Charlton Athletic Preview

By Mark Heys
October 24 2006

It's break from league action tommorow evening as Bolton Wanderers travel to London to take on Charlton Athletic in the next stage of the Carling Cup.

Both sides have suffered contrasting form in the Premiership recently but they know that the form book will go right out of the window at the Valley as they meet in the League Cup for the first time ever.

Wanderers will be looking to record their fifth straight away win in succession in this game whilst Charlton will be aiming to be victorious over their Lancashire counterparts on home soil for the second time this season having won the league clash between these two teams nearly six weeks ago.

Sam Allardyce has seen his side lose just once in South East London in seven years and he will be hoping that his side can take advantage of the Addicks recent run of form which has seen them win just once in the last seven matches, ironically against Carlisle in the last round of this competition.

Bolton will be without the injured Abdoulaye Faye after the Senegal international withdrew early from the Blackburn match with concussion so Quinton Fortune is likely to come in at left back with Tal Ben-Haim reverting back to his more natural central defensive role.

Skipper Kevin Nolan is also out as he serves the first of a three match ban following his sending off late on in the derby game at Ewood Park so Stelios Giannakopoulos or Idan Tal could be handed a starting role.

Iran international Andranik Teimourian and Academy youngers Johann Smith and Jarostaw Fojut have travelled with the rest of the squad to England's capital city in the hope of making a first team breakthrough

Charlton boss Iain Dowie has doubts over the fitness of Andy Reid, Amady Faye, Darren Bent, Dennis Rommedahl and Souleymane Diawara for this game. Furthermore, Cory Gibbs, Kevin Lisbie, Gonzalo Sorondo and Djimi Traore are definately ruled out of contention

LEAGUE CUP RECORD

No previous League Cup games

LEAGUE CUP FORM GUIDE:

Played: 0

Won: 0

Drawn: 0

Lost: 0

CONNECTIONS

Anthony Barness, Mark Fish, Claus Jensen, Alan Kernaghan, Don McAllister, Neil Redfearn, John Salako, Mike Salmon, Andy Todd, Charlie Wright.

IT HAPPENED WHEN BOLTON PLAYED THE ADDICKS

Youri Djorkaeff became an instant hero when earning relegation threatened Bolton an all important win at The Valley in March 2002. The former World Cup winner struck twice from long range to record his first goals for the club.

Some ten months later he scored again at The Valley, this time to secure a late point after former Wanderer Mark Fish had put Charlton in front. Djorkaeff acrobatically converted Michael Ricketts pass for one of his finest goals in a Bolton jersey.

Jay-Jay Okocha hadn't scored a league goal throughout the 2003-2004 season but he was to score twice for Bolton against the Addicks on the opening day of the following season

Ricardo Vaz-Te scored his first league goal for the Wanderers when these two sides last met in April. The young Portuguese striker planted a looping header over the Addicks goalkeeper Thomas Myhre.

Bolton's only defeat of the 2006-2007 season came when they played Charlton in a league game at The Valley back in August. Darren Bent scored both the Addicks goals in a game which also saw Charlton's Hermann Hreidarsson and Kevin Davies of Bolton sent off