A right royal time

Charlton entertain Reading tomorrow who are both 18th in the real table and 18th in the form table (Charlton are 4th). This might seem to place them in a potential relegation battle, but the poor form of the bottom three should mean that they are in no real danger even if they falter.

Indeed, Foolham are also now in real trouble, third from bottom in the form table. Richard Cawley of the SLP, who is a fan, sent a despairing tweet about their home defeat to Leeds. When they were a branch of Harrods, Foolham always tried to make out they were a bigger club than us, but I don't think so.

Reading will be bolstered by their cup replay win against Bradford City that puts them in a cup semi-final for the first time since 1927. They also lost 4-1 away at Watford last weekend. Will their confidence be bolstered by their cup run or will they be feeling fatigued? Will Charlton be able to manage one of their trademark 3-0 wins or will it be a repeat of last week's defeat by Jordan Rhodes? I am cautiously optimistic and going for a 2-0 win. Tony Watt will, however, have to be assessed after picking up an injury at Blackpool. The game would lose a lot of potential excitement if he didn't play.

Charlton won the earlier meeting this season 1-0 at the Madejski Stadium in November. Both sides have won three of the last eight meetings in all competitions, drawing the other two. Reading won the last meeting at The Valley 1-0 in April last season - their only win in the last seven meetings there in all competitions.

Odds are: Charlton 13/8, Draw 12/5, Reading 8/5

Reading have had a disappointing season after a takeover fell through with the Russian investor disappearing without providing any cash. Once again, Roland doesn't look so bad by comparison.

I remember Reading as the first stop on the train when we went on holiday from Plumstead Common to Cornwall. Then it was a sleepy place that made biscuits and agricultural implements. Now it is a bustling and prosperous town with a lot of IT related companies. I know a few Charlton fans who live there.

In the mid-table league, Notts Forest are now surging ahead and see themselves as in touching distance of the play offs. The Addicks are three points behind Blackburn, on the same number of points as Leeds and one point ahead of the Massives.

It's not a bad place to be, but it does mean that our competitive season is effectively over, even if it isn't mathematically. I am therefore expecting a rather low crowd tomorrow (it's also the finale of the egg chasing). Oppositionists will, however, interpret is as a vote of no confidence in Roland and Katrien.

Exciting news from Derek from Dymchurch after the UKIP candidate for Folkestone & Hythe, where they got 43 per cent in the European elections, has been removed for alleged financial irregularities. Derek is thinking of throwing his Charlton baseball cap in the ring as a replacement. He commented, 'With Clive Efford in the Commons representing Millwall, we need a Charlton fan in the Commons.' [What about Robert Godsiff, the Labour MP for Birmingham Hall Green who is standing again?] Part of Derek's manifesto will be the immediate expulsion of all Belgians from the UK.