Pritchard's picks

Former Charlton midfielder Bradley Pritchard chooses a number of former Charlton team mates in his Dream Team in this week's Football League Paper.

Of Chris Solly he says, 'He's a club hero at Charlton. I probably remember 20 minutes of one game against Middlesbrough where he struggled but, apart from that, no one has ever come close to dribbling past him on a regular basis. He's got the footballing brain to play in the Premier.'

Ben Hamer qualifies 'because he has the best distribution of any keeper I've played with. He could hit half-volleys with incredible accuracy. He has the body of a postman, though.' [What does this mean?]

'I have to go for my ex-room-mate Cedric Evina, purely because people need a bit of humour to concentrate on the pitch and he was a real character. One of the key things the year Charlton went up from League One was our team spirit and he was one of the guys that created that atmosphere.'

Dale Stephens 'was certainly one of the best midfielders I've ever played with, he was just a complete player. He was outstanding in Charlton's promotion year. His distribution was superb and I think he's Premier quality.'

Danny Hollands: 'The year Charlton went up I think he got eight goals and he's fantastic on a night out as well. He definitely helps with the team spirit. A lot of memories I have of Charlton are off the field and Danny is one of the major protagonists in those.'

Bradley Wright-Phillips had to be included 'after the year he's had with New York Red Bulls. You could see he was a quality finisher and a good guy to have around the place. After all he did to get Charlton into the Championship, it was good to see him get the recognition he deserves at Red Bulls.

Orient swoop for Pritchard

Leyton Orient have celebrated their move to new ownership by swooping for former Addick Bradley Pritchard: Pritchard

No one could dispute Pritchard's work rate, but the one time Conference player found the Championship a bridge too far. Whether he will find his level in League 1 remains to be seen.

Parzysek to sign

As I have tried to suggest in earlier postings, one should judge the transfer window when it was over. All the indications were that signings were in prospect and Sky Sports News has announced that the Addicks are signing 20-year old Polish striker Pitor Parzysek. He is currently with Dutch club De Graafschap where he has scored 23 goals in 42 appearances in the Eerste (2nd divison). The club have confirmed the signing on their website: Pitor . He is now listed as a Charlton player on Wikipedia.

He will be on a four-and-a-half year contract, so no half measures there. At 6ft 3 inches he sounds like a Yann replacement. He will have a medical tomorrow and may be available for Wigan.

As someone remarked, it's going to be tough for Big Dave Lockwood announcing the Charlton team from now on as the squad becomes more cosmopolitan.

Chris Powell has tweeted from the press conference, 'I want the fans to know we are battling hard and doing the best we can. We need their support.' That does not sound like someone about to walk.

Bradley Pritchard and Jordan Cook are to go out on loan. Joe Pigott may go on loan to League 1.

'Gucci' has now signed on a permanent deal, but he has not played for several months and is not match fit.

According to tweets from Richard Cawley, the deal for Dale Stephens to go to Brighton has been concluded. On Stephens, Chris Powell said, 'Brighton have made a number of offers and Dale has expressed his right to speak to them if the club agreed a deal - which the club has. Obviously I would like Dale to stay. Everyone has seen this season that he has been playing at the level we always thought he could. There's still a lot more to come from him. He has got all the attributes to be a top player in the Premier League.'

However, Rhoys Wiggins has signed a four-and-a-half year contract and is staying.

The Daily Mail has published a highly speculative piece saying that SCP and RD do not see 'eye to eye' on a number of issues. Although short of substance, it may not be wide of the mark: Powell

More beefs from Pritch

I have a great deal of sympathy with Bradley Pritchard's criticisms of slow-moving tourists in The Football League Paper , especially on the tube. In my experience the worst offenders are from 'oop North rather than those from abroad (who often seem to have done a bit of research in advance). When I arrive at Euston it is very difficult to get through the ticket hall because of people who have failed to buy a ticket that includes a Travelcard. They then stand in front of the route maps, blocking already crowded corridors.

In addition you have people with huge, heavy cases that are depriving the likes of Addick cabbie Kevin Portch (one time editor of Goodbye Horse) of a fare. Don't get me started on 'my stroller is bigger than yours.' There is also now a belief that if you are travelling with a close friend, you can stand two abreast on the escalator, blocking the overtaking lane.

