THE game at Charlton in two weeks time is undoubtedly a massive match. But at the moment it appears to be affecting everyone in the wrong way.

There was a distinct "we might lose here but we've still got the Carling Cup to fall back on" body language from the players during the Stockport defeat last week.

It was not too bad a performance, indeed we created many chances and dominated the play at times. But Stockport quite clearly wanted to win more than we did which was frustrating for the 155 fans who'd taken half a day off work, thanks to the ludicrous change of kick off to Friday night.

Let's just hope that our league form does not suffer thanks to our League Cup exploits. Thankfully we recorded three points against Darlington on Tuesday and the games with Barnet and MK Dons are just as important as Charlton.

Momentum has been lost recently so it is important to get it back going into Christmas. Another season in this league will be tough to take. So many clubs have dropped to the basement division and found it difficult to get back up. Trips to Hartlepool and Stockport are nowhere near as glamorous as Notts Forest and Bristol City.

It was disappointing to see Ricardo Batista recalled by Fulham. Batista had become a fans' favourite, despite his poor start against Wrexham. He'll be remembered for his performance in the cup against Doncaster. Hopefully Jamie Young can now step up and repeat the displays of his first few games regularly.

So is this team better or worse than last season? I'd like to think it's better, it certainly is more defensive and we play a more effective style. But consistency is the key. We need to win games even when not playing well. And not just against glamour sides like Charlton.

Ian Baker is on the board of the Supporters Trust. For details about the Trust and how to join see www.wwst.org.