The former Portsmouth target and Charlton Athletic’s big concerns ahead of TV showdown

The two sides collide at The Valley on Monday night in the sky-televised meeting in the capital, with the home side enduring a tough start to the campaign under new manager Ben Garner.

The former Swindon boss alleviated some of the growing pressure he was facing with a 4-2 win over Exeter on Tuesday night.

That success may have come at a cost, however, with exciting young striker Miles Leaburn coming off injured in the 66th minute.

Garner opted to switch formation from a 4-4-2, rather than turning to former Pompey target Chuks Aneke - who picked up a calf injury in pre-season.

Aneke was eventually introduced with eight minutes left and quickly got on the scoresheet in his first appearance of the season.

It remains to be seen how ready the former Arsenal and Birmingham man is for an extended outing, however, as the Addicks wait to see the extent of Leaburn’s issue.

If neither are deemed fit to start, that would leave the Londoners with Jayden Stockley as the only senior attacking option going into the game.

Charlton’s club captain has got two goals to his name from 14 outings this term, after hitting 20 finishes last term when he dashed Pompey’s advances at the 11th hour.

Despite the Exeter success ending a run of seven games without a win for Charlton, they remain unbeaten at home this season with the win over the Grecians moving them four points of the play-offs.

With some angst going into Tuesday’s fixture, Garner was thankful to have the support of the home crowd as he looks forward to taking on Pompey.

He told the South London Press: 'I’m looking forward to it, (against) a team that has started really well – on Sky and here at The Valley.

‘The atmosphere (against Exeter) was brilliant, the fans were terrific, because we hadn’t won in a while and it could’ve turned sour

‘There might have been a bit of negativity at the start of the game but there wasn’t. They were fully behind the players. I appreciate that.

'It shows the class of our fans here, and we’re unbeaten at home. That’s three wins and three draws in the league, a couple of cup wins here as well.

‘We want to keep that home form going as long as we can. The longer we can become unbeaten here it becomes a real strength for teams coming here.’