Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman believes Charlton Athletic have the edge ahead of their League One play-off semi final second leg against Wycombe Wanderers tomorrow night.
The two sides played out a cagey 0-0 draw in the first leg at Adams Park on Sunday. The tie is now evenly poised ahead of tomorrow’s clash, with a place at Wembley Stadium at stake.
The Addicks will feel they now hold the advantage, especially as Mike Dodds’ side will have to contend with a packed out home crowd. Charlton have also been formidable at The Valley, with only champions Birmingham City having lost less games on home soil.
The South Londoners haven’t tasted defeat on their own patch since the turn of the year. The only two teams to leave the capital with three points this season are Blackpool in September and Crawley Town in December. Wycombe’s visit in December saw Nathan Jones’ team pick up a 2-1 win.
Goodman Favours Charlton
Taking into account Charlton’s home form, Goodman believes that it will be the hosts that are favourites to secure a spot at the national stadium. Speaking to Football League World, he said:
“I think Charlton have undoubtedly made themselves favourites now to progress, but Wycombe will have something to say about it.
“But Charlton did the double over them in the regular league season and then, obviously, the 0-0 draw in the first leg was a very tight, cagey affair with chances at a premium.
“But Charlton, when you look at their home record, you have to go back to December 3 since they lost the home game in League One, and that was surprisingly against Crawley Town.
“So, there’s no doubt about it, Charlton Athletic will be the favourites, but it is the play-offs, and you just never know.”
Writer’s View
Whilst Charlton at The Valley are exceptionally tough to beat, Wycombe’s form leading into the play-offs also has to be taken into account. The Chairboys appeared to be in a two-team race with Wrexham to secure an automatic promotion spot, but they fell off drastically to eventually finish fifth. This is a staggering statistic, especially considering they actually sat top of the table on New Year’s Day. Charlton will feel they are on a completely different trajectory to their opponents, although the same could have been said for Coventry City, who exited the Championship play-offs last night against a Sunderland team that lost their last five games of the regular season.
