IT'S A must-win relegation six pointer! What, again? Boro may have had a much needed upturn of late but make no mistake, Charlton IS a must-win basement battle that can have far reaching implications for the rest of the season.
Don't be lulled into a false sense of security by Boro's best spell of the campaign so far. The situation remains critical and will be escalated into full-on Century switchboard meltdown mode should Boro lose and get dragged back into the cut-throat melee at the bottom.
An excellent if unusually generous seven points from 12 over the festive fixtures have eased the rising hysteria and the queue of jumpers at the Transporter but six points above the drop spots at this stage is no time to be planning a 16 page survival supplement.
The optimists have already banked the points but I'm not so sure. Reading the runes on the Charlton match has been difficult because for every positive sign or stat there is an evil twin smiling with malevolent intent. And this is Boro we are talking about.
Last time the teams met Charlton had the body language of the condemned. Now a month later they have a new boss, a new sense of urgency and will see the visit of Boro as a chance to launch a revival. Since the 2-0 win Boro have had an upturn and won one and drawn one in the league - but Charlton have matched that.
And while Boro have delivered in the 'must win' games at home of late - they came back from a first half monstering to draw 1-1 with Wigan, beat Charlton and out-muscled Sheffield United at the Riverside - they have flopped away with disappointing defeats at Fulham and Blackburn. Charlton will see a Boro side yet to win away as vulnerable.
Since the Riverside trough Charlton have brought in dug-out dance merchant Alan Pardew and rediscovered some pride and the survival instinct. Since then they have drawn 2-2 with Fulham and were only denied victory at the death when French Franck scored from a last gasp free-kick that by right should have been a throw the other way, then they beat an admittedly fast fading Villa 2-1 before losing 4-0 to Arsenal with ten men (and with two penalties).
For Boro the trip to the Valley represents the last of a string of fixtures that on paper were 'easy'. In the last six games only Everton were in the top half. After Charlton comes a tougher looking run with Bolton at home, Portsmouth away, Arsenal and Reading at home and then what is sure to be a tense Tyne-Tees derby return at Newcastle.
That could coincide with some heavy spending by the teams around Boro. West Ham have a 'transfer warchest', Newcastle will almost certainly spend, Charlton look ready to cash in darren Bent to reshuffle and even Sheffield United have shown some muscle with a £6m bid for David Nugent. Boro in contrast look to be far more frugal.
It could be a significant weekend for Boro. The teams immediately below face tough tasks: Sheffield United are at home to Pompey, Wigan go to Chelsea and West Ham take on Fulham while just above Newcastle go to revived Spurs and Villa travel to Manchester United. On paper, well, on the fixed odds coupons at least, most of those results should go Boro's way and a win could lift them above the Geordies and Martin O'Neill and possibly even above Fulham , currently 12th, even if it is only on goal difference.
But defeat, especially combined with a few results going the wrong way, will see Boro going into a tricky string of games with the pack snapping at their heels and with very little margin for error. It is going to be that kind of tentative, two steps forward, one step back season from now on through a nail-biting run in and right until the final few games.
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