In their final 2023 game, Bristol Rovers play Charlton Athletic on Friday night, just three days after a thrilling victory over Portsmouth.
Matt Taylor has stated that Charlton Athletic “will only get stronger” as they enter the second half of the season. This is in advance of Bristol Rovers’ 2023 season finale on Friday night at home against the Addicks.
Luke Thomas’s goal in the 94th minute secured a thrilling 2-1 victory against league leaders Portsmouth at the Mem, continuing the Gas’ remarkable start to life under the new Rovers manager. A little more than a week earlier, the team had defeated another promotion-chaser, Bolton Wanderers, away from home by the same score.
In addition, Taylor oversaw Rovers’ advancement to the FA Cup third round with a 4-2 victory at Crewe Alexandra. However, Rovers also lost last weekend in the league at Blackpool and the EFL Trophy at Crawley Town, drawing at home against Cheltenham Town.
There are many parallels between Rovers’ triumph over Portsmouth and their triumph at The Valley in August, when Luke McCormick’s goal in the 98th minute gave them a 2-1 victory over Charlton, their first of the year.
Four months later, a lot has happened. Both clubs have changed managers. A few weeks after the Gas’ victory in South London, former Bristol City boss and early contender for the Bristol Rovers post Dean Holden was replaced by Michael Appleton.
With Rovers in 10th place and Charlton in 12th going into Friday’s match, which will conclude the first half of the season, just two points separate the two teams, despite the Addicks having won just one of their previous seven league games. In addition, Appleton’s team has only won two away games this season—against non-league Cray Valley 6-1 in an FA Cup first-round replay and 3-2 against Wigan Athletic in the league.
But Taylor, who declared following Charlton’s victory over Portsmouth that “now they’ve got a proper manager in place,” is certain that Charlton will only get better. They’ll only get better and stronger because they know how to get out of this league and they’ll recruit well in January if they support him. They’re also the kind of League One team that, if they start doing things right, their fans will carry them, so I know precisely what to expect.
“Hopefully, Friday night’s game against them will go well. Since I haven’t seen the findings today, I genuinely don’t know. But if it makes sense, they’re probably where we are. with greater goals in mind. However, they are a sizable team at this level, and I do believe that they will perform well under their current manager.”
Rovers will benefit from not having to travel in their two post-Christmas fixtures, although both teams will only have two days of recovery time prior to the game. Although Charlton’s most recent trip wasn’t very long—they were defeated 1-0 by Leyton Orient on Boxing Day in East London—they would definitely like to forego the three-hour drive down the M4 so soon after their most recent match.
Despite their recent struggles, the Londoners are still among the division’s biggest powers because they played premier football before winning the Premiership and have one of the largest fan bases in the third level. After defeating another titan at this level in Portsmouth, it was a great start to the Gas’ mini-home run. However, traditionally, things don’t get much easier when Charlton visits.
Taylor responded, “You sense it how the energy levels ebb and flow as a game goes on so we have to be sensible in the next couple of days,” when questioned about Friday night preparation. “Feed them, give them a break, and then drive them on for what will be another enormous effort and another major game, not wrap them in cotton wool.
“They don’t get any bigger at home than Portsmouth, followed by Charlton. We’re excited to be a part of this League One competition, which features some excellent teams. Hopefully, this result and our recent performance will draw in more supporters who will be coming with a sense of expectation for what we could accomplish.”
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