Two teams with maximum points and equal goal difference will clash at The Valley on Sunday at noon.
By coincidence both Charlton and Durham have played the same opposition in their opening games. Both have beaten Portsmouth 3-0 but Durham won against Sheffield United 2-1 whereas we saw them off 1-0 on Saturday. Durham are therefore in top position as a result of having scored one more goal.
Although Durham finished in ninth position last season and were 22 points behind Charlton there wasn't much to choose between the two clubs when they met face to face. When they played at The Oakwood in October Charlton came into the game on the back of impressive away wins at Birmingham and London City Lionesses. but it was Durham who took the lead in the 85th minute. It wasn't until the tenth minute of time added on that Kayleigh Barton managed to equalise. In the return game in March Elisha N'Dow put us in front after six minutes and that was it as far as goals were concerned.
The fact that six months later only five players from that encounter were in Durham's starting eleven for their game at Portsmouth demonstrates how much has changed during the summer up there. Their third goal, however, was scored by the legendary Beth Hepple who has been at the club for ten years and has made over two hundred appearances. She missed a lot of last season and her return may be one of the main factors in their good start this term.
The Charlton squad will need to recover from the awful news that midfielder Mia Ross suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament injury in the Academy game against Arsenal last week.
https://www.charltonafc.com/news/mia-ross-injury-update
This happened just a few days after Chelsea and Wales midfielder Sophie Ingle suffered a similar injury and was added to the alarming list of women players to have experienced anterior cruciate ligament injuries. It has been estimated that women players are six times more likely to succumb to ACL problems and the PFA has launched a research project to try to understand why.
https://www.thepfa.com/news/2024/4/30/project-launched-to-reduce-acl-injuries-in-womens-football
Back on the pitch Charlton fans will be able to see the Championship's leading goal scorer Ellie Brazil (3) leading the line for the home side. Last season we had the tightest defence in the league (17 conceded in 22 games) but our goals scored (32) paled in comparison with champions Crystal Palace (55). Ellie (daughter of Gary Brazil) joined in the summer from Tottenham Hotspur and will surely be able to help improve that record and take some weight off the shoulders of last year's top scorer Kayleigh Barton. She brings experience of 70 appearances in the Women's Super League for Brighton and Spurs since her debut as a sixteen year old for Birmingham in 2015. Incredibly, she has overcome not one but two ACL injuries in her career and is known for her strong mentality in doing so.
Tickets for the game which kicks off at 12pm:
https://booking.cafc.co.uk/en-GB/categories/Womens%20Home%20Games