Charlton v Barnsley

Any players unhappy at being on the fringe of the first team will get no sympathy from Charlton manager Alan Pardew.

As he prepared the squad for Saturday’s home game against Barnsley, the Addicks boss made the frank admission that he was not bothered about those unable to break into the side.

He said: "I’m not in the mood to pussyfoot around with players and I’m not bothered about anyone unhappy at being out of the side.

"There is no-one who can justify knocking on my door at the minute telling me they should be in this team. There are shirts up for grabs and it’s up to those who are not in the side to stake a claim in training."

Without a home win since the 2-1 defeat of Ipswich on October 4, the Addicks are desperate to appease restless home fans at the expense of Barnsley, who are immediately below them in 21st position in the Coca-Cola Championship.

Pardew admitted that successive 1-1 draws at home to Burnley and Tuesday’s at Ipswich had boosted the confidence of the players, though the side still face problems arising from a goal-shy attack.

Chris Dickson, who came on and made an impact in midweek at Ipswich, could get his first start to a league game this season but Pardew confessed that he had learned lessons from chopping and changing up front last season.

He added: "Last year, when players weren’t scoring up front, I changed it and maybe that was to the detriment of the team. Sometimes you have to stick with your strikers in the hope that they will come through a rough patch and start scoring."

Pardew disclosed that striker Andy Gray’s absence from the side was down to a personal issue, which he would not elaborate on.

On-loan Martin Cranie is likely to continue alongside skipper Mark Hudson at the heart of the defence as Linvoy Primus has suffered a recurrence of a knee problem.

Charlton will admit all under-18s for £1 on Saturday.