Charlton to continue cup run at Southend
Charlton's FA Cup first round tie at the weekend wasn't the liveliest, as they played out a goalless draw at Barnet, however it's been a busy week for the Addicks, dominated by takeover talk. The club rejected a bid fronted by Sebastien Sainsbury today, while Peter Ridsdale has denied his interest.
On the pitch, the Barnet stalemate came as a blow, ending a run of three straight wins that had seen the south-east Londoners jump to fifth in League One and eased the pressure on unpopular boss Phil Parkinson, who from an outsiders' perspective appears to have done a decent job at a difficult time.
One thing that would make the team's longest stint in the third tier since 1975 far more bearable for supporters is a trip to Wembley and they are only three rounds away from achieving that feat in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, having overcome divisional rivals Dagenham and Redbridge and MK Dons.
It's a vast improvement on last year's progress in the competition, which was swiftly halted by former manager Alan Pardew and eventual winners Southampton, and they'll be confident of progress to the regional semi-finals tonight when they visit League Two side Southend.
Charlton defeated the Shrimpers home and away last season as the cash-strapped Essex club suffered relegation, and Paul Sturrock's men haven't set their new league alight, sitting 16th having triumphed in just three of their seven at Roots Hall.
The hosts have had a far easier route to this stage, seeing off Gillingham and Barnet, two of the five weakest teams involved judging by league position, but have been victorious in only one of their last five games, so back Charlton to dump them out with a 90-minute win at [2.2].
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Published: 9 Nov 2010
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