MANAGER Alan Curbishley believes Charlton's three games over the Christmas period against Fulham, Southampton and Everton will fashion the rest of their season.

The Addicks enjoyed a last gasp victory over rivals Crystal Palace on Sunday and Curbishley hopes that can spark a decent run in the Premiership after an inconsistent start.

He said: "If we come out of it with a few points, then by the turn of the year we could be in the top half of the table. If we don't we could be looking over our shoulder.

"If you look at the history of the Premiership, five or six points either way determines that. If we had another six points we would be in the top four or five. Five or six less and we would be in the bottom four or five. It's as tight as that."

The club's next match is away at West Bromwich Albion on Saturday. The Baggies are two points adrift at the bottom of the league.