Charlton wait over Bartlett

Charlton face an anxious wait to discover whether striker Shaun Bartlett will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.

The South African was forced off during the second half of the defeat at Portsmouth on Saturday and, following a scan, has now had minor surgery on the problem.

It will be at least two weeks before the swelling has reduced enough for a further examination, and a prognosis of when the 32-year-old can expect to return to action.

With his side needing to recapture their form to qualify for Europe, the loss of Bartlett will mean Charlton boss Alan Curbishley must now re-assess his attacking options.

The South African may have only netted eight goals this season, but Bartlett had been successfully deployed in a lone striker role, as the Addicks played five in midfield.

However, Curbishley reverted to 4-4-2 at Fratton Park as he attempted to improve on a run of just one victory in the previous seven games which had seen Charlton fall behind in the race for UEFA Cup qualification.

Francis Jeffers was restored to the starting XI, while Kevin Lisbie replaced Bartlett after an hour, and could be in line to deputise this weekend against Bolton, who are currently sixth, three places and five points ahead of the Addicks.

Curbishley is also likely to have to make do without midfielder Radostin Kishishev on Saturday after the Bulgarian – just back from a hamstring problem - suffered a broken nose as he ducked to head a low ball and was accidentally kicked by Pompey’s Richard Hughes.

Centre-back Mark Fish is carrying an ankle knock, and Curbishley said: “We will have to see what happens this week with the injuries and when the dust settles, then we’ll have to pick a side that can get us a result against Bolton.

“People say we tail off at the end of a season and the stats back that up, so I’ve certainly got plenty to think about,” added the Charlton boss.