Charlton were heavily beaten by promotion rivals Peterborough on Saturday.
Goals from Andrew Hughes, Marcus Maddison and a late Jack Marriott brace downed the Addicks, who dropped to eighth in League One.
Here are five things we learned…
Michal Zyro’s impressive display warrants a start at Blackpool
Zyro has been scarcely used since signing on loan from Wolves in January. He made just two appearances earlier this season before joining the Addicks, so his match fitness levels have been low.
He scored his first Charlton goal after coming on as a 64th-minute substitute at the ABAX Stadium, and his all-round performance was brilliant.
Valley boss Karl Robinson kept faith with Sullay Kaikai on the wing, but the Crystal Palace loanee was hooked off in the second-half.
Zyro has surely done enough to start against Blackpool at the expense of Kaikai, who could have a good impact from the bench.
The Josh Magennis boo boys are back
Josh Magennis’ penalty miss was the obvious turning point in the game. He failed to draw Charlton level in the 54th minute and Maddison doubled Posh’s lead moments later.
The Northern Ireland striker has been subjected to criticism from a section of Charlton fans for most of the season. His recent purple patch helped silence some of his critics, but they were out in force following his slip-up on Saturday. He was jeered off the pitch.
Robinson substituted Magennis for the first time in the league this season, and so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him start at Bloomfield Road. And why shouldn’t he? He’s the club’s top scorer.
The season isn’t over… yet
A shocking statistic came to light after the Peterborough defeat – Charlton have won just five league games since October.
And with just one win in their last six matches, they are only three points away from sixth-placed Plymouth. A victory by a two-goal margin over Blackpool will lift the Addicks into the play-offs.
While a winning run is needed to maintain their play-off push, rival clubs are also consistently dropping points, which means the season isn’t over by any stretch.
The left-back problem
Jay Dasilva’s injury means Lewis Page is Charlton’s only fit left-back.
Page hasn’t played in almost a year due to injuries and despite recently returning to first-team training, he wasn’t included in the matchday squad against Peterborough.
Naby Sarr was Dasilva’s replacement - he was troubled by Maddison and gave away a penalty which allowed the hosts to double their lead.
If Page, who is relatively inexperienced at League One level, can’t prove his fitness, then Robinson could play Chris Solly at left-back.
The first-team captain featured there in Charlton’s 2012/13 campaign during Rhoys Wiggins’ injury lay-off. You could have Ezri Konsa at right-back, Jason Pearce and Patrick Bauer in the middle with Solly on the left.
Ahmed Kashi is proving to be a huge miss
No Charlton player reads the game as well as Ahmed Kashi. The Algerian midfielder is crocked with a foot injury, and his absence was felt on Saturday.
Jake Forster-Caskey and Johnnie Jackson were the two midfielders in Robinson’s 4-2-3-1 formation, and while they both played well, the Addicks had no one to nullify Peterborough’s attacking threat.
It showed that Charlton need Kashi back as soon as possible. He is likely to be sidelined until April.
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