Nottingham Forest Preview

The Charlton roadshow rolls into Nottingham tomorrow for a match against the last of the three promoted sides we have yet to play. Nottingham Forest got a great result to kick off their season, securing a 0-0 draw against a Reading side who had come to the Championship from the opposite direction. However, with the exception of a 3-2 victory over Watford at the City Ground, things have gone pretty much downhill from there. With the opposition second from bottom having only secured 4 points from six games, we really should be looking for a maximum return from this game.

However, this is Charlton we're talking about and our last visit here was a complete catastrophe. The 2-0 loss (to a team two tiers below us at the time) and abject performance aside, perhaps the most humiliating aspect was Talal El Karkouri's repeated foul throws which the Match of the Day team took great delight in repeating and laughing at that Saturday evening. It was a low point in a bad season and Pardew will surely want to make sure some dignity is restored with a solid performance tomorrow.

A 1-0 midweek victory at Doncaster was more than most were expecting and it would be great to add to the away tally before heading back to the Valley next Saturday. A record of three wins and three losses from six games looks to have set the tone for our form this season though and given our record of turning in rubbish performances on the back of impressive ones, it's not surprising that most of the Addickted are being realistic in their expectations for this game.

In terms of team selection, it's difficult to see how Pardew could justify any changes and I fully expect him to start with the same XI that took the field against Wolves and at Doncaster. We are told by the official website (more) that Zheng Zhi is still not fit to play and part, and also that the ludicrous Linvoy Primus situation has taken another twist with the big man returning to the physio bench at Portsmouth for treatment on an injured knee (although not the same knee that was originally injured if that makes things any less farcical). Todorov could be fit to take his place on the bench, presumably at the expense of Chris Dickson, which would be a bit harsh on the latter if you ask me as he has hardly been given an opportunity to show what he can do.

Anyway, this is the team I'm expecting: Weaver; Cranie, Hudson, Fortune, Youga; Sam, Bailey, Holland, Bouazza; Gray, Varney. Subs: Elliot, Semedo, Basey, Ambrose, Dickson.

I was at university in Nottingham and would have loved to have made the trip back tomorrow, but unfortunately I had already made commitments prior to the fixture list being published (I should have known better). The City Ground has a great setting on the river, although I do remember having bottles thrown at me last time I went to a match there as I walked to the ground through the infamous Meadows area. If you're going, watch your heads and enjoy the game.