September sees the leaves begin to fall as summer turns to autumn. It is a real football month, and by the end of it clubs will have played nearly a quarter of their fixtures, and the league tables become more meaningful.
Charlton have had an indifferent start to the season, a win, two draws and two defeats in the league, plus an ignominious exit from the Carabao Cup.
The rule of thumb for promotion is to average two points per game – win at home and draw away.
The Addicks are currently averaging a point a game, and they already trail the leaders by ten points.
Early season form suggests that Peterborough and Sunderland will be the front runners for automatic promotion.
Lee Bowyer is hoping to recruit another couple of faces before the loan window closes on Friday to bolster his squad.
Chronic lack of goal scoring is again the Addicks’ downfall, they have scored just four times in their six games – one of those a penalty.
They will play six times in September, five league games, plus the opening fixture in the Checkatrade Trophy against AFC Wimbledon at The Valley next Tuesday.
The league games will see Bowyer’s team travel to Southend, Bradford and Luton, with Wycombe and Plymouth visiting SE7.
Automatic promotion looks to be out of reach, so Bowyer’s realistic aim will be a play-off place. To do that, a club needs to average around 1.6 points per game.
To get back on schedule for that, Charlton need to take eleven points from their September games. The three away fixtures make that a big ask, and it looks like the Addicks will have to play catch up.
Stevenage beat Swansea Under-21s 5-0 in Charlton’s Checkatrade Trophy group on Tuesday evening.
TAGS: Charlton Athletic