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Freelance journalist and ex-brentford programme writer Ian Westbrook gives a potted guide to South London rivals Charlton prior to Brentford’s opening game in the Championship

HOW ARE THEY DOING?

Charlton avoided relegation by the skin of their teeth last season – with only a win over Watford in their penultimate game confirming their safety.

After a ninth-place finish in their first season back in the Championship in 2012/13, following three years in League One, hopes were high of building on that last term, but they struggled for most of the season.

Two key players were sold in the January transfer window and manager Chris Powell was sacked in March.

But new boss Jose Riga did just enough to keep the Addicks in the second tier, although he has now moved to Blackpool.

Charlton have had a packed pre-season with nine first-team friendlies, winning the most recent one 2-1 at Portsmouth last Saturday.

WHO’S THE GAFFER?

Bob Peeters is the new man in charge at The Valley – Charlton’s third boss in six months.

Peeters, 40, has been involved in English football before, spending two years playing for the Addicks’ rivals Millwall, but he spent the rest of his career in Belgium and Holland.

Peeters was a striker and won 13 caps for Belgium, with the highlight of his international career coming when he scored a hat-trick against San Marino in 2001.

He has previous managerial experience with Belgian clubs Cercle Brugge, Gent and Waasland-Beveren.

At Charlton, Peeters is working alongside first-team coach Damian Matthew.

THEIR LAST VISIT

Saturday will be Charlton’s first visit to Griffin Park since the League One game in November 2011.

The Addicks arrived top of the table and with only one defeat in their first 18 matches while Brentford were ninth and on a run of one loss in our previous six League games.

The Bees had chances to take the lead in the first half with Gary Alexander being denied by former Brentford goalkeeper Ben Hamer before Niall McGinn rattled the inside of the post and Toumani Diagouraga put the rebound wide.

Shaleum Logan was stretchered off with a serious-looking head injury after colliding with Richard Lee in the 63rd minute and 60 seconds later, Charlton were ahead when future Bees striker Bradley Wright-Phillips turned in Danny Green’s right-wing cross from close range for his 14th goal of the season.

Wright-Phillips came close to a second before Bees substitute Mike Grella had an effort blocked by Hamer in injury-time.

Brentford boss Uwe Rosler said: “We didn’t deserve to lose. I thought we were the better side but they have a lot of experience and know how to cancel out games.”

Brentford: Lee, Logan (Bean 63), Woodman, Llera, Legge, Saunders (Grella 79), Douglas, McGinn (Weston 71), Diagouraga, Donaldson, Alexander. Unused subs: Devlin, Eger.
Att: 8,095.

MEMORABLE MATCH

NOVEMBER 7, 1992
BRENTFORD 2 CHARLTON 0

Brentford made it three wins in a row and climbed to 16th in the table the last time these two sides met in the Football League’s second tier at Griffin Park nearly 22 years ago.

Lee Luscombe put us ahead after 25 minutes with a fierce left-foot shot after Billy Manuel headed the ball into his path.

Carl Leaburn almost equalised on the stroke of half-time but his header came back off the underside of the bar and claims the ball had crossed the line were dismissed by referee David Axcell.

Charlton hit the woodwork for the second time in the 55th minute through Garry Nelson but Luscombe confirmed victory for Brentford when he turned in Brian Statham’s 62nd minute cross at the far post.

Brentford: Peyton, Statham, Hughton, Millen, Westley, Chalmers (Ratcliffe), Luscombe, Manuel, Gayle, Blissett, Smillie. Unused sub: Bennett.
Att: 9,354.

BEES CONNECTIONS

None of the current Charlton first-team squad or coaching staff has any connection with Brentford.

Our former goalkeeper Ben Hamer was on their books for three seasons but joined Premier League-bound Leicester in May.

DANGER MEN

Charlton have a World Cup star and plenty of other internationals on their books.

Striker Simon Church (18) is starting his second full season at The Valley and is a regular in the Wales side with 26 caps to his name.

Summer signing Tal Ben Haim (26) has won 78 caps for Israel and the central defender played in the Premier League for many years for Bolton, Chelsea, Manchester City, Sunderland, Portsmouth, West Ham and QPR.

Another close-season arrival is winger Johann Berg Gudmundsson (7), who has won 32 caps for Iceland and scored a hat-trick in a World Cup qualifier against Switzerland last September to secure a 4-4 draw.

Former Cameroon defender Andre Bikey-Amougou (6) also arrived this summer and is another man with top flight experience which he gained playing for Reading and Burnley.

DID YOU KNOW?

Charlton were involved in one of the most extraordinary First Division matches of all time when they hit back from 5-1 down at home to Huddersfield to win 7-6.

Their hero was Johnny Summers, who scored five times in the pre-Christmas fixture at The Valley in 1957.

The Addicks played most of the match with 10 men after an injury to captain Derek Ufton in the days before substitutes.

Town led 2-0 at half-time and despite a reply from Summers, the visitors scored three more goals in quick succession by the hour mark.

Summers set up Johnny Ryan for Charlton’s second before scoring three more himself to level the match at 5-5 in the 78th minute.

The striker then put the hosts 6-5 up but Huddersfield equalised themselves in the 86th minute only for Summers to cross for Ryan to snatch a dramatic winner.

Ian Westbrook
@Ianwestbrook

You can catch Brentford and Charlton fans in pre-match banter (12.30pm Saturday 9th) live from the pub on the Beesotted YouTube channel right here (click) …