MK Dons 2 v Charlton Athletic 1

Our worst start to a third division season since God was a boy and we are only three games in. The fears of all of us unhappy with the quantity and quality of incoming players look like being slowly validated.

I am on holiday in Scotland and didn't see the match as a fellow-Addick who is also up here with his family suggested dinner and we only had to suffer the occasional glance at our phones to see what was unfolding. 

It could still all come together but that is looking increasingly like a long-shot. We simply don't look good enough across the pitch and have the prospect of having to accommodate poor players in our side for the rest of our season, even if we bring in a few better loans before the end of the window. 

Tactically, a switch to 4-4-2 has to come and I hope Adkins sees that and doesn't stick his head in the sand over it. He may be encouraged to stick with it again after Stockley's goal last night but he needs to realise we can't expect him to do that every week and typically not more than once in any match. Adkins started the same eleven that lost at Oxford. Yes, subs can change the mix but you normally pull those who aren't having better games and yet they all started again. no great surprise then that we got the same result. It's great if you are winning games or players respond strongly after faith has been shown after a poor performance, but huge danger of complacency in the team if you persist when they are failing.

As it stands, we are four points down on the results from last season at Oxford and MK. Our home form was so inconsistent, those can be made up but so far it doesn't look likely. Instead we have piled the pressure on for Saturday's home game against Wigan who, by contrast, were quick out the traps with their Summer recruitment and who are now in the process of settling their side, whilst we are still looking for players. The players we have need to stand up now if they are going to and show us that they have some belief in their own ability and those of their team-mates. That needs a couple of leaders in defence and midfield and I am not sure we have them. Inniss was a big show last year in defence but there looks little in between him and Stockley who is ploughing the lone furrow upfront. 

One bright spot from last night appears to be the growing performances of Deji Elerewe, who came on for Inniss at half-time. I hope that was as much to protect yellow-carded Inniss from a red as any possible injury...