Kinsella prepares to enter Lions' Den
Mark Kinsella will come up against Millwall at The New Den for the first time as a Charlton player or coach on Saturday, and the Addicks first-team coach is looking forward to the South-East London derby.
In his days running the Charlton engine-room, Kinsella the midfielder would have relished nothing more than taking on the Lions on their home turf.
And the same applies in 2009/10 as the Addicks aim to close the gap on the automatic promotion places and inflict a blow on the promotion hopes of their SE London rivals in the process.
"I'm sure both sets of fans and players are looking forward to it,” said Kinsella. "We're expecting a tough game. It will be big atmosphere and there will probably not be a lot of football played - both sides will have to earn the right to play first. As a coach, I'm looking forward to the game and I'm sure the players are doing the same."
Leeds United's 4-1 win against Carlisle United on Tuesday night stretched the Yorkshire club's lead over the third-placed Addicks to five points, although both sides have now played 35 games.
And despite a less than convincing showing against Stockport County, particularly in the second half, last weekend, Kinsella said that Charlton would be ready for the task ahead.
"I've said it before - it's all about putting points on the board," said Mark. "There are teams playing worse than us. We played well in patches against Stockport and passed the ball well in patches.
"The performance was OK - not brilliant, but we've played worse and won, and we've played better and lost. Ultimately, though, we gained three points.
"We've won three out of our last four games and needed to go into Millwall with a decent run of results behind us, which we've done."
At the weekend, Kinsella told the press that Charlton would prepare for this weekend's match as they had prepared for every game this season, and said the players would know what awaits against the Lions.
"We'll be letting them know what to expect from the game, but I think the home match in December made everything clear," he said.
"They're a strong physical side. They came to The Valley and did a job on us; it was an entertaining game and I think it will be the same again. There will be a good atmosphere - their fans set the tone, but we're bringing 3,000 and I know they're up for it as well."
The fixture between the two clubs towards the end of last year was certainly memorable, as the visiting Lions took an early two-goal lead only for Charlton to fight back to equalise before half-time, with Millwall also having a player sent off in an eventful first period.
The Addicks then twice led in the second half, but the 10 men grabbed a late equaliser to claim a share of the points.
"It was end-to-end," recalled Kinsella. "It was a game where both sides probably left the ground feeling they should have won. We conceded a late goal and were disappointed not to win, but it was a good result considering how we started the game.
"They started brightly and got right into us and took a deserved lead. We had to up our game, and I'm sure it will be similar on Saturday. Once that whistle goes, everyone will have to stand up and be counted."
There will be an extra edge to proceedings at The New Den as Millwall's recent good form means they are also chasing promotion to the Championship this season.
And Charlton will certainly not be underestimating the Lions, with league leaders Norwich City and Leeds having already left The New Den this season with nothing to show for their efforts.
"That does make it more exciting," said Mark. "They've done very well in the last month or so, especially at home, and have put themselves in a great position. I think everyone down to 10th or 11th have still got their sights on promotion - a lot of teams have got games in hand as well.
"Millwall will want to stop us in our tracks and get three points closer to us, while three points for us will move us closer to the top and away from them, so it's a massive game."
After Saturday's fixtures, which also see Huddersfield Town entertain Norwich and Leeds travel to in-form Southampton, there will be 10 matches remaining for most of the promotion hopefuls, and Kinsella revealed he believed the race will go right down to the wire.
"We're chasing Leeds in second, but we're also looking over our shoulder to the clubs chasing us and everyone is doing the same," said Mark, who was also asked about Charlton's run-in, which sees the Addicks due to face Colchester United, Leeds and Norwich in the campaign's final few weeks.
"We have a tough run-in, but they're all coming to The Valley. The only one we're going to is Southampton, but I've looked at other clubs and we've all got similar games.
"I think we're all playing the same teams, and although we probably have the toughest [run-in], it means we have the opportunity to make things happen ourselves. We need to go into it injury-free and full of confidence.
"You never know which games are easier, anyway. Teams near the bottom are fighting for survival, which might be the same as playing Leeds.
"I think it will go all the way to the last game, so it's going to be interesting."
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