Addicks ready after studious 54-day wait

It's been 54 days in the making - but Charlton's hungry U18s will finally take to the field on Saturday when they play host to Ipswich Town at Sparrows Lane (11am).

Having seen last weekend's scheduled trip to West Ham United fall by the wayside due to the adverse weather, Damian Matthew will be hoping his side can take to the field for the first time since December 14th.

That last outing came at The Valley, as the young Addicks lost in the FA Youth Cup to Chelsea.

Despite the best efforts of the ground staff at Sparrows Lane, an attractive home match against Arsenal bit the dust earlier this year, while the scheduled contest at Crystal Palace two weeks ago was postponed due to the Eagles' FA Youth Cup commitments.

In league terms, Charlton have won their past two games, with their most recent success coming courtesy of a 2-0 win at Ipswich, and development coach Damian Matthew says his players are relishing their return to action.

He said: "The boys have been working really hard at the training ground and we've also had to negotiate some tough weather at the turn of the year.

"The lads mucked in to help clear the pitches of snow at Sparrows Lane, and I know Phil Parkinson and the players appreciated their efforts.

"But it does again emphasise the good unit we have at the football club, and who knows these players could be the beneficiaries of similar hard work if they continue to work hard and secure a future in the game."

A handful of Charlton's U18 contingent played their part in a behind-closed-doors clash at Watford towards the end of last month, having been starved of match action due to the heavy snowfall.

In the club's previous meeting with the Tractor Boys, top scorer Lewis Perkins struck twice in the 2-0 win, while Josh Carson was sent off for the home team.

Matthew added: "Ipswich are like us; when we've got our best 11 out, we are very competitive with all the clubs, and we've proved that over the season.

"Both clubs have done well over the years and Ipswich have ploughed money into their facilities to make sure they stay competitive in academy football.

"We're all looking forward to it. Despite the long period of inactivity, our form before the break was really impressive and we are all keen to keep that going in what is going to be a really important few months."

The club's recent policy of blooding second-year-scholars in senior non-League football could mean the likes of Tamer Tuna and Yado Mambo (both Staines Town), Carl Jenkinson (Welling United) and Herry Pell (Hastings United) may all be absent.

But Liam Bellamy and Jordan Anderson should be back in contention following their recent work experience spells at Merstham.

That means opportunity will knock for the first years against Ipswich, and Matthew added: "It's good to see that other clubs are interested in our younger players and I must commend them on their work ethic to develop.

"It was a good experience for them, and the boys have been well supported by Steve Avory, Mark Kinsella and the rest of the staff who have been out to watch them.

"That opportunity for some of the older boys to get senior football away from the club frees up space for some first years to play for the U18s.

"They've had to be patient, but this is their time now," the development coach continued. "Some have had some football and others will now get the opportunity.

"They had six months in full-time training to realise what we are all about and now we are expecting some good performances.

"The most important thing we always speak about is the level of performance and that level of understanding so that you go and win games and be successful."

That blooding of young players has certainly reaped rewards higher up the football food chain with U18 graduate Chris Solly making his first league start for the club in the 1-1 League One draw with Walsall on Tuesday.

"In U18 football now, there is a big divide in terms of resources," explained Damian. "We've always continued our policy of blooding our young players when we feel they are ready - and that has obviously paid dividends for us over the last few years."

It may have been almost two months since the last fixture and Matthew admits there may be a touch of rust against an Ipswich side that suffered a youth cup defeat to Fulham in midweek.

He said: "We've had game-related practice in training, and have spoken about it in the last few days.

"It's more the anxiety of the game. We try to create an environment where in training or matches the players have that hunger to do well."

Subscribers to CAFC Player can now watch the entire 90 minutes of Charlton's FA Youth Cup-round clash with Chelsea. CAFC Player is currently offering access until the end of July for just £17.99 as part of a sale. Sign up to CAFC Player here.