After picking up just two points from their last four games in League One, a 2-2 FA Cup second round draw with Stockport County, of League Two, only increased levels of frustration in and around Charlton Athletic.

Myles Hippolyte's 97th minute equaliser from a controversial corner kick brought about an unwanted replay, to be played on Wednesday December 7th, adding to the busy schedule of the Addicks during an availability crisis.

Club owner Thomas Sandgaard is due to fly over to South London in the coming weeks to commence discussions around the January transfer window, and there are growing suggestions that Ben Garner's future as the club's manager will be on the agenda.

Sitting 14th in the table, just four games away from the season's halfway mark, has caused frustration amongst the supporter base, however, that is more down to the big club mentality based on the Addicks' status in the third tier of English football, rather than where they should actually be competing in the division, when looking at the strength of their squad.

Only five teams have scored more league goals than the Addicks this season, clearly showing that the problems lie in their rearguard, an area of the pitch that Garner wanted to strengthen in the summer transfer window but was not given the resources to do so.

Garner's win percentage in the third tier this term is 26%, as is his loss percentage, and until that changes for the better, friction from the stands, which is rightfully not only being aimed at him, will not go away.

Charlton's next three games in League One are against Cheltenham Town, 18th, Morecambe, 23rd, and Bristol Rovers, 15th, and with that in mind they should push themselves a lot closer to the top six positions and into a top half position by yielding a healthy return from that trio of fixtures.

Which in turn, would lift the mood around the club heading towards the January transfer window.

There will always be scrutiny on the Addicks when they are outside of the promotion mix in League One, but given the fact that Sandgaard did not spend a penny on transfer fees in the summer, and does not intend too until the end of next season, it is unlikely that he sacks Garner due to the financial outlay it would take, and also because the 42-year-old is not significantly underperforming with the inadequate tools to compete for promotion at his disposal.