Charlton Athletic's under-21 side travel to south Wales to face Swansea City in the Professional Development League on Monday afternoon.
Kick-off at Swansea's training ground is scheduled for 1pm GMT, with Chris Lock's young Addicks looking to improve on their recent form. They sit tenth in the table with nine points, three behind seventh-placed Swansea who have played one game more.
This fixture offers a chance to respond after a 4-3 defeat to Cardiff City in their last league outing. Swansea themselves are coming off a 2-0 loss away to Coventry City. The last meeting between these sides saw Swansea edge a 3-2 victory.
The match provides a key development opportunity for academy players as the senior team handles a challenging period. The first team currently sits 19th in the Championship with 14 points from 12 games, having lost 3-1 to Norwich City last time out. Their form reads two draws and three defeats from the last five matches. That recent run, which includes no wins, two draws and three defeats, has left the side with a record of three wins, five draws and four losses from their 12 league games this season. They have scored 11 goals and conceded 18, leaving them with a goal difference of negative seven. The defeat to Norwich last Saturday saw Charlie Kelman score a tenth-minute consolation, but the side has now lost its last two matches, following a 2-0 loss at Watford on Saturday 17 October. Prior to that, they drew 2-2 at Burnley and 1-1 at home to Bristol City, after a 3-1 loss at Cardiff in September.
Attention will soon turn to a tough trip to league leaders Middlesbrough on Saturday, 31 October, a fixture that sees them face a side they trail by 11 points in the standings. For now, the focus is on the academy, where a positive result could provide a timely boost. The senior side's top scorer this season is T. Campbell, who has netted four goals in 12 appearances. A full match report will be available on the club's official channels after the final whistle.
The original report is at cafc.co.uk