Anyway, Pritch reassures us, 'No one really does it around the training ground which is good news otherwise I'd be angry all the time.' Presumably he is not 'rushing to get a train' at Sparrows Lane, but clearly everyone is energised and walking at a fast pace.

Pritch is also unhappy with name droppers who mention they are friends with some Z-list celebrity: 'My roommate Cedric Evina, does it all the time, and it is quite funny. He always mentions about how he knows Emmanuel Frimpong and is friends with him just because he was on loan at Charlton for a period, it is hilarious to listen to - but also a bit sad!' Just as well Frimpong didn't return, otherwise he might have found his nickname was 'Z list'.

Pritch gets hiss after saying that cats are weird

Normally feline match analyst Rescue Cat Reg saves his hisses for match day, but he has given Bradley Pritchard a special hiss after the midfielder gave a critique of cats in the Room 101 feature in The Football League Paper yesterday. It's good to see a Charlton player featured, although the FLP has always given a lot of coverage to Pritch, possibly because of his non-league background (the Non-League Paper is a sister publication).

On cats, Pritch says: 'I just don't get them at all, the whole thing of having a cat is weird to me. As a pet they come up to you for attention and food and then they go off and will probably be at your next door neighbours' getting some more food. They're so greedy and it's just stupid.' It has to be admitted that there is a fat cat syndrome, but there are also some overweight dogs around. Indeed, it has been suggested that overweight owners tend to have overweight pets.

Pritch continued, 'Everyone's really curious about them at the training ground for some reason, people always ask owners of them about it. Most of us feel the same way about them - we just don't really get it all.'

I must admit that I have never really thought of footballers as cat people, they tend to suit those with a more sedentary lifestyle. Dogs are another matter, although again footballers are away from home a lot. I suspect that footballers with families tend to have either a cat or a dog given general levels of pet ownership in the UK.

Pritch also gave his views on tourists and Cedric Evina, but let's make this an electronic part work. You can tell it's the international break. More later.

Jacko makes the top fifty

Johnnie Jackson is the one Charlton player to make a list of the top fifty Football League players in the latest issue of Four Four Two. I might add that one shouldn't take these lists too seriously and the methodology behind them is also suspect: I speak as someone who once made it on to a list in the Sunday Express of the 500 most influential people in Britain which led to a lot of interesting banter on the lines of where and how I might exercise my influence.

The description of Jacko is, however, interesting: 'Jackson has matured slowly, having spent much of his early career playing for Spurs' reserves, but the versatile Londoner - who initially signed for Charlton on a one-month loan from Notts County in 2010 - has flourished at The Valley, where he is now captain. Although not the standout player to the extent that he was in League One last season, his versatility, tireless running [shome mishtake shurely?] and ability to rally the troops means he's still Charlton's main man.

'"Johnnie leads by example and you look for that in a captain," says manager Chris Powell. Jackson looks settled, too, having recently signed an extension to his contract.'

'Did you know? Jackson cemented his place as a fans' favourite after buying a train carriage full of Charlton fans a drink.'

I was a bit surprised that Chris Solly didn't even make 'the best of the rest' list while Leon Clarke was highly placed in the main list. If there was a 'most improved' or 'steepest learning curve' award, I would give it to Bradley Pritchard.

Pritchard praises Jacko

Johnnie Jackson was Charlton's star player for The Football League Paper at Hull yesterday, getting a score of 8 for leading by example with his surging runs from midfield. The same paper once again features Bradley Pritchard, as they did a few weeks ago, and he names the skipper as the best player he has ever played with 'because he's a real team player.'

Pritchard reveals that he no longer borrows his sister's Peugeot 206, but has splashed out on a two door Volkswagen Golf. He proposed to Helen two months ago and the wedding is in May 2014.

He says that he never supported any club as a boy, just particular players, such as Peter Ndlovu at Coventry. He describes himself as 'relaxed, persistent and energetic.' He admits that he is probably the worst dressed player at the club, but nominates Leon Cort as number two for his addiction to sheepskin.

