Barnet v Charlton
Charlton will continue to fine-tune their preparations for the new campaign when they take on Barnet in a pre-season friendly at Underhill on Saturday (3pm).
After the hosts had missed a penalty, Tamer Tuna's second goal in the space of five days and a late winner from Ben Davisson gave an Addicks XI a 2-1 victory against Bedford Town on Wednesday night.
But League Two Barnet are likely to pose more of a threat, and Phil Parkinson will be keen to see his men turn in a convincing display in North London.
As he had promised, Parkinson fielded a number of the club's younger players from the outset at Bedford, but he could turn back to his more experienced names against the Bees.
Conor Gough, Yado Mambo, Carl Jenkinson, Alex Stavrinou, Tuna, and triallists James Mulley and Lee Sawyer all started at Bedford's New Eyrie ground, while Chris Solly, Scott Wagstaff, Lewis Perkins, Davisson and Tosan Popo stepped off the substitutes' bench.
Afterwards, Parkinson paid tribute to Davisson, who spent six months on the sidelines last term after suffering a double fracture of his ankle in an U18s friendly against Gillingham in August.
"I was especially pleased for Ben," said Parkinson. "He was having a good pre-season 12 months ago and was really set back by the injury.
"He's had a tough time of it, but he's persevered and he's been showing signs of what we saw in him 12 months ago; there are glimpses that he is starting to get back to the player we saw last year."
The only older heads on show were ex-Addick Jonathan Fortune, who has been training with the club in recent weeks, Miguel Llera, Therry Racon and Kyel Reid, and the quartet are likely to be joined by established first-team faces at Underhill.
That means the likes of Rob Elliot, Christian Dailly, Gary Doherty, Johnnie Jackson, Jose Semedo, Alan McCormack and Akpo Sodje could feature prominently, while triallist Guillem Bauza will also be hoping for another chance to impress.
The former Swansea City man has performed well in his outings in a red shirt so far this pre-season, scoring in the 4-0 win at Kettering Town last weekend.
In between the games at Kettering and Bedford, the Addicks squad spent some time away from their Sparrows Lane training camp, with Parkinson believing the break paid dividends.
He mused: "We've had a good four days away, and we've worked hard in training and on the pitch in that time. It's been a great experience for the youngsters in particular, and the entire squad has shown a good attitude. It's been a good trip."
The fixture with the Bees was agreed as part of former midfielder Dean Sinclair's switch from Barnet to The Valley in 2007.
The Addicks sent a relatively young side to Barnet for a pre-season friendly last summer, but have promised to send a strong squad to North London this time around.
Veteran marksman Paul Furlong opened the scoring for Barnet in the 24th minute last year after a mistake from Kelly Youga, before Albert Adomah bundled home a second just before the end.
Last October, Charlton defeated Barnet 4-1 in the second round of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy at The Valley. Izale McLeod, Tuna, Nicky Bailey and Wagstaff were on target for the Addicks that night.
Prior to that, the last competitive meeting between the sides came in the first round of the League Cup, Lee Bowyer scoring twice in a 2-0 second-leg win at The Valley after a goalless draw at Underhill.
The first-ever meeting between the sides was in the third round of the FA Cup in January 1992, with Charlton 'hosting' the tie at Upton Park. Barnet took the lead on that occasion but a goal from Steve Gatting drew Charlton level before the break. Carl Leaburn and Kim Grant then netted in the second period to complete a 3-1 victory.
Formed in 1888, some familiar names in the Barnet squad are former Queens Park Rangers goalkeeper Jake Cole and ex-Dagenham & Redbridge defender Anwar Uddin, who played in the same youth team at West Ham United as Joe Cole and Michael Carrick.
The Bees are managed by former Gillingham boss Mark Stimson, who departed the Kent club at the end of last season following their relegation to League Two.
There will be no segregation of fans for this fixture, and fans can purchase their place by calling 020-8449 6325 or from Barnet's online ticket office and collect their places from the Underhill ticket office. Supporters can also seal their spot on the day of the game.
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