Charlton and Norwich celebrate a shared achievement in equality and inclusion at The Valley on Saturday but both clubs desperately need something to celebrate on the pitch.

There will be gold in abundance at Saturday lunchtime although neither club will be thinking about trophies as they prepare for another early kick-off (12.30pm). Instead, they will be celebrating a rather different achievement, having earlier this year become the first two clubs to achieve Gold status under the EFL's revised Equality Code of Practice - an accolade now held by just seven clubs across the EFL.  A special pitch-side presentation will mark the occasion, recognising the commitment of both clubs to equality, diversity and inclusion on what is the club's annual Red, White & Black Day.

It is an achievement worth celebrating, particularly given the histories of both clubs and their connections with the communities they represent. Both deserve considerable credit for achieving Gold status, particularly in an era when football can sometimes appear increasingly dominated by commercial interests rather than community values.

Unfortunately, neither club has been enjoying quite the same level of success on the field of late. Charlton enter Saturday's encounter without a win in eight Championship matches, having drawn five and lost three. The latest setback came at Watford last weekend, where the home side ended their own miserable run with a 2-0 victory over the Addicks.

That was another frustrating afternoon for Nathan Jones and his players, who have shown resilience in some recent performances but have struggled to convert that into victories. The five draws suggest that Charlton are not being overwhelmed every week, yet the inability to turn one point into three is becoming increasingly costly.

Norwich arrive in SE7 in even worse form. They have lost five successive league matches, culminating in a 1-0 home defeat to Portsmouth last weekend which left them hovering just above the relegation places. They have leaked goals this season - conceding an average of nearly two per match. Their defensive issues start at the top of the pitch where a confused press leads to gaps appearing elsewhere. Last weekend, Portsmouth predicted that the Canaries would press with a two man forward line and so used their goalkeeper as an extra centre half, creating a 3 v 2 overload. This might tempt Nathan Jones to continue playing a back three, hoping to create some panic. If he switches back to a four man defence then one of the defensive midfielders may drop back into defence to try to create that overload but it will require the full backs and wingers to stay wide and stretch the pitch. Quick, sharp passing is the key to unlocking the Norwich defence.

There is already a degree of pessimism among sections of the Charlton support and the defeat at Watford has hardly helped matters. A Norwich victory would narrow the gap between the clubs to just two points, dragging us closer to a relegation battle that few supporters would have anticipated becoming such an immediate concern after our somewhat-unexpected excellent start to the season. Yet it is worth noting that our home form has garnered nine points from clubs against which we only managed one point last season as we were beaten by Derby, Portsmouth, Bristol City and Preston. That is a sign of evolution and perhaps the most important thing at this stage is to resist the temptation to become too fatalistic. After all, this is still October. There is a long season ahead, and the Championship has a habit of transforming fortunes remarkably quickly. A couple of victories can change the complexion of a league table, just as a succession of disappointing results can turn early optimism into anxiety; the latter has definitely been the case for both clubs in Saturday's contest.

Charlton and Norwich have shared plenty of history over the years, meeting in the Premier League, Championship and League One. Older supporters may recall the emphatic 4-0 victory at The Valley in November 2004 during the Alan Curbishley era while the clubs were later promotion rivals in League One during the 2009–10 season when Norwich went up as champions and Charlton fell short in the play-offs. More recently, the Canaries have enjoyed the upper hand, completing a Championship double over Charlton last season with two narrow 1-0 victories, at Carrow Road on Boxing Day and The Valley in March. The Addicks will be hoping to reverse that trend on Saturday and Nathan Jones has good news to share:

"The squad is very healthy. We've got Nathaniel Chalobah and Matty Godden back training with us now, which is a big plus, so we're in a strong position in terms of numbers and availability."

A victory on Saturday would be worth its weight in gold.