Defender doubtful for Latics date
Phil Parkinson has several injury worries for Saturday's clash against Oldham Athletic, among them Frazer Richardson, who is rated as doubtful by the Addicks boss.
The right-back, ever-present so far in the league this term for Charlton, has a tight hamstring and could be forced to sit out the date with the Latics.
Parkinson is also waiting on the fitness of Lloyd Sam and Jose Semedo, but Miguel Llera and new signing Leon McKenzie will be available for selection.
"Frazer is a doubt,” said Parkinson. "He had a rib injury so we'd planned to rest him against Barnet. He felt all right to do a bit of training on Tuesday but then his hamstring tightened up. It's frustrating and I'd say he's less than 50/50.
"Lloydy came off at half-time [against Leeds United] with a tight groin. He probably could have gone out and given it another 15 minutes but we weren't prepared to take a gamble. He hasn't trained yet this week and we won't know about Lloyd until Friday morning.
"Semedo should train on Friday and Miguel is fine. Leon's had his first full day back in training on Thursday and is available for selection."
Chris Solly started at right-back in the 4-1 Johnstone's Paint Trophy win over Barnet in midweek and is in contention to keep his place for the date with Oldham.
However, the aerial ability of Oldham's left-winger Chris Taylor could see Parkinson switch Kelly Youga to the right, with Grant Basey moving to left-back and Llera returning at centre-half.
"We've got Solly or Kelly who can play at right-back, so we've got a few options," revealed Parkinson, who will again be without Sam Sodje as the defender is on international duty with Nigeria.
Llera should therefore start alongside Christian Dailly, with Parkinson continuing: "Miguel's fine. He had a virus on Tuesday but he also had four bookings - if he'd played and picked up another one, we would have been without him and Sodje for Saturday.
"I was obviously pleased with Sodje at Leeds, but it's important that the fans remember how well Miguel did for the first 10 games of the season. He had an indifferent game at Colchester United last week, but as a team we weren't at our best defensively.
"He's made a big contribution and sometimes as a player it does you good, both mentally and physically, to take a step back and have a breather in order to get back to where he was."
Sam's possible absence could be less of a worry for Parkinson, who was highly impressed by Scott Wagstaff's display against Barnet.
The youngster hit the fourth goal of the game - his second of the season - and produced a fine display on the right-hand side that belied his tender years.
Parkinson said: "Scott's performance the other night was very good. Everything you expect of Scotty he gave us. I imagine he covered more ground than anyone else, he helped Chris Solly out defensively and he got a goal, so you can't ask for much more than that. When he gets in those positions, you're confident he's going to hit the target.
"It's good to have competition and Lloyd knows he's got serious competition on his hands. Scott is champing at the bit to play, and if he doesn't play on Saturday, I imagine he'll be disappointed.
"It's the same with Jonjo Shelvey - he's been a fixture in the team but now Tamer Tuna's looking good and there is more competition, which can only be healthy."
After shaking off a groin strain, McKenzie is also pushing for a place in Parkinson's squad as he eyes his first appearance in a Charlton shirt since his deadline-day switch from Coventry City.
But with Deon Burton in fine form and Tuna and Izale McLeod sparkling on Tuesday, McKenzie may have to be patient.
"I can't say whether he [Leon] will start or be on the bench as I have to be fair to the youngsters who did well on Tuesday," mused Parkinson. "It was a very minor thing he had, but we decided to take him to see a specialist and work with him to make sure it didn't happen again in the future.
"He'd been looking good in training until the injury so it was a blow. Before he starts a game, I'd want him to play for the reserves, but he's a possibility for the bench on Saturday."
Tickets for the fixture are priced £17, £22 and £25 adults, £17 over 60s and U21s, and £5 U18s in all areas.
Fans should note that commercial centre staff are no longer posting out tickets for the fixture due to the continued postal strikes. Places will be available from the ground in advance of kick-off, and can also be collected before the game, although the club is urging fans to arrive as early as possible to avoid queues.
Fans can also book £7-per-head Valley Express return travel to the stadium from more than 70 pick-up points. Get more details about the pick-up points and times here.
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