Tuesday 19 December 2006, Charlton were in serious trouble, sitting next to bottom of the Pemier League table with only Watford below them.

They had conceded eight goals in their last two games, beaten 5-1 by Tottenham at White Hart Lane and 3-0 at The Valley by Liverpool.

This was the team’s big chance to put a smile back on the faces of their worried fans, a home Carling Cup quarter-final against lowly Wycombe Wanderers of League Two. Alan Curbishley’s replacement, Iain Dowie had been sacked after just 15 games and the affable Les Reed was now at the helm.

The repercussions of Dowie’s dismissal rumbled on until last December when the matter was resolved, just prior to the takeover being completed.

The reasons for Dowie’s departure have never been officially explained, though many are aware of the reasons for the decision.

The Irishman has been pilloried in many quarters for his transfer activities but this may be unfair. Of Charlton’s ten most expensive purchases, only two – Soulemayne Diawara and Andy Reid – were brought in during Dowie’s time in charge and both were sold for a profit. Some players, Faye and Traore being good examples, were sold at a loss but Pardew’s transfer record was worse.

All the arguments about Dowie and the concerns about the club’s precarious league position were put to one side as Charlton took to the field that night. Just the formality of despatching Wycombe stood between them reaching the semi- final of a major competition for the first time in nearly 60 years.

The game was watched by a disappointing crowd of less than 17,000, perhaps they knew it would not go to script. An abject performance by the Addicks saw them eliminated by a solitary Jermaine Easter strike on a bitterly cold night.

That result more-or-less sealed Reed’s fate. His brief tenure came to end four days later when the Addicks were beaten at Middlesbrough.

The next day – Christmas Eve – the news broke that Reed had left the club to be replaced by former Addick, Alan Pardew, who had recently been axed by West Ham.

Charlton fans had the Christmas present they craved, but unfortunately some presents tend to disappoint…..