He admits that his one goal for Charlton was a scrappy one. 'Johnnie Jackson squared it and in all the mud and panic I managed to swing my left foot at it. It took an age to go in, but it was a special moment for me.'

He gets full marks from me for naming Mark Lawrenson as the tv pundit who makes him cringe. He says of Lawro, 'He just says something for the sake of saying it.' The main newspaper he reads is The Times, although he also looks at the Sun.

Pritchard: I still don't feel comfortable

Bradley Pritchard is the subject of a full page feature article in The Football League Paper today. Recalling how he signed for the Addicks, he was volunteering as a part-time match analyst for the club and when he was called into Chris Powell's office, he thought he might be offered a full-time analysts post. When he was offered a playing contract, he thought he might have to double up as an analyst.

Promotion brought with it the realisation that he was about to hit the big time. 'I was nervous at the start of the season, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't,' commented the midfielder. 'For the first few games I was a bit overwhelmed and after the Crystal Palace game, about five or six games in, I was taken out of the side.'

'The games are widely publicised. I was used to playing in front of 700 people ar Hayes and all of a sudden I'm playing in front of 20,000 people. The boss was really good with me though, we had a chat and he relaxed me by redirecting the pressure - he told me to enjoy the experience.'

'I started slowly this season and looking at my own performance there were a lot of things to work on. I still don't feel comfortable, not yet anyway. I've come up directly against the likes of Danny Murphy, someone who I watched for years, and you can't help but think: "Should I actually be here"?'

'But once the whistle goes it doesn't matter. Even Lawrie Wilson came up with Stevenage. I remember playing against him when I was at Tamworth the year they got prompted, now here we are playing in the same team in our first year in the Championship.'

Villa linked again with Dale Stephens

There are reports from a Villa blog of a renewed inerest in Dale Stephens, although they are uncertain whether it is just a recycling of summer rumours: Stephens

Former Tamworth Herald Player of the Year Bradley Pritchard has told the paper that he discounts rumours of Premiership interest in him and is loving life at Charlton: Pritchard.

Reports are circulating that Charlton have made an approach to Manchester United about 21-year old striker Federico Macheda. The Italian is certainly out of favour at Old Trafford and a loan move in the January window is very likely. However, Blackpool and Hull City have also expressed interest while Macheda himself has indicated he would like to go to Germany or Spain rather than to a Championship club. More about him here: Macheda

Premiership clubs track Pritchard

Three Premiership clubs (Aston Villa, Fulham and Reading) are reported to be tracking Bradley Pritchard as a transfer target: Pritchard

Pritchard has become something of a favourite among the Addickted for his energy and enthusiasm. Admittedly, as the New York Addick points out in his report on the Watford game, this is not always matched by technique, but that is something that could be developed.

Roller coaster ride as Charlton beat Watford

The form book was torn up as Charlton beat Watford 4-3 at Vicarage Road this afternoon to go 15th in the Championship. But it was a roller coaster ride with the Hornets ahead twice in the game before the Addicks finally drew their sting.

Daniel Pudil's early strike put Watford ahead but Charlton hit back through Tommie Hoban's own goal and Yann Kermorgant's header. Ater Almen Abdi's penalty and Alexandre Geijo's goal put Watford back in front, Kermorgant tucked in another equaliser before skipper Johnnie Jackson scored the winning goal.

Charlton applied some pressure in the early exchanges, but the home side struck after 11 minutes when Geijo's low shot was well saved by Hamer but Pudil was on hand to steer in the rebound for his first goal for the club.

Jackson had the ball in the net soon afterwards but just picked up a yellow cardf for handball. The Addicks drew level in the 33rd minute when Jackson swung in a corner, Watford failed to clear and the ball eventually went in off Hornets defender Hoban. Three minutes later Charlton were ahead when Kermorgant powered a far-post header past Manuel Almunia from Bradley Pritchard's cross.

Watford started the second half strongly and Geijo teed up Fernando Forestieri, who was denied by the feet of Hamer. But the Addicks goalkeeper could do nothing to prevent Watford equalising in the 52nd minute after Dorian Dervite tripped Forestieri in the area and Abdi tucked away the penalty.

