Match Preview: Charlton Athletic v Sunderland - all you need to know ahead of kick-off!

---

Saturday 5th March 2022

(16th) Charlton Athletic v Sunderland (6th)

Sky Bet League One

The Valley

Kick-Off: 15:00

---

Tickets & Match Coverage

Tickets: Tickets available via www.safc.com.

TV/Stream: Full live match coverage available via www.safc.com to residents outside the UK and Ireland, Channel Islands and Isle of Man only.

Radio: Full live match commentary available via BBC Radio Newcastle (not online)

Don’t forget to follow the blow-by-blow account of the game on the Roker Report Twitter feed (@RokerReport) and check out the player ratings after the full-time whistle at www.RokerReport.com!

---

The build-up...

Well, 2022 has been a bit of a disaster so far, before last weekend at Wigan we had only one victory on the board in ten games. But, last Saturday came wonderfully out of the blue amongst a plethora of various predictions that were pre-empting the level of our demise at the DW Stadium.

Not only did we defeat one of the in-form sides in the division, but it was the way we went about it. It has taken us almost four full seasons at this level to use s*ithousery that we are usually the victim of on the opposition.

So what does this mean in the grand scheme of things? Well, we might find out today. Was last weekend a flash in the pan or the beginnings of something beautiful that heralds the start of the Alex Neil era as manager?

It’s a big one for Neil, but looking at the table, we could do with another three points today as 2022 has taken us from automatic promotion contenders to be one of a large group hoping for a play-off place.

Photo by Barrington Coombs/PA Images via Getty Images

Our opponents today seem like a club who always crop-up in our various promotion pushes and generally get in the way, but this time Charlton are well and truly out of the promotion picture and they have big issues at The Valley.

They currently boast the worst form in League One losing the last five straight league fixtures finding the Addicks looking nervously over their shoulders with an eight point cushion between them and the drop.

Having said that, it’s these games that make me most nervous and we’ve only once at the Valley in the last 28 years, where our last victory was back in 2000 via a goal from Alex Rae.

Photo by Richard Sellers/PA Images via Getty Images

---

League One Form...

---

The betting...

The bookies have The Lads as favourites at 13/10 to take all three points, with Charlton priced at 2/1 and the draw is 23/10.

A 1-1 draw is the favourite scoreline at 5/1 with a 1-0 away win close behind at 7/1, followed by a 2-1 Sunderland win at 8/1. Charlton are 9/1 to take it 1-0 and 10/1 to win 2-1.

---

Head to head... at The Valley

(All competitions)

• Sunderland wins: 8
• Draws: 14
• Charlton Athletic wins: 20
• Sunderland goals: 54
• Charlton Athletic goals: 77

---

Last time we met... at The Valley

Saturday 3rd October 2020

Sky Bet League One

Charlton Athletic 0-0 Sunderland

[Flanagan sent-off 73’]

Sunderland: Burge, Willis, Wright, Flanagan, O’Nien, Scowen, Leadbitter, Hume, Gooch, O’Brien (Grigg), Graham (Wyke) Substitutes not used: Matthews, McLaughlin, Xhemajli, Power, Diamond

Charlton Athletic: Amos, Oshilaja, Purrington, Watson, Famewo, Pratley, Levitt (Maddison), Doughty, Washington, Oztumer (Williams), Vennings (Aneke) Substitutes not used: Maynard-Brewer, Aidoo, Lapslie, Morgan

Photo by Ian Horrocks/Getty Images

---

Played for both...

Vic Halom

Halom started his career at Charlton in 1965 and made a dozen league appearances before moving on to Leyton Orient two years later. Spells at Fulham and Luton Town followed before Bob Stokoe made the striker one of his first signings in February 1973 for around £35,000.

Three months later, Halom would help us win the FA Cup and over our years would score 42 goals in 139 appearances before moving to Oldham Athletic in 1977 and retired in 1981 following a year at Rotherham.

Photo by Peter Robinson/EMPICS via Getty Images

Andy Reid

Reid joined Charlton via Tottenham in 2006 after starting his career at Nottingham Forest. After two years at The Valley, Roy Keane signed Reid for around £5 million and went on to score six goals in 80 appearances before returning to Nottingham Forest via a spell at Blackpool in 2011.

Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images

---