Charlton Athletic v Fleetwood Town

The clash of the streaky specialists.

Charlton accrued two-thirds of their 26-game tally from the nine games of Johnnie Jackson’s stint as caretaker boss, while Fleetwood have accrued 13 of their 28-point total from 25 games from their last six encounters.

Since being handed the permanent jobs at their respective clubs, Jackson and Stephen Crainey are both hoping to convert a promising short-term impact into a genuine success story.

Fleetwood hauled themselves four points above the drop zone last time out with a shock 1-0 victory over promotion-chasing Rotherham, thanks to forward Anthony Pilkington’s late goal.

Crainey has done a fantastic job on the Fylde coast, not only with experienced, high-pedigree players like Pilkington and veteran ex-PNE centre-back Tommy Clarke, but also youngsters finding their way in the game.

The former Blackpool defender had been Academy manager before taking the job, so his relationship with talents like assist king Paddy Lane, midfielder Carl Johnston and persistent forward Cian Hayes is a huge plus in terms of their development.

As seen with James Hill’s January sale to Bournemouth, Fleetwood have a strong academy and if they can maximize that under Crainey’s leadership to produce saleable assets, then perhaps they can successfully transition into a different era.

Survival is the immediate objective, though, and victory over out-of-form Charlton would go a long way to securing that ambition.

The Addicks squad needs surgery if they are to challenge for the top six, but the required additions are unlikely to come this month, so perhaps Town can pull off another upset?

---

Ipswich Town v Accrington Stanley

The respective budgets, histories and size of fan bases of Ipswich Town and Accrington Stanley suggest Saturday’s meeting should be a David and Goliath story, but a glance at the League One table says otherwise.

After Town were defeated 2-0 at Bolton on Saturday and Stanley drew with Sunderland, it’s John Coleman’s supposed underdogs who are one place higher than their illustrious hosts. 

Accy thrive in adversity and last week’s game was the prime example, with the Black Cats looking in pole position – one goal ahead with seven to play in normal time after Ross Sykes’ red card – but Coley’s troops had the answer with Mitch Clark’s late leveller.

Sykes, though, is a towering presence in the Reds defence and, as he showed in the goalless draw with MK Dons – another game in which Stanley secured a point with 10 men – he can produce some heroic blocks, so his absence through suspension could be keenly felt.

Ipswich have improved under Kieran McKenna’s guidance, playing neat, one-touch football already with fine rotations of movement, so do carry a threat despite their underperformance.

McKenna has recently switched from Paul Cook’s favoured 4-2-3-1 to 3-5-2, which is believed to better suit the squad of players: especially the plethora of centre-forwards, who now have two spots to contend for rather than one.

James Norwood was nowhere to be seen under Cook but now, the former Tranmere hitman has four goals in his last five league appearances.

As we have seen previously in the striker’s career, when he top-scored in League Two with 29 goals, that when he gets one goal, a strong run of form tends to follow.

And, the way Kieran McKenna’s side play, it is obvious he and others will get chances.

---

Milton Keynes Dons v Doncaster Rovers

MK Dons have been hit by news that key man Matt O’Riley is poised to join Celtic for £1.5 million.

O’Riley has been arguably the best player in the division this season, producing a unique range of qualities.

The former Fulham academy graduate showed some promise last season, with a series of dynamic showings under Russ Martin, but he has added so much more to his game in 2021-22.

The 21-year-old is just as energetic as he was last term, but he’s added an extra layer of class to his use of the ball as well as upping his goal contributions, having hit seven for the campaign.

O’Riley will be difficult to replace and his exit means the possibility of automatic promotion looks further away for Liam Manning’s side, but they remain firmly in the mix for a Play-Off berth.

The Buckinghamshire outfit should, too, have enough to see off Doncaster Rovers, who find themselves 11 points adrift of safety after five straight defeats.