Hamer then tipped Geijo's shot over and Forestieri fired wide when he should have scored before Watford got their noses back in front in the 68th minute. Geijo ran on to a clever chip from Forestieri and clipped the ball past Hamer.

The lead lasted less than two minutes as Ricardo Fuller jinked his way down the right and crossed for Kermorgant to tuck away his second of the game. Jacko completed the turnaround when he headed in Dale Stephens' corner.

Substitute Vydra had an equaliser ruled out for offside and Hamer saved from Foriestieri as Charlton held out to take the points back to south London.

Possession was fifty-fifty but the Addicks had fifteen shots on target to Watford's nine and seven corners to their four.

Hornets can sting

The general view was that we were unfortunate not to get anything out of our home game with Watford in October when we went down 1-2 to the 10-man opposition: Watford. However, the chances of getting anything more than a draw at Vicarage Road tomorrow are not that promising. Watford are currently 3rd in the home table and Charlton are currently bottom. The Hornets have been defeated just once in 11 games.

I saw the quite long excerpt on The Football League Show of Watford's 3-1 victory at the Amex over Brighton and Hove Albion (it is certainly a longer excerpt than Charlton customarily get). The Hornets looked full of confidence and particularly strong in the counter attack.

Czech international Matej Vydra, on loan from Udinese, is clearly a danger man. At Brighton he scored two goals and provided an assist, as well as forcing a good save from the Albion keeper. Troy Deeny's goal was also excellent and he provided the assist for Vydra's second. In midfield Chalobah was calm and composed on the ball, delivering well-weighted passes throughout: just what we haven't got at Charlton. Fitz Hall did everything that was asked of him in defence, but Alumnia in goal made a silly mistake to give away the penalty. Although clearly a more than competent keeper, he can be pressured to make errors.

Charlton will be without Michael Morrison in defence. As Hungry Ted has noted in his blog, the consensus among the Addickted is that Chris Powell should have taken him off at half time. Even just listening to the commentary, it was clear to me that the rotund referee had him in his sights. It has been observed that he has been playing below his usual standard in recent games and this has led him to make errors that can attract cards.

Bradley Wright-Phillips impressed on Saturday and arguably did enough to earn a starting place. Bradley Pritchard was his usual vigorous self. After a hesitant start, Evina did well, certainly better than Seaborne who was angling for a permanent berth in a programme interview a few weeks ago: thanks, but no thanks.

I can make one prediction with confidence about this match: the symmetry of Charlton's away record will end. Currently we have won four, drawn four and lost four. Watford have lost as many matches at home as away (four), but I fear a loss for the Addicks to start 2013. Odds are: Watford 5/6, Draw 5/2, Charlton 10/3

Whilst we shouldn't blame referees for our own poor performances, it's not good news that Trevor Kettle is refereeing this match. He rewarded the horror tackle on Grant Basey at Bristol Rovers by Dominic Blizzard with a yellow card, although he did have the grace to apologise afterwards. Views by fans of this cloud of steam are far from favourable: Kettle

In the event of a defeat, if Chris Powell is not provided with a taxi then or shortly afterwards, he is probably safe for the rest of the season, barring a complete collapse. We don't need to add to the crazy turnover of Championship managers.

Midfield problems

Happier times?

Among Charlton fans who went to the Boxing Day defeat, there is a general consensus that the midfield were woeful, Stephens in particular giving away possession again unnecessarily, leading to one of the Ipswich goals. The front pairing could hardly be blamed for not doing more when the service was so woeful.

One long-standing fan commented: 'The strike pairing worked hard at competing for the ball, which they only saw from punt-clearances from the back four, as, apart from Haynes in the first few minutes, the wingers were rarely given decent balls to work with, and there was little end-product ...or none in the case of Green, who frequently drifted even deeper than Solly when there was a crying need for a wide player for an out-ball. From where I was sitting, Green, Frimpong, Stephens and Seaborne were consistently poor first half, and it came as no surprise to see the former two replaced at half time. Pritchard proved to be part of the solution, at least wanting and using the ball.'

