Bowyer concerned he will struggle to pick a senior 11 against Luton as injuries hit Charlton

Charlton Athletic boss Lee Bowyer has voiced his concerns about being able to pick a full 11 of senior players for the trip to Kenilworth Road this evening.
Charlton boss Lee Bowyer during Town's 2-2 draw with the Addicks at Kenilworth Road last seasonCharlton boss Lee Bowyer during Town's 2-2 draw with the Addicks at Kenilworth Road last season
Charlton boss Lee Bowyer during Town's 2-2 draw with the Addicks at Kenilworth Road last season

The Addicks chief has a number of his first team squad injured, with star striker Lyle Taylor the main absentee, as he hasn't played since August after hurting his knee while with the Monserrat national team.

West Ham loanee Josh Cullen was stretchered off during the second-half of Saturday's 2-2 draw against Cardiff with an ankle injury, while one-time Town trialist Deji Oshilaja and a former Hatters target Erhun Oztumer are both struggling.

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On-loan Israeli midfielder Beram Kayal from Brighton picked up a groin injury when on international duty, while defender Adam Matthews is a doubt after getting 90 minutes at the weekend.

The Addicks have 11 senior players injured in total, including Jonny Williams and Chuks Aneke, and were forced to recalled teenager Albie Morgan from his loan at National League side Ebbsfleet to boost their options.

Jake Forster-Caskey (hamstring), Sam Field (knee), Ben Amos (finger), Lewis Page (Achilles) and Tomer Hemed are all expected to be missing once more, although experienced midfielder Darren Pratley is available after serving a one-game suspension for picking up five bookings,

Bowyer might only be able to name six players on the bench as he did for the match with the Bluebirds, as speaking to the press, he said: "I was just saying to the staff that we’re going to struggle to put 11 out. We’re just running out of numbers.

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“You see the kids we had to bring on and they did great by the way, but to bring them on is asking a lot from them cause they haven’t played games before.

“We have no choice. That’s the situation we’re in, but like I said before, we’re in every game and it shows how well we’re doing and what a good group I have.

“We’re going into Tuesday’s game and I honestly don’t know how many people are going to be fit to start.

“I’ll have to see how the others react. It’s tough on the lads at the moment, we need some bodies back desperately.

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"It’s all about recovery now and getting the recovery right.

"Whoever turns out, they’re going to give 100 per cent.

"That’s all we can ask at a time like this when you’re running out of bodies.”

The Addicks' struggles with injuries has checked their impressive start to life in the Championship after going up through the play-offs last year.

They had started by going six games unbeaten, with four triumphs, but have only picked up two victories from their 11 previous encounters, and are now five without a win, a run that has seen Athletic slip to 13th in the table.

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They still have players that can hurt Town though, who Luton chief Graeme Jones knows well, with West Brom duo Jonathan Leko and Sam Field at the club, while forward Maculaey Bonne has scored five already this term.

Jones said: "I know Jonathan really well, he’s a talented capable boy and I know Sam Field really well.

"I worked with Sam a lot last season individually, I don't know if hes going to make it though.

"Then 14,15 years ago now, we had a young Darren Pratley (at Swansea), who’s a top character, a really top player at this level, someone who I'm looking forward to seeing.

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"I think they’ve recruited well, got more points than us, and they’ve had a really, really solid start to the season.

"Speaking to Mick Harford (head of recruitment), they were the team that were coming up on the rails, they were the team that he was concerned about, managed to stay ahead of them and they’ve progressed really well.

"They had a three or four week break in the summer only, so never lost too much, and they’ve been competitive in every game.

"They’ll be competitive again as remember Lee Bowyer the player, his teams represent him without a doubt.

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“He plays courageous football Lee, they’re committed to it, I think you can see, it’s the world against them and he's done extremely well.

"The have got some capable players and we’ll have to earn the right if we’re going to get something from it."

Away from the Valley, the Addicks have struggled recently, without a victory since late August, losing three and drawing twice, although the points have come at West Bromwich Albion and Fulham.

Jones wasn't taking that into consideration though, adding: "I don’t think about things like that, I just think about winning the game, making sure that we max out and trying to be as good as we can be."

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