Stockport County must do what Birmingham City could not to stop Charlton Athletic: View | OneFootball

All County eyes will be on one particular Charlton threat this weekend

Stockport County return to League One action this weekend and a trip to Charlton Athletic calls.

The two clubs have had a similar start to the 2024/25 season, currently sitting on the same number of points, albeit the Hatters having a game in hand.

Matty Godden will be the main threat for County to look out for when they arrive at the Valley, a striker who has been in mean form in this early part of the season despite not starting all that regularly.

It’s set to be a strong contest, but the Hatters’ defensive unit will need to arrive on the lookout for Godden’s penalty area entries.

Godden offers a dangerous outlet for Charlton

The Addicks’ goals so far in this campaign have been relatively spread out amongst the squad, but Godden is an early frontrunner for top scorer at the club with three league goals already to his name.

That’s an impressive tally for the 33-year-old at this early stage in the season, but deserves even more credit considering he only has three starts so far this season, two of his goals coming in appearances off the bench.

He arrived at the Valley this summer from Championship side Coventry City for an undisclosed fee, where he earned a reputation for being a prolific goalscorer in the second tier.

That recent move means he is still acclimatising to his new club and the team around him, which may account for his relatively low number of starts, but he is unlikely to remain on the bench for too long with his current track record for Charlton.

He proved decisive against Birmingham

Birmingham City, after a summer of spending to a degree not often seen in the third tier, are clear heavyweights in the division, and it is showing — they currently sit at the top of the table with just one loss to their name.

That singular loss, however? Inflicted by Charlton’s Godden.

It was the game played immediately before the Hatters’ visit and the Blues, despite being away from home, will have entered as the clear favourites in the minds of most people.

But Godden had other ideas.

The Midlands side showed their strength, retaining 63 percent possession in the game, but didn’t make their time on the ball pay, registering zero shots on target.

A determined defensive display from the Addicks just needed a hero at the other end to cap the day, and it was Godden.

A long throw chucked into the Birmingham box wasn’t dealt with by Chris Davies’ side and Godden smelled blood.

Getting his body between the defender and the ball, the Charlton striker bought himself just enough time to turn and strike the ball from close range with his first touch.

It was classic centre-forward play, but could prove difficult to stop against someone as experienced as Godden.

If he can end Birmingham’s unbeaten run, he can certainly pose a threat to the Hatters. Centre-backs Fraser Horsfall and Ethan Pye will need to have a close eye on him whenever he enters the box, with all three of the striker’s goals coming from just outside the six-yard box.

County have plenty of threats of their own for the hosts to worry about

While Godden looks like strong opposition for the Hatters to keep in mind, the Greater Manchester outfit have a number of attacking outlets for the Addicks to fret about.

If it’s not the imposing Kyle Wootton, already on four goals this season, making a nuisance of himself in Charlton’s half, it could be the likes of Louie Barry, with five goals so far, shuttling through the backline with incisive dribbling runs and unpredictable attempts on goal.

That’s to name just two, but there are threats from all angles in this County side, plenty to occupy Charlton’s defence on Saturday.