Tomorrow evening sees the Alex play their first league game at home in 2022 with the visit of Charlton Athletic to the Alexandra Stadium, the visitors squad including former Alex winger Charlie Kirk following his move to the Addicks last summer.
This Season:
They sit in 14th place following wins against us, Fleetwood Town, Sunderland, Doncaster Rovers, Burton Albion, Plymouth Argyle, Ipswich Town and Cambridge United, they have drawn with Sheffield Wednesday, Gillingham, Portsmouth, Rotherham United and Morecambe while they have lost against Oxford United, MK Dons, Wigan Athletic, Cheltenham Town, Wycombe Wanderers twice, Bolton Wanderers, Lincoln City, Accrington Stanley, Shrewsbury Town and Plymouth.
They lost to AFC Wimbledon in the Carabao Cup 1st Round while they lost to Norwich City in the FA Cup 3rd Round after knocking out both Havant & Waterlooville and Gateshead. They finished 2nd in their EFL Trophy group wins against Crawley Town and Southampton’s Under-21s before losing to Leyton Orient. They would also knock out Aston Villa’s Under-21s and MK Dons to set up a trip to Hartlepool United at the quarter-final stage in a fortnight.
Transfers:
They have added goalkeeper Stephen Henderson and defenders Sam Levelle, Pape Souare and Harris O’Connor on permanent deals and forward Jonathan Leko on a loan deal since the last meeting.
2 players have left the club permanently with another 4 leaving the club on loan.
Head-to-Head:
Alex Wins: 0
Charlton Wins: 6
Draws: 1
Biggest Alex Win: n/a
Biggest Charlton Win: 3-0 at The Valley in March 1998
Last Meeting:
Charlton Athletic 2-0 Crewe Alexandra, 28th August 2021
Diallang Jaiyesimi opened the scoring in the 36th minute with Jayden Stockley scoring the second 5 minutes later.
Alex: Jaaskelainen; Adebisi, Thomas, Offord, McFadzean (Griffiths 83); Murphy, Lundstram, Finney (Porter 66); Ainley, Mandron, Knight (Ramsay 66)
Charlton: MacGillivray; Matthews, Inniss (Elerewe 63), Famewo, Gunter; Jaiyesimi (Clare 80), Morgan, Watson, Kirk (Lee 76); Stockley, Washington
Played for Both:
The following players have been contracted to both teams:
Goalkeepers: David Button, Neil Etheridge, John Phillips, Paul Rachubka
Defenders: Semi Ajayi, Darren Anderson, Madjid Bougherra
Midfielders: Chuks Aneke, Danny Hollands, Danny Murphy, Simon Walton
Forwards: Nicky Ajose, Joe Anyinsah, Simon Church, Chris Dickson, Danny Haynes, Paul Hince, Rob Hulse, Charlie Kirk, Luke Varney
Officials:
The officials for this game have been announced here with Robert Lewis the referee, Peter Gooch and Johnathon Bickerdike are his assistants with Joe Clark the fourth official. The following Crewe games have been refereed by Lewis in the last 5 years:
- Crewe Alexandra 0-0 Yeovil Town (10th February 2018)
- Crewe Alexandra 0-0 MK Dons (18th August 2018)
- Crewe Alexandra 1-0 Newcastle United Under-21s (29th September 2020) – Pickering
- Bolton Wanderers 2-3 Crewe Alexandra (7th November 2020) – Mandron, Finney, Dale
Opposition View:
I asked Charlton supporter Dan Finch for his thoughts going into the game.
How would you describe the season so far for the Addicks?
Hugely disappointing, being told by your owner and manager promotion beckons, mid-table with nowhere to go isn’t precisely what we hoped for from this campaign!
What is the position that you think needs strengthening in the upcoming transfer window?
Striker, no doubt about it, We have Conor Washington and Jayden Stockley and a couple of kids in Mason Burstow and Josh Davison.
Are there any players that you are missing from this game?
Sadly, as previously mentioned Id be shocked to see Washington or Stockley, Sam Levelle our centre-back is also out alongside Jake Forster Caskey.
What would be the team that you would pick for the game if you were in charge?
Craig MacGillivray, Adam Matthews, Jason Pearce, Sean Clare, Ryan Innis, Ben Purrington, George Dobson, Alex Gilbey, Elliot Lee, Jon Leko, Mason Burstow ( 3-5-2)
Who is the danger man for yourselves?
Elliot Lee, the attacking midfielder’s dad is a Charlton great and the fans have taken to his son immediately! , His skills and calmness on the ball looks out of place at this level, surprised Luton don’t want him back, tucked in behind he can be tricky and full of energy.
How has Kirk settled in with the club?
Charlie had some issues personally just before signing for the club, there are rumours about what happened, not my place to discuss, he’s barely been used and when he has it’s been at wing-back or tucked behind the 2, hopefully, season 2 brings time and form for Charlie!
What is the target for the rest of this season?
Boring answer really, gives Jackson time to decide who he wants to be here for next year’s ” promotion push”. The season looks dead, maybe a Papa Johns Trophy, but I think playoffs is only a dream now and get ready for League One 2022-2023
