CHARLTON manager Phil Parkinson has praised Miguel Llera before the play-offs after an impressive display against Oldham last week.
Llera was dropped from the first team following the 4-0 defeat at Millwall on March 13 but earned an unexpected recall at Boundary Park after Sam Sodje picked up an injury in the pre-match warm-up.
And the boss certainly liked what he saw as Llera scored and helped the Addicks to another clean sheet, prompting speculation he may get the nod to start tomorrow evening at the County Ground.
Parkinson said: “I thought Miguel had one of his best games last week at Oldham. I spoke to him leading up to the game when I didn’t know he was going to play, because obviously Sam Sodje got injured in the warm-up.
“I sent him home with a DVD of one of his early season performances and said ‘Miguel, remember you’ve made a big contribution this season,’ because I had detected he had been a bit low with his last game being the Millwall one.
“I thought he put in a terrific performance at Oldham and for players like himself and Dave Mooney who haven’t played for a while, to get that game under their belts is very important going into these play-offs.”
On Sam Sodje’s fitness, the manager added: “Sam has improved a lot and is back in contention for Swindon.”
Regardless of who starts, Parkinson was keen to stress those not involved at the kick-off could well make a major difference over the two legs.
He said: “Another thing we’ve got is a threat from the bench.
“We’ve got a strong bench whichever 11 get the shirts to start.
“Bearing in mind we are playing Friday and Monday, the substitutes bench is going to be absolutely crucial.
“Myself and some of the staff have been discussing what we want to do in the game and you’ve got to be prepared for every eventuality.”
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