Yesterday's draw at Exeter secured Charlton a place in the play offs, but securing an automatic promotion place would now depend on a very unlikely combination of results. I had given up on an automatic promotion place some time ago and at the beginning of the season I thought we might just make the play offs. So, on the whole, I am reasonably satisfied with what we have achieved.
As for the play offs themselves, I think that we could see off Swindon who showed once again yesterday against relegation strugglers Wycombe that they are not invincible. Huddersfield are a physical side with some very big cloggers and can tear apart lesser sides, but I think that we are solid enough to deal with them.
Getting to the final would at least help with the club's financial problems. But who would we prefer to meet there? We have conceded eight goals against the Spanners this year and there would be a particular humiliation in being denied promotion by them.
Leeds United are also a very unpleasant side, but they might fall apart if they once again found themselves in the play offs. We will, of course, have a dress rehearsal for any final against them next week.
As for the match against Exeter, the home side had more of the possession with a 54-46 split. We had seven shots on target to four. We had nine corners to three, but once again they were unproductive.
One Devonian Addick who was there commented, 'Pretty even match, probably fair result. We hit the woodwork twice, Llera did well with one of them from a free kick just outside the box, they hit it once. Reid made a big impact on opening their defence to create chances.'
'Their fans were poor and spent most of the time slagging off the ref. but we were abysmal in our support, simply no getting behind the team. Although I think the result was about right, we were also robbed of a goal about 5 from the end, how the ref and lino failed to see the handball on the line I have no idea.'
Another Addick commented, 'Reid certainly made a big impact. And one does have to ask why Parky insists on playing the largely anonymous (and that's being generous) Racon in the centre and pushing Bailey out left. When Racon was finally, mercifully, pulled off (just after his awful gaffe led to the series of events which led to their goal) and Bailey moved into the centre and Reid was playing out wide left we suddenly had urgency and punch. I find it unbelievable that Parky can't see that Semedo and Racon in centre midfield means that we have absolute no attacks emanating from there.'
Steve from Sidcup is always very doubtful about Racon. I can never make my mind up whether he is just a showboater or whether he really does add something to the side.
3 comments:
It doesn't really matter what people think of Racon , the point is that our best player ( the only one who might get in the League One team) is being played out of position to accomodate Racon , which is just basically wrong .
If Racon was our second best player in League One ( which he isn't ) he still shouldn't be playing in our best players position .
Isn't this just common sense ???
Good point and does make a lot of sense.
Racon had a patch of particularly good form before the last couple of games (some of which were in Bailey's absence I think) and it would have been harsh to drop him. Parkinson has stuck by his team when they have performed well and I think this makes good sense. Whilst Bailey is one of our best players he has been a bit out of form for the second half of the season and has been notably below par in many recent games (even when he has played in the middle). Moreover, whilst Reid has been under 100% fit Bailey has been our only real option to play on the left anyway. If Bailey is to play on the left then I think you'd have to pick Racon above Jonjo or Spring.
What's more, I think you could make a case for Semedo getting into an elite league one team especially based on the logic that the tougher the opponents the more dominant he becomes.
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