Another fan commented, 'Firstly 3 of the 4 midfielders just didn't turn up. The fact Stephens survived his first half horror show only serves to show just how abysmal Frimpong and Green were. The introduction of Jackson and particularly Pritchard turned the game in our favour. Pritchard brought pace, tempo and bite to the middle, Jackson improved the passing, the harrying and in particular the delivery into the box.'

'Secondly our back four looked decidedly like they'd had too much Christmas pudding. Solly had his poorest half of football in a long time and Seaborne looked like a debutant wearing his boots on the wrong feet. Exposed to the pace and skill of Ipswich's outstanding forward players Campbell and Martin, Morro and Cort looked like they had the manoeuvrability of the Titanic.'

'That first half showing was our worst for some time. Second half, with the changes in midfield, we at least looked like a Championship side. To give Stephens a little credit, at least he looked like he cared that he was putting in a mare, unlike the two subbed. God, you'd think Green would at least look like he wanted to take his opportunity.'

'Central midfield needs to be a priority for any money made available to Powell in January, if he's given the chance to spend it (and it would be a travesty if he's not.)'

The Deepest Darkest blog has dared to invoke the memory of Keith Jones. Much criticised at the time for passing sideways or even backwards, he at least kept possession and found Charlton players with accurate passes.

Derby have themselves suffered two successive defeats, so they are by no means invincible and offer a chance to get back to winning ways.

Charlton maintain unbeaten run

Charlton maintained their unbeaten run with a 2-2 draw at home to Brighton and Hove Albion at The Valley today. The Addicks moved up to 12th in the table.

A win was beyond Charlton's grasp because there were too many unforced errors and misplaced passes, notably a rare mistake by Michael Morrison which set up Brighton's first equaliser. Brighton played some attractive football in what was one of the better games we have seen at home this season and it would be difficult to claim that a draw was not a fair result.

The supposed foul which set up the free kick for their second goal looked like a fair tackle to me, but the referee was inclined to give every marginal decision to the visitors while ignoring their pushing and pulling in the box. Even though he came from Surrey, I don't think he was biased, it was just a case of another referee trying to show he is not a 'homer' by giving the benefit of the doubt to the visiting team.

Haynes set up a corner for Charlton. Corners in the first half were taken as part of a new short cormer routine. This one was caught. Wilson put in a good cross. A mistake by Kuszczak in the Brighton goal gave Charlton a corner. It was taken by Dale Stephens, and the subsequent goal was initially attributed to him, but it was Lawrie Wilson who put the Addicks ahead.

An effort by Hulse was turned over the bar by the keeper and from the subsequent corner Morrison headed over the bar. Frimpong was brought down and the free kick led to a Charlton corner which was punched out by the keeper and eventually cleared. Brighton then launched a threatening break, but Chris Solly dealt with it very effectively.

A Brighton corner was eventually cleared, but Hamer was furious with his defence. Solly provided excellent cover. The Covered End launched into a rendition of 'We hate Palace more than you do.' From a Brighton corner Hamer eventually claimed the ball. With the linesman refusing to lift his flag for offside, Hamer did well. Charlton launched a good attack, but the ball seemed to ping off the woodwork, although the keeper may have played a part. A fierce Brighton shot from distance went not far over, but Hamer had it covered and it was always going to go over.

Morrison then made his disastous error with an attempt at a back header. He might have been able to put into touch or let the ball run and Hamer could have dealt with it, but Mackell-Smith was able to score for the equaliser.

Haynes won Charlton a free kick, but it was caught. After a spell when the Seagulls had been dominant, Charlton were getting back in the game more and an attack ended up with the ball in the side netting. A good build up provided a chance for Dale Stephens, but he was off target.

Half time: Addicks 1, Seagulls 1

Brighton won a number of corners early in the half, one leading to a follow up but Hamer was able to catch the ball. Dean Hammond was given a yellow card for a foul on Dale Stephens. Brighton continued to push and pull in the box under the benign gaze of the referee. A Charlton error in a pass across the pitch allowed Brighton to attack and Wilson committed a foul and received a yellow card. Brighton took off Hoskings and brought on LuaLua before the free kick was taken, but it came off the wall at the expense of a Brighton corner.

