Charlton v West Brom

MARCUS BENT will be looking to follow up his goalscoring start for Charlton when he makes his home debut tonight against West Bromwich Albion at The Valley.

Bent got off to a flying start with the equaliser in the 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on January 22 following his £2.5 million move from Everton earlier in the week. No slouch in getting off the mark with goals upon arrival at new clubs, the 27-year-old has developed a knack of flying out of his starting blocks and at Ipswich scored 10 goals between his arrival from Blackburn Rovers in November 2001 and the end of the season.

Bent, who was introduced to the crowd before Saturday's FA Cup tie against Leyton Orient, is likely to replace Shaun Bartlett up front alongside namesake and top-scorer Darren.

With the Addicks looking to climb back into UEFA Cup contention, manager Alan Curbishley has made no secret of the fact that he considers tonight's game more important than the FA Cup ties.

"West Bromwich Albion is a bigger game for us, in more ways than one," said Curbishley who must decide whether to retain Saturday's substitutes Jerome Thomas, Alexei Smertin and Jay Bothroyd, all of whom made a big impact after coming on. That decision could be made easier as Matt Holland, outstanding against Orient, is doubtful with a knock sustained in the game. The match kicks off at 8pm.