Watford Without A King

Charlton’s away trip to Watford tomorrow was given a boost by the sale of the Hornet’s top scorer, Marlon King.

King’s departure to Fulham may not have been a huge surprise due to the nature of the £5 million fee and the madness of the January window, but Watford are a team in a run of faltering form and will miss a player with a record of a goal every other game.

10 points ahead earlier in the season, they now stand 3 points off the top in 3rd position, and would be leapfrogged by the Addicks if we win by a 2-goal margin.

In contrast, Charlton seem like a team in the ascendancy after the recent tactical shift. The defeat at West Brom on Tuesday may have produced tired legs, but it also gave an indication of grit and determination we haven’t seen a lot of so far this season. With our record on the road, Watford could be a team for the taking tomorrow.

I expect Pardew to stick with the same shape, but I’ll wager on the re-introduction of Iwelumo at the expense of McLeod to add a bit of aggression to the attack. It’s possible that Semedo could replace Holland if his substitution on Tuesday was for anything other than tactical reasons.

Last year’s fixture saw us come from 2 down and almost snatch it with the last kick of the game – let’s hope the front pair tomorrow haven’t borrowed Lisbie’s shooting boots…