Preview: Charlton v MK Dons

By John Hill on November 13, 2009 4:40 PM |

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Charlton are having one of those months.

The sort of bad-luck month in which you accidentally lock your keys in the car with the handbrake off at the top of a San Francisco street, forcing you to chase the vehicle a mile down a slope into a World Porcelain Convention attended entirely by armed mobsters.

And it could well get even worse, if they're not careful.

Since the lacklustre loss against Carlisle on October 31, Charlton have casually tossed away their cup commitments for the season. First Northwich Victoria bundled them out of the FA Cup in an act of first-round highlight reel giant-killing. Then former manager Alan Pardew popped up again to slap them out of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy with his Southampton side. Okay, so Charlton fans didn't turn up for the 2009/10 season dreaming of lifting the paint pot, but it has the last-straw flip-out potential of a newly-ruined millionaire spilling his McFlurry over his last pair of trousers.

This weekend, Charlton will bid to trim Leeds United's advantage at the top of League One to four points. But they'll have to do it against MK Dons, who are one of the teams ideally placed to drag them out of the automatic promotion places entirely. The Dons are level on points with the Addicks, with Colchester just a point back. Any dropped points at the weekend could leave Charlton splashing around the play-off pool, which would be a huge blow to the confidence of this fancied but floudering team.

Izale McLeod won't be taking the field, but Therry Racon, Nicky Bailey and Deon Burton should be back and Frazer Richardson may join them. MK Dons won't have Jermaine Easter, Stephen Gleeson and Dean Lewington, while there are question marks over Danny Woodwards, Martin Devaney and Darren Powell. Jemal Johnson and Danny Swailes should return.

Kick off is 3pm on Saturday