Yeovil Town v Charlton
Charlton's 5-1 thumping of Milton Keynes Dons was the perfect response to three successive defeats, but the Addicks haven't won on the road since August, and Phil Parkinson will be keen to set that straight when his side travels to Yeovil Town on Saturday (3pm).
Windy conditions at The Valley contributed to an open encounter against the Dons, and it looked like a bad few days for Charlton would get even worse when Aaron Wilbraham smacked home a superb half-volley in the ninth minute.
Kelly Youga's goalline clearance then prevented Wilbraham from adding a second and almost immediately at the other end, David Mooney levelled on his full league debut.
Nicky Bailey put Charlton in front and although there were some more nervy moments, Charlton never looked back after Lloyd Sam bagged the Addicks' third. Paul Ince's later claim that his side was the better team for 60 minutes failed to convince.
However, not since the 4-0 thrashing of Tranmere Rovers at Prenton Park have Charlton secured three points away from The Valley, with draws at Norwich City, Leeds United and Gillingham and losses at Colchester United and Carlisle United.
Add the Carling Cup defeat to Hereford United, the FA Cup first-round exit to Northwich Victoria and the Johnstone's Paint Trophy loss at Southampton, and it's clear to see where Charlton's struggles have been this term.
But the win over promotion rivals MK Dons was just the tonic Charlton wanted, and Parkinson will hope the lift it has given the club can be utilised in a positive fashion at Huish Park against Yeovil, a side who knocked the Addicks out of the Carling Cup at the first-round stage last season.
Speaking after the win over the Dons, Parkinson said: "Now we've got to go to Yeovil and compete for every ball as we did against MK Dons. If we do that, I think we'll have a good day."
The opposition
Dean Bowditch's late winner sealed the points as Yeovil battled to a 1-0 victory over 10-man Southend United last weekend to move up to 12th spot in League One.
The Shrimpers' task was made harder when debutant Sean Morrison was dismissed for a professional foul, and their resistance was broken when substitute Bowditch converted a cross from close range with 14 minutes remaining.
Bowditch, 23, has been ruled out by a shoulder injury since scoring on his Glovers debut in the opening-day victory over Tranmere.
"It was the perfect way to come back after so long out," he said. "The script just seemed to be written for me. I was just in the right place at the right time."
Glovers boss Terry Skiverton added: "He is the most natural finisher on the books and he showed it when I brought him on and he got the goal that won the game for us. He dislocated his shoulder after scoring in our opening match of the season and I have to pay tribute to my physio, Simon Baker, for getting him fit about two months ahead of schedule."
He added: "We've still got to be a bit more clinical but I'm very pleased with the performance and I always believed the goal was going to come. We created loads of chances, we won the game, and we're going to keep going for the throat and going for the wins. It was a great performance and a great result."
Yeovil have now suffered just one loss in their last eight league games, but Charlton's visit to Huish Park is the first time the Glovers have hosted a team currently in the top half of the table.
Charlton loan man Mooney should be able to give the Addicks some tips on Glovers goalkeeper Alex McCarthy. The shot-stopper is currently on loan with Yeovil from Mooney's parent club Reading.
Well-known names on Yeovil's books include former West Ham United youngster Terrell Forbes and ex-Bristol City man Scott Murray, while former Addicks academy midfielder Kieran Murtagh has netted twice this term.
Somerset-based Yeovil have established themselves in the third tier of English football since winning the League Two championship in 2004/05.
That promotion came just two seasons after the Glovers had secured promotion to the Football League as Conference champions in 2003.
After a mid-table finish in their first term in League One, Yeovil reached the play-offs the following year, losing out to Blackpool in the final.
Until their Conference title, Yeovil had spent almost all of their history outside of The Football League, earning notoriety for a string of famous FA Cup giant-killings.
Charlton team news/past meetings
Parkinson made five changes against MK Dons from the midweek Johnstone's Paint Trophy exit at Southampton. He also switched to a 4-4-2 formation, with Mooney making his first league start after being named alongside Deon Burton. Mooney justified his selection, as did Burton, by scoring in the win.
New signing Akpo Sodje was on the bench after being snapped up from Sheffield Wednesday on a one-month emergency loan on the morning of the game and watched older brother Sam return to the centre of defence in place of Miguel Llera.
Frazer Richardson was back after a thigh problem but suffered a hamstring strain in the second half and will miss the clash at Yeovil. Elliot Omozusi could come in to replace Richardson, or Youga could switch to the right with Grant Basey on the left. Jose Semedo is another option for the right-back role with Chris Solly (knee) still sidelined.
There was an important change in midfield as skipper Bailey moved inside to partner Semedo. Therry Racon switched to the left, with Sam on the right. Another loan man, goalkeeper Cark Ikeme, made his home debut and will keep his place if Rob Elliot (groin) is again ruled out.
Alan Pardew's Charlton slipped out of the Carling Cup at the first hurdle to Yeovil in August 2008.
A 29th-minute volley from Paul Warne proved the decisive moment as the League One Glovers advanced at The Valley.
On a frustrating night in SE7, a much-changed Addicks side dominated for much of the evening with Elliot scarcely tested on his full debut.
A free-kick from Jonjo Shelvey bounced off the bar in the first period with the scores level, and right at the death Elliot joined a cluster of players at a corner and may well have got a touch before Josh Wagenaar flipped the ball onto the woodwork.
In between times there was little joy for the hosts, who struggled to create many clear-cut chances once Warne had put the visitors in front.
The previous encounter - and first-ever meeting between the teams - came in the fourth round of the FA Cup in January 2005.
The Glovers gave Alan Curbishley's Charlton quite a scare at The Valley that day, with Paul Terry cancelling out Bryan Hughes' opener to draw Yeovil level just before half-time.
Francis Jeffers and Shaun Bartlett put Charlton into a 3-1 lead but Yeovil hit back again through Arron Davies. And it took a Talal El Karkouri block on the line in the dying moments to prevent Yeovil from equalising as the Addicks scraped into the fifth round.
Tickets and travel
Charlton have received an extra 300 tickets for the match against Yeovil, taking the club's allocation to 1,700 seating and terrace places.
Around 300 remained on Tuesday afternoon, and fans should note that the seating areas are restricted to the ambulant disabled, elderly fans and families with young children.
Places are currently on general sale, and are available in person from the Valley commercial centre, by calling the ticket hotline on 0871 226 1905 or online. The last time for posting out tickets was Wednesday, and seats remained available from the Valley commercial centre in person until 1pm on Thursday.
The prices for the match are £15 adults, £8 U22s and £5 U16s. Over 65s are £11 for seats and £10 for terracing, with all prices increasing by £2 on the day of the game (with the exception of U16 seats). Wheelchair and ambulant disabled places are £11, with helpers free of charge.
Details of the Valley Away coach service, priced £16, to Huish Park can be found here.
Anyone not attending the game can listen to full BBC LONDON audio commentary on the club's video website CAFC Player, while the Addicks' Twitter feed @CAFCofficial will keep fans updated on a regular basis.
CAFC Player, previously known as CAFC TV, allows fans to follow the action via the live matchday centre, with text updates, all the latest statistical information and a league table that refreshes as the goals go in across the country.
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