Stevenage clash could bring out the worst Nathan Jones football

Charlton Athletic are currently fourth in the League One table, although they have not played the most entertaining football to get themselves in that position.

The Addicks have won 1-0 on three occasions so far during the 2024/25 campaign, and there is no doubt that Nathan Jones would be delighted if his side can grind out another narrow victory when they visit Stevenage in League One on Saturday.

Charlton were beaten by Steve Bruce’s in-form Blackpool at The Valley last Saturday, so there will surely be a response this weekend as they look to get back to winning ways at the Lamex Stadium.

Stevenage have failed to score in four of their last five games, so their game against Charlton, who are the side that have scored the fewest number of goals in the top half of League One, is unlikely to be the most high-scoring fixture of the day in the third tier.

The stats suggest that Stevenage vs Charlton could be a cagey affair

Charlton and Stevenage, along with Wigan Athletic, share the best defensive record in League One, having conceded just five goals each during their seven league games so far.

Those three teams, as well as Wrexham, have all kept four clean sheets, which is more than any other club in the division. The Addicks kept just five clean sheets throughout the whole of last season, showing how much of an improvement they have made defensively this term.

Those stats suggest that it could be a low-scoring game on Saturday, a suggestion which is backed up by the fact that both sides rank in the bottom four for shots on target per match in League One so far this season. Stevenage have averaged just 2.7 shots on target per match, while Charlton have averaged 3.1.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, Stevenage games have had the fewest number of goals in the third tier this season, while Charlton supporters have seen the third-fewest, despite their side being in the play-off places.

Another stat which suggests that this game will not be one for the purists is fouls per match in League One. Only Exeter City and Leyton Orient have committed more fouls than the 14.9 that Stevenage have made per 90 minutes, with Charlton following closely in fourth with an average of 14.6.

Last season, this clash ended in a 1-1 draw after Corey Blackett-Taylor equalised with a late penalty in Michael Appleton’s first game in charge of the Addicks, before the reverse fixture ended 0-0 with Jones in the Charlton dugout at The Valley.

Charlton should try and take the game to Stevenage

The game on Saturday is the first in a run of difficult fixtures for Stevenage that will also see them face Wrexham, Peterborough United and Bolton Wanderers in League One, so they will be hoping for a win in front of their own fans.

The Boro earned a point in their 0-0 draw with Wigan in midweek, so it would be no surprise to see them set up in a similar way against Charlton.

The Addicks will be hoping to pick up all three points, but they will need to make a much faster start than they did in their win over Shrewsbury Town a fortnight ago, and against Blackpool last week.

Jones will be aware that only one of the seven goals Charlton have scored in League One this season has come in the first half of a game, so he may want to take the game to Stevenage in order to avoid the game becoming scrappy and petering out in the second half.

The Welshman dropped impressive new centre-back Alex Mitchell for the visit of Blackpool, a decision he no doubt regretted once the Seasiders found themselves 2-0 up before half-time, so it would be a real surprise if he did not return to the starting lineup on Saturday.

It will be interesting to see how the game unfolds, but the stats suggest that Stevenage vs Charlton could bring out the worst of Nathan Jones’ football based on what we have seen so far this season. However, as is always the case, the away supporters will not be complaining if it results in them going home with all three points.

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