Charlton launched a good attack and Bradley Pritchard was able to put the ball in the net from close range to make it 2-1. A Brighton free kick was awarded on the 'D' for what I thought was a good tackle. The ball took a deflection off the wall, allowing LuaLua to make it 2-2.

Either side could have scored in the remainder of the game, but although the vigorous contest continued, it ended all square. The chairman confidently predicted a 20,000+ attendance in the programme but in fact it was 19,080 which was a bit disappointing given that the away end was sold out. Perhaps some people were down at Bluewater.

Match analysis

Ivy the Terrible has given the Silver Bone to Dorian Dervitte. I was quite surprised to see Cort dropped after his highly rated performance at Millwall, but Dervitte was excellent in defence and contributed throughout, not least in the four minutes added on. Hamer was not really at fault for the two goals. He had to make a few saves, including an excellent one from Dobbie in the first half, and was particularly good at catching the ball from corners and crosses. A surprising number of Brighton shots went well wide. Morrison made a serious error, but otherwise he was up to his usual standard. Wilson made an excellent return, scoring a goal and making a storming run up the pitch in time added on. Solly excelled once again, even though he was playing at left back. Stephens showed some real touches of class. Great to see Pritchard score, and it was clear from the way they piled in that this team mates were delighted as well, otherwise he was his usual busy self. Frimpong showed that he has pace as well as class. Jackson had a few nice touches, but there were limits to his contribution. Haynes showed his pace, but he needed better service. Hulse was energetic, but he looked isolated quite a lot of the time. Kermorgant didn't make a big difference when he came on. Kerkar was disappointing.

The Hiss of the Match was given to the East Stand linesman by Juneau the Soccer Cat. He seemed to have a poor understanding of the offside rule and ignored repeated infringements by Brighton players.

Full report tomorrow.

Charlton fail to take advantage

Charlton drew 1-1 with 10-man Huddersfield at The Valley today and slipped back to 15th in the table. Next Saturday's opponents Millwall moved into the play off places after a win at Blackburn.

It's not necessarily easy to play against ten men, especially on a very wet surface, but I don't feel we took as much as we could have done from the notional advantage. When a team is down to ten men you need to harry them, pressure them and tire them and we didn't really do that. There was too much neat passing of the ball around at the back while we tried to make our mind up what to do.

Haynes and Seaborne both picked up knocks in training which did not help us, particularly with Haynes currently on form. Kerkar was slotted in at left back which is a position he is far from comfortable in.

Whilst not exactly scrappy, the first half was far from inspiring and it would not have been much of a game for the neutral. Charlton finally went ahead on 60 minutes through Hulse taking advantage of a pinpoint cross from Bradley Pritchard. However, after failing to deal with a series of crosses, we conceded the penalty that gave the visitors a chance to level.

When I read in the programme that the last time Charlton had won four second tier games in a row was 2007, I knew that the chances of equalling that record were not good.

Huddersfield won an early corner following an error by Solly in midfield that gave away possession. The corner from Northern Ireland international Norwood was dangerous and was played back in before being over the bar. Ricardo Fuller launched a counter attack. Charlton won a corner but it was caught. The visitors then broke, but put the ball wide. A Huddersfield corner on eight minutes was caught authoritatively by Hamer.

Jackson put in a good tackle to break up an attack. Dale Stephens over hit a free kick. Hunt looked dangerous on the right. Huddersfield started to step up the pressure as the half hour approached. Lynch went down in apparent agony, something to be repeated later in the game. Fuller won Charlton a couple of free kicks. Charm merchant Dixon got a yellow card, I think for dissent. A Charlton corner was tipped over the bar. Huddersfield launched a counter attack but good work by Bradley Pritchard won Charlton a free kick.

A Ricardo Fuller run ended with the ball going across the face of goal. Hamer was able to claim the ball at the second attempt. Southern put in a high challenge on Morrison in midfield, I thought it was going to be a yellow, but referee Mr Collins had no hesitation in showing the red. Chris Powell said after the game that it was not a red card.

