no one as rightly May was in the middle!

Before trying to turn Leaburn into a winger maybe we should look at doing so with players like Kirk!

Whatever formation we go for, I think it’s clear that Tennai has to start. I’d drop Hector and play either Ness or Abankwah alongside Jones.

There are plenty of midfield options especially if Taylor and/or Fraser are back in the mix.

The manger has shown that he isn’t afraid to make changes and that’s to be applauded and fortunately for him he has plenty of options to do so. What I’d like to see is him get it right from the word go so that we are not chasing a result.

I have to acknowledge that Appleton has had a better start than I expected and in general has come across well. A win tomorrow would further enhance that view across the wider fan base. If he can ally better performances to results then we can hopefully attendances rise and the announced figure being more in line with reality!

Come On You Reds!