Last game at Pride Park this season and we’re still not safe. Charlton already relegated – will they just roll over for us?

Derby County V Charlton Athletic

Coca Cola Championship 

Saturday 25th April, 2009

Pride Park, Derby

It would seem unlikely. Charlton are unbeaten in six (though they have drawn their last 4 games). Indeed they have gone 2-0 up in both of their previous games – only to be pegged back by the opposition.

Following the 2-2 draw on Tuesday, there were calls from the crowd for Phil Parkinson to go – calls Parkinson fully understood;

"The reaction from the supporters is understandable, I'd be feeling the same if I was sat there."

Parkinson pointed to panic among the players as the cause of the late equalizer;

“We're a team scarred from the season, when it's happened before, and [against Cardiff] we went into panic mode on and off the ball.”

Deon Burton should start against us while Jonjo Shelvey should recover from a Shoulder injury. Darren Ambrose will probably miss out with a thigh injury.

Charlton Facts

The Rams

The honeymoon period for Nigel Clough is over and the team seems to be slinking back into the poor form that got Paul Jewell sacked. Add strange team selections and baffling player omissions and you have many fans worried that they’ve paid over the odds for season tickets for League 1 football.

There’s no doubting that injuries are playing a part in that Green, Davies, Leacock, Addison and McEveley would walk straight into the team – but what’s wrong with Jordan Stewart and Nathan Ellington?

Neither player is reported as injured yet neither feature in even the reserve game the other night. Indeed, Tito Villa was tried out at centre half in that game!

Against Reading, we played a midfield of Varney, Bannan, Savage and Teale. Despite the best efforts of Barry Bannan in midfield, he was always going to be beaten in the air by the Reading midfield. Therefore there was little created for Teale or Varney to get forward – and indeed both of them looked suspect covering the full backs.

The result could have been a rout and although everyone acknowledges that Reading are a good footballing side, they hadn’t won for 5 games and have been very shot shy. We are a dream turn for other teams at the moment it seems.

Once again fans have bought season tickets in advance of knowing what division we will be playing in. We have Premier League attendances and facilities. We don’t have an automatic right to play in the Premier League but as fans we must expect the players to play to 100% of their ability. We didn’t get that on Tuesday and we haven’t had it for a while.

The close season is coming up now. Can we expect the weekly bulletins of “hoping to sign a couple of players by the weekend”, and “frustrated by the lack of availability of players”. This then followed by “a new team taking time to gel” next season? Fans are getting tired of this and will soon start to vote with their feet.

Mick’s team: Bywater, Stewart, Nyatanga, Albrechtsen, Connolly, Teale, Savage, Pearson, Varney, Commons, Hulse

What the bookies think

The Rams are 8/11 favourites while Charlton are at 16/5. The draw is at 23/10. Deon Burton is a 7/2 shot to score against us while Rob Hulse is our favourite at 6/5.

Information for travelling fans

Driving: its 110 miles to Pride Park. Take the M1 north to J25 for the A52 Brian Clough way to Derby. Pride Park is on your left as you head into the city.

Parking: It used to be at the old Wilmorten College site however that is now a housing estate so away fans should park at Catalyst on London Rd opposite the Navigation pub. It’s about 10-15 minutes walk from the ground. Don’t be tempted to park at the shopping centre on Pride Park unless you fancy being clamped. You can also park for a £5 at the hospital further up London Rd near the hospital and the Railway station. Another alternative is to park at Pentagon Island. Take the exit for the cattle market and turn left and after a few hundred yards you will come to The Cattle Market Car Park. It’s about 10 minutes walk to the ground from here.

Drinking: There are a few pubs very close to the ground but if you come by train, the locale around the station is fairly inviting. The Crown and Cushion at the junction of London Rd always seems to be full of away supporters. The Brunswick is a must for any real ale fans and the Alexandra next door is my personal favourite. Fans tend to mingle in these pubs and as long as you’re not being aggressive, the atmosphere is good. The Waterfall opposite the station is okay as well. If you are driving, the Navigation Pub on London Rd opposite the parking area is your best bet. Around the ground there's a Frankie & Bennie's, Harvester and the Pride Park but these tend to be very busy.

Mick’s Prediction

We need at least a point from this one unless Norwich fail. Visiting Watford as a must win game would be no good for anyone’s nerves.

Photo: Action Images

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