We can't be knocked out apparently, which means top two qualify I suppose. If Pompey lose and Fulham schoolboys beat Crawley then Portsmouth's season will truly be over. So the south coast team might as well go for the throat tonight. According to 11v11, Charlton haven't played Portsmouth for over 10 years. Our last meeting? January 2007 in the Premiership.
Which is very surprising, because I believe I’m right in saying they are the club we have played more times than any other.
Fosu has pulled a muscle, so could be out. I don't understand the team selection. Why not play a U23 team?
At least Fosu has 11 days to recover, let's hope the pull is a minor one. Agreed though, why risk playing our top scorer at all? The only reason I can think of for playing any of our first XI is maybe to keep them match-sharp. If Tarique Fosu does miss any League One game time because of this injury, that choice by KR is going to be judged a mistake.
Another opportunity comes and goes for Karlan Ahearne-Grant and Joe Dodoo. That's 1 goal in 41 appearances now for KAG, and 1 goal in 6 apps for JD. Fortunately this result (and indeed the entire competition) does not really matter - which of course is why they were picked for it. Still, it was a chance to catch some attention for the right reasons. Here's a snippet from the official match report; Karl Robinson made nine changes to the side that beat Truro 3-1 in the FA Cup on Sunday, with Joe Dodoo and Naby Sarr the only two to retain their places. But Charlton showcased their squad’s strength with the likes of Ahmed Kashi, Billy Clarke, Patrick Bauer, Joe Aribo, Tariqe Fosu and Karlan Ahearne-Grant all starting. Indeed the strength of our squad was on show, as was its effectiveness. (no details in the report however of Fosu's substitution after 9 minutes). At least the attendance was up from last Wednesday; 1,101 Charlton fans plus 206 from Portsmouth.
Good to see some common sense at least. 10 days without a game now for most of the squad, then 2 games a week nearly every week until Christmas. The calm before the storm...
