I have to say I'm not really surprised by this result. I was incredibly pleased with the performance against Southampton, and the result there and at Bournemouth. Both of those two results were a bonus as far as I’m concerned.
I really believed that we were going to find ourselves in a relegation battle before I saw us against Southampton. I was encouraged by that game and really thought that we would be able to get another couple of points, and as I pointed out previously we are almost certainly going to be safe with 51 points, and 50 could well be enough.
Bournemouth was a bonus, and it made us unbeaten in two, but just like I was not convinced by the performances when we won four on the bounce at the start of Powell’s reign, I was not really bowled over with two draws, especially as Southampton seemed nervous to go on to kill us off at 1-0, letting us back into it, and Bournemouth should have scored at least three goals in the last five minutes, and from all accounts we were very lucky there.
There has been some suggestion on Charlton Life that we played well yesterday and deserved to win. However, despite not wanting to sound hypocritical (criticising wins when we play badly) at this point we need a win to be sure of being in this division next season. I no longer care for good performances when we lose – especially as we have failed to put back to back performances together all season.
If we underperform on Saturday against a Orient team that really can still make the playoffs, and beat us at home last season then we will be back where we started.
Dave has a good analysis of what the run in and the potential implications, and I don’t intend to covering the same here, but I do agree with his conclusion. You would think that we would be able to secure at least one more win by mere statistics, but if you work on the basis that we have only performed well in about ten percent (or less) of the games since Powell came in, there is a real possibility that last night took all that our players have to offer for the last ten games.
I still think that we must be able to luck a win from somewhere, and with Walsall needing to make up ten points, Dagenham & Redbridge nine and Notts Co. eight we might well have enough points already. Walsall only have seven games left, which gives them a maximum 21 points. Even if we lose our next six games (possible but not very likely) I still think we will be safe if we draw at their place on 30th April. However I’m beginning to think that a defeat there will take us into the last game of the season with something to play for.
I know we have a game in hand over them but if you assume that we will lose it (and it is, technically, Southampton away) it will only make our goal difference worse and is unlikely to yield any points. In fact with a goal difference that is 13 better that Walsall, one big defeat and four other losses during this time and we could well lose gap.
As Dave says, if anyone can, we can.
One bit of good news, however, is that I am going to Florida on Sunday for two weeks to see Mickey Mouse. Needless to say my six year old son is getting excited but nowhere as near as excited as I’m getting. Work has been really good for the last twelve months, and I’m encouraged both by that and the future outlook. My Son is doing well at school and it looks as though Mrs KHA is going to be getting a promotion this week (fingers crossed). All in all everything in the Kings Hill Addick household is looking rosy – save for the rubbish football team, of course.
I know this sounds mad now but we deliberately booked to fly on the Sunday as we didn’t want to miss the Orient game. My whole life has been arranged around Charlton home fixtures for years – no more!
The only disappointment about our two week holiday is that we are not going to miss more than one game – Huddersfield.
When we get back we will have just four games left. By then it could be really interesting. It could be squeaky bum time, as Alex Fergusson likes to say.
Up the Addicks!
