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Bell chimes a resolutely positive note as City prepare for tonight's cup hurdle

13th January 2009 By Latest News Leave a Comment

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City winger David Bell was the first to admit that Norwich's salvation this season lies in one place only – deep in the heart of that Canary dressing room.

Tonight the struggling Championship side play host to probably the one and only team in that division in a more sorry state results-wise than the Norfolk club.

Charlton have now not won in 18 games and last Saturday's home defeat by one-time bottom of the table Nottingham Forest merely deepened the gloom around The Valley as the Addicks look all set to follow the likes of Leeds United and Leicester City into the third tier of English football.

Norwich, of course, are not that far behind after their own defeat at Sheffield United left just goal difference separating them from the bottom three.

This evening's third round replay is, at least, a break from the unending misery of the league. But Bell well knows how important a victory could be. Irrespective of the financial reward a place in the fourth round offers, adding a 19th game to Charlton's wretched record will at least prove that the players haven't wholly forgotten how to win a football match.

How to convert chances at one end of the pitch and not give them away at the other.

“No-one's going to fix it apart from ourselves – and there's no easy games,” said Bell, setting little store by Charlton's current woes under caretaker boss Phil Parkinson.

The former Luton Town winger – still plagued by an ankle injury – admits that the table doesn't lie; that City are where they are for a reason. But, that said, the reason isn't that Norwich are playing particularly badly – they just cannot turn half-decent performances into half-decent results.

“If you're playing badly and losing badly then sometimes you have to hold your hand up and say: 'We've just not been good enough on the day…' said Bell, who celebrates his 25th birthday next week.

“But we feel – and the staff feel – that the lads are performing to a good standard week in, week out, and the results just aren't justifying the way that we're playing.

“We've just got to stay together. It's only us in the dressing room that are going to turn it round. No-one else is.

“We honestly believe that we're in a false position at the minute. But the table doesn't lie – and we are there for a reason. And we've got to turn it round ourselves”

Because, in short, City don't score enough goals at one end and concede far too many soft ones at the other.

Tonight is all about getting a job done – without the misery of extra-time and penalties, ideally. Given the fact that Roeder's squad remains down to the barest of bones following Antoine Sibierski's injury and the fact that new loan signing Jonathan Grounds is cup-tied, the prospect of a further 30 minutes of football ahead of Saturday's huge home clash with Barnsley is the last thing anyone needs.

And whilst a trip to either Bramall Lane or Brisbane Road in the fourth round is hardly the glamour tie of the round, Bell remains convinced that the way is open for City to grab themselves a money-spinning fifth round tie having pushed United so close in the league at the weekend.

“It's a very important game for us – we got a good draw down there last Saturday and I felt we could have got a bit more out of the game in the latter stages of the second-half,” said Bell, as he first looked back to the 1-1 cup draw at The Valley.

“It's a home tie and we already know what the draw is for the next round – it's either Sheffield United or Leyton Orient; we've just played Sheffield United so we know what they're all about – and if we win tomorrow, we've got a great chance of getting through.

“And that's what everybody wants – the fans, the players, the club – is a big draw in the round after that.”

And nor would a return to South Yorkshire hold any fears.

“I felt in the second-half we had quite a lot of the game and I felt we deserved to get something out of the game. But we didn't. So we're going to look to win tomorrow night and then – if it is Sheffield United – we're going to look to go there and win and, hopefully, get a bigger draw in the next round.”

At least one young man might object to Bell's thinking with Canary fans about to get a second look at Charlton 16-year-old Jonjo Shelvey. The powerfully-built midfielder all but ran the first half in South-East London and was the Addicks' brightest star again in the Forest clash.

He will need putting in his place by someone in that City midfield. Roeder can at least call upon Darel Russell again following his one-match ban; likewise Matty Pattison appears to have shrugged off the dead leg that ruled him out of the trip to Bramall Lane.

The biggest question is who partners Gary Doherty at centre-half – Adam Drury being the prime candidate – and who plays off Arturo Lupoli up front.

The impression remains that Roeder will hand Wes Hoolahan that role ahead of Russell. Which is fine – provided City don't opt to hit it high and long to their vertically-challenged front two. At which the punters' patience will be sorely tested…


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