Key Charlton Athletic, Wycombe Wanderers player comparison bodes well for Nathan Jones ahead of play-off clash | OneFootball

The Chairboys will host the Addicks in the first leg of the League One play-off semi-final on Sunday.

Charlton Athletic will face Wycombe Wanderers over two legs in the League One play-off semi-final.

The first leg kicks off at 6:30pm at Adams Park on Sunday before the return fixture will be at The Valley at 8pm next Thursday, with a place in the final at Wembley on the line.

The Addicks will go into the tie with confidence, having lost just one of their last eight games. They are also unbeaten in 15 home games, so if they can take something from their away leg then they will surely fancy their chances of progressing next week.

Wycombe, on the other hand, come into their clash with Charlton on the back of a three-game losing run, having been beaten by each of the sides they are competing with in the play-offs during the run-in.

Of course, anything can happen during a two-legged semi-final, but the form of both sides suggests that Charlton will be favourites, and that notion is further backed up by the recent goalscoring records of two key players.

Godden and Kone will be key during the play-offs

Strikers Matty Godden and Richard Kone have been vital for Charlton and Wycombe respectively this season, having scored 18 league goals each, which ranks them joint-third in the divisional scoring charts.

Tyreece Campbell and Luke Berry have scored the joint-second highest number of goals in League One for Charlton with seven, while Daniel Udoh is Wycombe's second-highest scorer, having netted eight times in the league.

That shows how important both forwards have been to their clubs so far during the 2024/25 campaign, but Nathan Jones may feel confident that Godden is in a better position to make an impact during the upcoming play-off semi-final.

The 33-year-old, who signed from Coventry City last summer, has scored eight goals in his last 10 League One appearances, including a brace on the final day of the regular season against Burton Albion, so he is going into the play-offs in red-hot form.

In comparison, Kone has only scored twice in his last 10 league appearances, while he has gone eight consecutive games without a goal in the lead-up to the play-offs.

There is no doubt that the form of those two key players bodes well for Nathan Jones ahead of the play-offs, but he will know that Kone is more than capable of recapturing his early-season scoring touch and causing problems for the Addicks.

Godden has promotion-winning experience

Godden's recent form compared to Kone's is good news for Charlton going into the play-offs, but the difference in experience of the two players could also be a big factor in who performs better across both legs of the semi-final.

21-year-old Kone has never experienced winning promotion in the EFL, and the fact he was unable to deliver when it mattered most during the Chairboys' push for a top-two finish will only have added pressure for him to step up against Charlton.

Godden has won promotion from League One in the past with Coventry, while he experienced the pressure of the Championship play-offs with the Sky Blues just two years ago, so he should be in a position where he can focus on the football rather than the occasion and look to continue his good run in front of goal.

It will be interesting to see how things play out over the two legs - will Kone turn up when it matters most and show everyone why he was named League One Player of the Season, or will Godden's experience show?