Saturday 6 January 2024
A glut of transfer news yesterday. Just like buses you wait ages and when one comes along several more follow soon after.
News of two new loan signings, midfielders Tyreeq Bakinson and Lewis Fiorini (who is another one for the links with Scotland list). Slobodan Tedic has returned to Manchester City and news that Aaron Henry’s time on loan at Crawley Town has come to an end and he will now join Wealdstone for the rest of the season. Youngsters Jacob Roddy and Seydil Toure have joined Oxford City on one month loans while Tolu Ladapo (hat trick hero from the under 21’s game the day before) is also away for a month’s loan with Hungerford Town. A busy day indeed for the club secretary!
With three midfielders currently on the injury list (Taylor, McGrandles and Camara) and Louie Watson seemingly out of favour (and perhaps heading back to Luton) some reinforcements in that area is welcome. No news yet of George Dobson signing a new contract so the team may see itself depleted further in this area by the end of the transfer window.
Tedic has had limited opportunities but certainly didn’t set the heather on fire, or even overly impress any of our three Heathers! His goal at Bristol Rovers in the last game of 2023 did, however, show there is a finisher there if given the service.
Aaron Henry didn’t get many opportunities at Crawley so it probably suits everyone that he should now get regular football during the second half of the season.
Now to today’s games and a reminder that Charlton u18s take on QPR u18s in the morning. Results of under 18s league fixtures sometimes take a day or two to appear on the Charlton website and App.
The main event is at 3.00 pm and away to Port Vale is the sort of fixture that does little to excite the imagination. Neither side experiencing any level of consistency this season. Hopefully the game itself will prove more exciting.
Port Vale have the nickname ‘Valiants’. When I first started following Charlton in the 1960’s they were also known as the Valiants. The club ran a fans competition in 1960 and Valiants was chosen as the official nickname. Maybe a move at the time to try and modernise the club image? Or was it because nobody was really sure what an Addick is? Either way when the club went into its period of exile from the Valley in 1985 the fans reverted to the Addicks and it was eventually reinstalled as the club’s official nickname.
When a group of us first established Charlton Fans in Scotland we had to decide on a group name. Scottish Addicks was one suggestion at the time but the concern that it might be confused as ‘Scottish Addicts’ meant that idea was quickly dismissed.
Not much doubt that a good result for the Addicks is essential this afternoon and team selection could be interesting, especially as both Alfie May and Chem Campbell look to be only possibles to start.
Injury problems have bedevilled Charlton this season but spare a thought for Dunfermline who in the televised game at Hampden last night against Queens Park fielded the only eleven fit first team players at the start of the game and had a bench of youngsters. During the game they lost two more players to injury. The result, of not the most entertaining of games it must be said, was a 2-1 win for Queens Park. Surely the weekend will get better!