Football seasons seem to pass ever quicker as the years go by. Next week, those of us who use the rail network to attend games up and down the country, will be booking tickets for the final game of the season at Blackpool.

With this in mind, I contacted the Football League for information regarding the kick-off times for the final round of Championship matches, scheduled to be played on Saturday 3 May.

The games will take place on this date, there are no plans to put the matches back 24 hours and stage them on theSunday. All Championship games will start at 12.15pm.

Blackpool currently have nine points more than the Addicks but so poor is their current form, they recently parted company with manager, Paul Ince. Blackpool’s star player, Ince’s son Thomas, also departed Bloomfield Road recently, joining Crystal Palace on loan.

If the Seasiders’ slump continues, the game in May could have huge implicatioins for both sides.

Saturday’s opponents, Birmingham, may also be involved in a similar scenario in May, they could be battling for survival when they visit Bolton.

Charlton fans may have one eye on Leicester’s probable promotion party that afternoon, when they host Doncaster Rovers.

Chris Powell is putting his team through its paces in readiness for Saturday’s vital game with the Blues. The dome is in place at The Valley to protect the pitch but heavy rain is forecast for the end of the week. Fans of both sides will be hoping the rain relents before the pitch has to be exposed to the elements.

Saturday’s defeat at Wigan was hugely disappointing in the manner it came about, Charlton were leading 1-0 with just two minutes left. In truth, the Addicks did well to survive as long as they did, as the 28-5 shot count and 68%-32% possession figure, both in Wigan’s favour, testify.

With all the upheaval of last week, allied to one or two of the players being in action for the first time in several weeks, with others playing their fourth game in ten days or so, Powell’s team were naturally struggling in the last fifteen minutes or so.

More worrying, was the system uses at the Keepmoat last Tuesday. With Doncaster in poor form – and below Charlton in the table – it was surely a game that had to be targeted as one that could be won?

Instead, the Addicks adopted a defensive strategy, seemingly to try and snatch a point. The comprehensive defeat saw Doncaster overtake Charlton and put the South Londoners into the bottom three.

There are some difficult fixtures coming up for the Addicks on their travels, so they may have missed a trick in South Yorkshire.

Birmingham, though too close to the relegation zone for comfort, have a good away record. The playing surface at The Valley will not help Charlton’s cause but they will need to win the majority of their home games to survive.

To do that, they will have to adopt a more attacking game plan than they have utilised for the majority of the season. The strategy practiced at Sparrows Lane leading up to the game on Saturday will be key in determining the Addicks’ fate.