Charlton Athletic put in arguably their bluntest attacking performance of the season in a 1-0 defeat at Port Vale last weekend, and will be aiming to bounce back when they take on Stockport County in the FA Cup second round this afternoon.

The Addicks have been fairly consistent in cup competitions this term and will not want to pass up the opportunity of drawing a big Premier League club in the third round of the competition.

Charlton have been encouraging and concerning in equal measure so far this season and Ben Garner remains frustrated with the counter-productive summer transfer window they conducted, due to the resources available and the unusual structure at the club.

In previewing the Hatters cup tie, Garner held nothing back in sending a message to the squad when he spoke to the club's media team.

He said: "What we have to realise is: we are a League One club.

"The club's got great history, great tradition, has been a Premier League club, but we are where we are, and we have to turn up and we have to fight every single week.

"We didn't do that last Saturday.

"There's been a few occasions this season where that's been the case.

"On our day we can beat anyone, we've shown that, we've proven that.

"We have to make sure we're doing that on a consistent basis.

"That's going to be the mindset going forwards and anyone that doesn't want to be part of that won't be.

"I've shown enough patience and now it's, not last chance saloon, but certainly a final warning for certain people in certain ways.

"The pleasing thing from Tuesday night's game (a 3-2 Papa John's Trophy defeat at Plymouth Argyle) is it's shown we've got a crop of young players that will come in and play with enthusiasm, energy and bravery.

"They make mistakes, there's plenty to work on, but they'll give everything for the shirt and that's the minimum requirement."

The commitment of a significant portion of the playing squad has been questionable at The Valley since the club dropped to League One in 2020, and Garner will hope that his strong words can lead to an improved performance this afternoon.

The Verdict

 

 

This is an interesting tactic in terms of man management from Garner.

His words are unlikely to do wonders for the confidence of some players in the squad, but explicitly stating where the line is and what he is demanding from them should at least provide some clarity.

Poor recruitment has hindered the club's ability to engage in a promotion push for some years now, and that has seen a number of players arrive in SE7, who are not of the required quality to compete for a place in the top six.

It will be interesting to see how many younger players are involved against Stockport.