Earnshaw answers Curbs doubts Well the general opinion of Saturday seems to be a combination of a blip, poor refereeing and good finishing by a player that maybe the over cautious Curbs dwelled on for too long and subsequently missed out on.

Curbs meticulousness is well known and his attention to detail on the training field he carries into his purchases and generally most fans respect that. The one or two mistakes he has made, such as Rowett, tend to come with a safety net - Rowett's transfer fee was staggered depending on appearances.

However I still remember us taking an age on whether to sign Mark Kinsella, we almost and by all accounts should have missed out on him but Curbs was eventually persuaded to part with £150,000. Money well spent I'll think you'll agree. Of course Earnshaw was a little bit more expensive but 13 goals in all competitions including 3 on our doorstep has probably belatedly answered Curbs nagging doubts. His height being one of those I understand.

The ressies won again last night beating Pompey 2-1 (report from Addicks Diary here). Just one more win will guarantee us the title for the 2nd consecutive year and a play-off against the winners of the Premier Reserve League North. Man Utd currently lead the North table, with a game in hand and 3 points on Aston Villa in 2nd. Assuming we win the South League the play-off game I reckon would capture the imagination of Addicks. I wonder if there are rules about playing first teamers in this game?

Jason Euell was the hero last night scoring both goals and said today: "I don't really feel I'll start any games, but we'll have to wait and see. I wouldn't want anyone to get injured, but that might be the way I get back into the side in the run-in. At the moment, for the first team, I'm getting 10 or 15 minutes here and there. It's very tough playing like that and trying to get into games - and trying to make a big impact."

A lot has been said about Euell's season but to be honest he has kept his thoughts pretty much to himself and even in this frank interview he puts the team before himself. It's one of the season's downsides that the formation has thwarted his campaign (he has started just 2 games since mid-September) after arguably being one of our most popular and consistent players over the last 3 years.

And finally is it a surprise that Bolton's assistant manager Phil Brown thinks that it is a great idea that Mark Halsey trains with them?

"He asked if he could train with us and that relationship has grown from there. We know Halsey’s problems on a Saturday and he understands our problems as well.”

Would that have anything to do with his performance at The Valley then last Saturday? Oh, and he's a Bolton fan as well by all accounts!  ¶ 19:17