The current football season is only just underway, and yet already a few of the South London clubs are starting to raise eyebrows across the country.
As any die-hard football fan will tell you, anything can happen over the course of a season, but a few South London sides look set to take advantage of a great start.
Let’s take a look at how some of the biggest South London sides are doing at the time of writing and why their fans have greater bragging rights than most right now.
Millwall: Looking to the future
Millwall are 15th in the Championship at the time of writing, with their place in the middle of the table coming from four wins, three draws and four losses. That said, their wins have come from impressive triumphs over Plymouth, Rotherham, Stoke and Middlesbrough.
Things are looking a little uncertain for the Lions right now, as long-term manager Gary Rowett, who was in charge at the club for four years, has just parted ways with the club. This means that while some Millwall fans might feel like they’re in a bit of a slump right now, things can only get better.
A manager exiting a club is often a good chance for teams to take stock and to start turning things around. As such, there’s every chance that Millwall will be able to capitalise on this change with some fresh tactics, and maybe even some new talent, as the season progresses. It’s worth keeping positive, especially this early on!
AFC Wimbledon: Biding their time
The 2023/24 season has been a real mixed bag for Wimbledon so far, with an unbeaten league run coming to an end against Stockport in September, and with the side — at present — holding firm in the top half of the table.
Wimbledon’s home and away records have been very impressive thus far this year, however, they’ve hit a few stumbling blocks they’ve yet to fully recover from. Thankfully, the fans are right behind them in usual gusto.
They’re in something of a precarious spot between a challenging bottom half and a top half that seems to be running away with things a little. That said, it is still early days at this point, but there’s been plenty of confidence shown in them online as evidenced by the odds at Bet MGM UK and the volume of discussions in fan forums.
You should never really count Wimbledon out. Of all the League Two teams fighting for contention this year, they seem to be a dark horse worth watching.
Charlton: Full of promise
Right now, Charlton Athletic are in a similar position to Millwall, albeit in League One, sitting around mid-table. However, this comes after a reasonable run of matches despite a 4-3-4 record identical to Millwall’s performance.
Charlton fans are, however, optimistic as they’re looking at more than just the Addicks’ league performances. A stirring win for the side against Aston Villa’s U21s in the EFL Trophy proved eye-opening, and recent barnstorming wins against Wycombe (3-1 at home) and Exeter (4-1 at home) prove that the side is raring to score plenty of goals.
In fact, Charlton’s biggest league struggles have been against Oxford and Port Vale, and even then, they held their own.
Charlton’s steady performance comes on the back of the club releasing manager Dean Holden, who had been in charge at the club since December 2022. While it’s too early to say whether a change of management is inspiring the Addicks to turn things around, as with Millwall, a change is certainly as good as a rest.
While teams such as Charlton and Millwall might not have the same bragging rights that Palace fans can enjoy right now, things are likely to change — a quick peek at the odds is enough to see what we mean.
Will South London sides triumph this season?
It’s safe to say that North London sides have taken much of the glory and the football headlines over the past few seasons, but now is a great opportunity for South London clubs to break through the melee and hold their own.
Regardless, we’re busy building up the talent of the future.
For example, recently we reported on Wandsworth Football Academy hosting half-term camps this autumn.
In any case, while South London fans might not be taking home any spoils just yet, it’s very early days and who’s to say where things might stand by the end of the season?
Featured image credit: Tony Marsden
