As we recovered from being battered by Storm Lilian, it was an early start for the long trip to south-east London to see if we could batter the Addicks of Charlton Athletic for the fourth consecutive season.

Hopes were high of getting something from the trip, but we were conscious Charlton could be a very different proposition this season as they have invested significantly and have a very good home record under manager Nathan Jones.

It took us six hours to reach The Valley and with no away pub within reasonable distance, it was straight into the ground. Lunch was an inflation-busting steak pie at £4.95 and a pint of Anytime IPA at £6.60, with two pints on offer at £13.20! At least the pie was decent.

Ian Evatt seems to have settled on his starting XI already, giving us a strong bench to call upon when required. We started well with the front three of Aaron Collins, Dion Charles and John McAtee looking sharp, making good individual runs. Then, disaster struck when a horrendous mistake gifted Charlton the lead and knocked the stuffing out of us temporarily. We got back to dominating play, but the passing was sloppy and there was a distinct lack of cohesion between the players. For all our play, we created very little. Then, towards the end, we contrived to gift them a second goal and the match was over. It was a very disappointing and frustrating performance, not well received by the Wanderers fans.

The amount of abuse on social media was appalling as the naysayers and doom-mongers swung into action. The keyboard warriors were in their element. But let’s keep things in perspective. We are three matches into the new season and bedding in new players. The board have backed Evatt with the investment in new players; the fans have backed him with more than 16,000 season tickets sold. Good players don’t always make the best team. That’s the challenge Evatt faces this season, and we must give him time to get it right. We mustn’t become divided. Equally, Evatt and his management team must work harder than ever to make things happen this season.