ON Saturday Charlton Athletic were put to the sword 3-0 on their own mangled turf with a professionalism you would associate with that of a top flight team.

With injuries to two of our stellar performers this season in Danny Ings and Kieran Trippier it was up to their replacements to fill some very big boots.

The pair didn’t disappoint with Ashley Barnes notching the first goal with a well-taken header and loanee Chris Baird keeping things tight in the right back position.

The well documented Valley pitch looked like a bowling green – a bowling green that had been treated with car battery acid instead of fertiliser! It made for a particularly difficult playing surface.

As last season a party of Clarets had assembled at the Hare and Billet pub at Blackheath at the invitation of co-chairman John Banaszkiewicz.

It is not your regular pie and chips boozer, in fact, the specials for the day were anything but.

I declined the salt and pepper squid with lime mango, Tempura chicken and the cider and parsley battered cod, preferring a bag of cheese and onion crisps that I had brought with me.

Let’s hope there are a few more goal celebrations tonight as a revitalised Doncaster Rovers are the visitors in the first of two home games.

Now, as controversial as this might sound, I think now is the time to repeal the fox hunting ban as Burnley are realistically the only one of the chasing pack that can catch the Foxes of Leicester City.

It’s second v first on Saturday in the 12.15pm kick off for Sky TV at the Turf and maybe a marker as to which side really is the best in the Championship.

Of course I know that the title is decided over the season and Leicester are five points clear so our immediate focus is cementing our automatic promotion spot.

Yet I truly believe that after breaking so many records this season we can be genuine top dogs in this division.

The Foxes have lost five games to our three they have also done rather well on penalties having been given a handy 12 league spot kicks, including a dubious decision against us to gain a 1-1 draw at the King Power Stadium back in December.

They are undoubtedly a quality side but so are we so let the nation make their own mind up when the cameras roll into town for the undisputed match of the day.