ADDICKS columnist MATIAS GREZ is an upbeat mood after a great start to the Championship season for newly-promoted Charlton.

AFTER the disappointing penalties defeat to Leyton Orient in the newly named Capital One League Cup, the very clichéd reaction from most Charlton fans I spoke to was: “That was a bad result but at least now we can focus on the league.”

However, in this case it feels as though the cliché is merited.

Doing a Norwich or Southampton is by no means a sure thing as many, myself included, were getting carried away into believing and the benefit of rest days when fellow Championship clubs have cup matches could prove vital.

Using the momentum from a previous successful season can often be one of the easier ways to secure promotion, as the likes of the previously mentioned Norwich and Southampton found out along with the likes of Peterborough, Crawley and Stevenage.

Instead you can easily find yourself drifting into mid-table obscurity, although mid-table Championship obscurity seemed a far more appealing prospect a year ago during the days of mid-table League One obscurity.

Better news came on Friday as the club announced the signing of former Tottenham youth team centre-back Dorian Dervite.

Mind you, the signing of only a one-year contract at just 24 years of age shows Chris Powell may not yet be totally convinced the defender is over his injury-prone past.

Back to the present and Charlton’s return to the Championship on Saturday at Birmingham after three long years away was absolutely amazing.

For 93 minutes.

Nikola Zigic’s stoppage time equaliser was a brutal reminder of just how tough the next 45 games are going to be.

The last minute of injury time aside, the performance against one of the favourites for promotion was outstanding.

The team, which was the same as the one that beat Fulham in pre-season a week earlier, provided a constant threat going forward and more importantly looked almost watertight at the back.

Finally, onto the club’s first home game of the Championship season last night against Leicester.

Powell got it spot on in his post-match interview when he said opponents this campaign will not get any better than the two Charlton have faced in their opening matches.

Against Leicester the strike duo which was so effective in League One was clinical in front of goal.

Although the team rode their luck after the break, particularly in the closing stages, they were more than deserving of their win.

The signing of Ricardo Fuller represents another major coup for the club.

Powell now possesses a player in his ranks who, even at the age of 32, still provided major problems for Premier League defences last season.

The one thing which did disappoint me slightly was what seemed to be the lack of spectators at the ground for the return of Championship football to The Valley.

However, I’m not one to pass judgement on this matter as I myself am away on holiday at the moment.

To come away undefeated with four points out of six and be third in the league is not too shabby a start.

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