Bradley Pritchard got a yellow card for nothing in particular. Morrison conceded a rather unnecessary corner.

HT 0-0

The half time was enlivened by the news that Rick Everitt had won one of the smaller Valley Gold prizes which should be a useful supplement to his jobseekers' allowance. Huddersfield won a corner but Hamer saved confidently. Stephens won Charlton a corner, but the move ended with an offside decision. Chris Solly put in a poor cross. But he redeemed himself on 59 minutes with a nice shimmy which allowed Bradley Pritchard to put in a great cross from which Hulse scored.

Ricardo Fuller broke away, he was fouled but continued to advance. Unfortunately, his shot was just wide. Adam Clayton won a yellow card for his attentions on Fuller. Kerkar put in some good work. The attendance was announced at 20,012 which was encouraging, particularly given that some regulars were on the Lewisham A & E march.

A Huddersfield corner led to some frantic play as the crosses came in. Solly was judged to have committed a foul. Simon Grayson said afterwards that he did not think it was a foul, but the referee was keen to even things up. Clayton dispatched the ball past Hamer into the bottom left-hand corner of the net.

Charlton did apply some pressure in the last four minutes, drawing a save from Smithies and winning two corners, but they were unable to score. It was a disappointing result and performance and the moaners have been out in force blaming Chris Powell's ineptitude. However, it is difficult to see who else he could have played at left back, as moving Solly across would have meant moving Morrison to right back, where he is not comfortable, and bringing in Dervitte. Just too many changes. It is four games unbeaten which is good for a team with mid-table ambitions.

Match analysis

Ivy the Terrible has awarded the Silver Bone to debutante Emmanuel Frimpong who fully lived up to his billing, showing commitment, energy and some really nice touches. Our play lost something when he had to go off after picking up a knock, apparently it was just cramp.

Hamer dropped the ball in the build up the penalty. In the first half the ball slipped out of his hands and he had to pounce on it. If the attacking player had been more alert, he might have scored. Morrison was solid throughout and moved the ball forward nicely on occasions. Some of the headers by Cort were insufficiently powerful or well directed and nearly got us into trouble. Kerkar was uncomfortable at left back, was unable to contribute to attack in his normal way and was given a torrid time by Hunt. Solly contributed well and set up Pritchard to deliver his cross for the goal. The penalty was awarded against him, but I don't blame him for the preceding chaos and confusion. Pritchard was his useful busy self, but sometimes lacks pace. Stephens did not contribute that much and one potentially promising free kick was disappointing. The contribution by Jackson was also relatively limited. Hulse was anonymous for much of the game, but did what was required when the scoring opportunity presented himself. Fuller shows real touches of quality and good pace, just needs a little more accuracy in the final delivery.

Bringing Danny Green on posed some interesting questions. He looked lacklustre and rusty at first and didn't get forward enough, although admittedly he was at risk of being caught offside. His team mates seemed reluctant to pass to him, which perhaps suggests a lack of confidence in his abilities. He did come into the game much more in the last few minutes, but by then it was too late. The arrival of Yann Kermorgant was warmly greeted by the Addickted as a promise of better times, but he did not have many opportunities to contribute.

Juneau the Soccer Cat has given the Hiss of the Match to charm merchant Jack Hunt. He is not lacking in ability, but spent the whole game arguing with the referee and was lucky not to get booked.

In praise of Bradley Pritchard

Bradley Pritchard has won a lot of friends of Charlton for his total commitment and his willigness to develop as a player. Read more about him here: Pritchard

Wolves ready for tasty meal

Wolves have got just one point from their last two home games, while Charlton do better away than at home, but the home side is looking forward to a tasty meal and three points tomorrow. The mood in the Wolves camp is that automatic promotion is a certainty while Charlton are there for the taking given that they were two divisions lower last season: Wolves

Charlton have won two, drawn two and lost two league matches away, while at home they have only won one and lost three. They have scored over twice as many goals away as at home.

