Charlton Athletic have had an uneven start to the League One season, winning five, drawing four, and losing five of their first 14 games.
Addicks fans will be hopeful that manager Nathan Jones, who earned promotion from League Two to the third tier with former club Luton Town in 2018 before leading the Hatters to the Championship play-offs in 2022, can guide his club to a top-six finish this season.
With more than two-thirds of the season remaining, Charlton can yet qualify for the play-offs, and their first game back after the November international break will be against fellow promotion contenders Huddersfield Town.
Addicks fan pundit makes Gassan Ahadme admission
In the midst of the club’s pursuit of a top-six berth, Football League World asked our Addicks fan analyst, Ben Fleming, to select a player at the Valley who often divides opinion, as well as which side of the fence he sits on.
Ben stated, “(Ashley) Maynard-Brewer got a bit of stick in goal, but he’s our number two now, so it doesn’t really matter.
“Chuks (Aneke) up top, Gassan Ahadme received some criticism early in the season.
“I believe he (Ahadme) came into the side and clearly wanted to be; Jones wanted to use him as the focal point up top.
“A huge guy with physical presence.
“It didn’t quite click for him at the start of the season, but then he scored a scrappy goal from a corner to get his first goal of the season.
“I can’t remember where it was, but it was someplace away from home, and then he got hurt, came back and scored a goal in the FA Cup, and I’m wondering if he simply fell down the ranks when (Miles) Leaburn returned to full fitness.
“But I think some of the criticism he received was pretty severe, especially after only six games of the season.
“He is a physical striker.
“If you’re a huge powerful striker like that, there’s a reason you’re in League One, and it could be because your technical skills and other areas of your game aren’t great.
“Obviously, that’s the case with him; his link-up play is mediocre.
“Other things let him down, but I believe it is far too early to assess him. (He was) pretty good for Cambridge last year, and I would like to think that he might be a good and trustworthy rotation option.
“Someone we could bring on late in games, or someone we could start and cause defenders some problems for 60 minutes.”
“Most of the time, he wasn’t scoring, but he was working the defence hard for 60 minutes, and then someone like (Matty) Godden or Chuks would come on and score late, or anyone.
“So, just because he’s not getting that goal straight away doesn’t mean he’s not having an impact, and tiring out defenders for us, so I think he deserves a bit more leeway for now.”
Ahadme has a point to prove
Ben is correct to point out that Ahadme’s Addicks career is still in its early stages, having joined Jones’ club from Premier League newcomers Ipswich Town for an unknown price last summer.
The striker also sustained a chest injury in October, which sidelined him for a month before scoring a late winner in a 4-3 FA Cup win over National League Southend United.
However, after the 23-year-old scored 11 goals in 29 League One outings while on loan with Cambridge United, who just avoided relegation to League Two last season, Addicks fans will want him to score often.
Ahadme has only scored two goals in 11 appearances across all competitions for his new club, indicating that there is still potential for growth in the Addicks’ pursuit of a play-off position.
