Can you remember the last time Charlton started a league season with three consecutive clean sheets?
In 2009/10 under Phil Parkinson we made a great start and won the first six games. However, we didn't keep clean sheets and had conceded two to Wycombe and one to Leyton Orient after three games. We were unbeaten until a 0-3 defeat at Colchester at the end of September. Despite this good start, the season is mainly remembered for Northwich Victoria, the 0-4 at Millwall and Nicky Bailey's play-off semi-final penalty. It all goes to emphasise that nothing is won until May.
2005/06 was another good start with four straight wins including away to Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Birmingham and it would have been a four game clean sheet start but for an Andy Gray goal for Sunderland in the first game. Despite Darren Ambrose being sent off we went on to win 3-1 and were sitting proudly in second place in The Premier League by the end of September. However, it couldn't be sustained and, in Alan Curbishley's last season, we had dropped to thirteenth by the end of the season.
It is in fact twenty six years since we last played the first three league games without conceding a goal. Although we only gained five points it was nevertheless a highly impressive start. As Premier League newcomers we kicked off at Newcastle and forced a 0-0 draw despite playing for over an hour with ten men after Richard Rufus's red card. We then thrashed Southampton 5-0 at The Valley (Mendonca hat trick) and followed up with a hard fought away 0-0 against eventual runners-up, Arsenal. It looked as if the dream would continue when Mark Kinsella put us 1-0 up at Old Trafford the following week but Solskjaer and Yorke both scored twice to burst the bubble. Eight months later we were relegated.
All of which brings us to Reading.
The Select Car Leasing Stadium was the venue for Nathan Jones's Charlton managerial debut back in February. Although there were initial signs in the game that his arrival had lifted team morale a bit the home side prevailed 2-0 through second half goals from Femi Azeez. Reading fans will no doubt see a very different Charlton performance this time - both in terms of personnel and intensity.
Their team has made a mixed start to the season. They were deprived of an opening day win at Birmingham by a late Alfie May penalty but then they beat Wigan at home 2-0. However, last Saturday, they were well beaten 0-3 at Wrexham. Reading is still owned by the infamous Dai Yongge although former Wycombe owner Rob Couhig is in the wings with a group interested in taking over. In the meantime, the club are in somewhat of a limbo and have lost some influential players. Impressive young defender Nathan Abbey left for Olympiakos last season (although he is now on loan at Swansea) and our defence won't be troubled by Azeez this time as he is now a Millwall player. We will however have to deal with striker Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan who has already scored twice this season.
A 0-0 draw would create a new Charlton record of four opening games without conceding a goal but, all in all, I think I'd settle for a 5-4 away win.
Photo by Rhea Spencer-Newell