Why is this? The most obvious difference is the formation adopted. At home we have tended to rely on 4-4-2. Away from home we have gone for 4-5-1 or often a more sophisticated variant of it. I didn't go to Leeds but as far as I could work out it was 4-1-3-1-1 or possibly 4-1-4-1. Dervitte played in front of what I think of as a strong back four and gave them some useful protection: in other words, we have found the defensive midfielder we have lacked.

Chris Powell was asked earlier in the week if he would play the same formation at Wolves as he did at Leeds and he said 'possibly'. Clearly he would be unwise to give too much away. Wolves will, of course, have had us watched and will think of ways of countering us. My impression on Tuesday was that Leeds had difficulty finding a way through our midfield.

What was less clear was how we were going to score or at any rate score the winning goal. We stepped up the pressure at the end of the game and Bradley Wright-Phillips was only denied by a stunning save from Kenny. We were, however, more exposed at the back as a result.

I am pretty sure that we will use some variant of 4-5-1 tomorrow, but it may be that Wright-Phillips will start up front. Bradley Pritchard was brought in when Dale Stephens failed a late fitness test and he accredited himself well. He may not be the most stylish or skilled player, but he puts himself about and makes a thorough nuisance of himself to the opposition.

We haven't won at Wolves in the secondtier since 1999/2000 when we won 3-2, on my 53rd birthday as I recall. The Addicks have not taken a point off them since our 2-0 home win in the Premier League in January 2004. Charlton's most recent of only five league victories at Molineux was also in the same season, when they won 4-0 in August despite going down to 10 men after Scotty Parker was sent off.

Our last two matches in the second tier at Molineux were defeats. I am not going to make a prediction as all my recent efforts have been wrong, but the odds (Coral) are home win 5/6; draw 5/2; away win 10/3.

Chris Powell thinks that we may be helped by the fact that the weight of expectation is on Wolves. In our away victories there has sometimes been a sense of 'it's only Charlton' from the home side, leading to a belief that all they have to do is turn up, play some exhibition football in a training game and walk off to the cheers of their supporters. That went sour for Leeds at least who were booed off.

Once again the officials on the pitch are from the north with a fourth official from the West Midlands so it is likely that any marginal decisions will go against the southern softies.

Keep calm and carry on says Sir Chris

That is the essence of the message from Chris Powell as Charlton prepare for a difficult trip to the Fylde coast on Saturday: Powell

Blackpool are currently fourth in the table and will be expecting to pick up three easy points on Saturday. So far the Addicks have only lost matches by one goal, confirming a widely held view that we are just one or two players short of a fully competitive side, but facing the Seasiders away is a real challenge.

It is at times like this that I appreciate how difficult a football manager's job is. Do you play very defensively? But then we need more than a point and once you have gone 1-0 behind, what is the Plan B? Or do you go for attack, accepting a big defeat as the risk?

I don't have any answers, although I will be taking a closer look at the Tangerines tomorrow. My one recommendation would be to start Bradley Pritchard. He is fully committed, very energetic and can be a real nuisance to the opposition as he roams round the field.

832 tickets have been sold so far, so at least 1,000 Addicks could be enjoying the bracing winds off the Irish sea and possibly taking advantage of the very cheap accommodation. Among them is away reporter Paul May.

Brad knows it will be hard

Bradley Pritchard is featured in an article in The Non-League Paper talking about his aspirations at Charlton. The Loughborough University sports science graduate knows it will not be easy as he seeks to break into the first team at The Valley.

'I'm under no illusions that it's going to be extremely hard. I've got a lot to prove ... I've got a job on to prove myself to my new teammates and manager during pre-season to hopefully get in the Charlton team.'

Pritchard admits that he is a late developer. The slightly built midfielder noted, 'Some players, like myself, have maybe got deficiencies like being smaller than others', a point illustrated in the photo accompanying the article by another player towering over him.

Brad's only disappointment is that he will no longer be travelling to China in August to represent Great Britain at the World University Games.

Addicks sign Bromley man

Charlton Athletic have beaten off interest from Dagenham and Redbridge and Gillingham to sign Bradley Pritchard from Hayes & Yeading. Born in Zimbabwe, the midfielder is based in Bromley. He has signed an initial 12-month contract with the possibility of an extension.

The 25-year old was voted player of the season at Hayes & Yeading.