Gary McSheffrey’s side require a projected 36 points from their remaining 20 games to beat the drop – that would mean comfortable Play-Off form from a side that has only won four league games all season. 

Donny tried to overhaul the squad after a poor second half of last season but the risk has backfired, with the South Yorkshire outfit missing an organiser and aerial dominator at the back, a grizzled battler in midfield and quality in attack.

Finding the solutions in the remainder of the window is unlikely although Josh Martin, who was on loan at MK Dons in the first half of the season but did not end up getting a look in due to the August exit of head coach Russ Martin, has an opportunity to show his former employers what they’ve missed.

---

Oxford United v Sheffield Wednesday

A tale of two Play-Off chasers hoping to bounce back from the setback of two defeats in three.

In Wednesday’s case, at least, they re-affirmed their credentials at a time of doubt by beating Plymouth Argyle 4-2, in something of a statement showing from Darren Moore’s under pressure side.

Regardless of the structural issues at Hillsborough, the Owls at this level will always be held to high standards, and broadly speaking the football on display has rarely matched up to those.

There is hope, though, for the Steel City club, with dynamic midfielder Massimo Luongo and raw-running forward Josh Windass back fit, that they can start to open teams up. 

Next on the agenda is a trip to the Kassam Stadium, where Oxford United are hoping to bounce back from a 2-0 defeat at Wycombe last time out.

Karl Robinson is hoping to retain Mark Sykes, who has been so crucial to the Yellows’ push for a third consecutive top six finish, amid reported interest from Huddersfield.

The wiry Northern Irishman’s selfless energy is a key facet of Oxford’s game, not least because he is often happy to stay close to the byline for passages of play to make the pitch as wide as possible in possession, then ghost into the penalty area unchartered.

For technicians like Marcus McGuane and Cameron Brannagan, this kind of canny movement is ideal.

Oxford have clear patterns of play under Karl Robinson, whereas Wednesday do not have a clear identity, which – rather than individual quality – could be the difference between these sides.

---

Plymouth Argyle v Lincoln City

Argyle strengthened their defensive options by loaning Romoney Crichlow from Huddersfield, after the 22-year-old spent the first half of the campaign on loan at Swindon.

On the one hand, Crichlow may well fit into Steven Schumacher’s side’s playing identity, being a talented, left-footed, ball-playing centre-back who could fit in nicely on the left of the defensive trio.

This addition, though, is not without risk: while Crichlow enjoyed excellent form in the first two months of his stint at the County Ground, what followed was a period of inconsistency, ridden with the occasional error.

Such mistakes can have consequences in League Two, but League One can be even more testing, especially with forwards like Lincoln’s Morgan Whittaker lurking.

Whittaker looks an inspired acquisition on loan from Swansea, having scored on debut in the 2-0 victory over Oxford, with Liam Cullen another forward to arrive temporarily from that corner of South Wales.

Michael Appleton has also added experience and nous to his side’s attack by adding John Marquis from Portsmouth, where the front-man has been out-of-form.

Marquis, though, top-scored for Doncaster for three seasons in a row, including when they reached the Play-Offs at this level in 2018-19, while his work rate and hold-up play is strong in the right system.

For much of Marquis’ time at Fratton Park, he has worked with managers who favour direct football, chiefly Kenny Jackett and to an extent Danny Cowley, whereas Appleton likes football on the deck which could bring the former Millwall academy graduate out of his shell.

Marquis has lots of successive experience outside the Championship, so Lincoln have gone from being lacking up top and having to deploy Chris Maguire as a false nine, to having options which can give them some punch in the right areas.

---

18+ please gamble responsibly.

---

Back the Four and Five Star Selections as an Accumulator on Betfair ⬇️

*Bet link only appears when accessing from mobile.

---

Haven’t got a Betfair account? You’re in luck…

Sign up to Betfair and get a full refund if your first bet loses. Grab an account through the offer below and place £20 on the 18/1 League One Best Bets Accumulator. Here are the two possible outcomes: