Sometimes it takes a crisis to sharpen the focus and inject some real purpose into a campaign and so it is that Charlton appear to have blown away the cobwebs of last season as soon as Phil Parkinson's position at the club came under the spotlight.

The Addicks were really struggling to come to terms with the hangover suffered from their bizarre play-off semi-final defeat to Swindon and the reality of how far they'd fallen off the pace smashed them square in the face when Brighton battered them by four goals in their own backyard last month.

The Valley has seldom seen the positive side of anything in recent years, so it came as no surprise that their humbling at the hands of Gus Poyet's slick outfit prompted chants of "We want Parky out!"

Four weeks on, and Charlton have posted four straight wins, three with clean sheets, taking them back into the top six and two steps away from Wembley in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy.

It's been a gutsy response from the Londoners because they've been up against decent opposition in the league and it's fitting that the crowning moment of their renewed spirit came in the shape of sweet revenge against Swindon with a commanding 3-0 victory at the County Ground last weekend.

So now the Addicks look to be back in control of their own destiny, they look a decent bet to account for a rather flaky Peterborough side at London Road.

Under normal circumstances, the 3.50 about the away win would probably be about right but it's a price we're willing to snap up while Posh remain a rather curious commodity in the aftermath of Gary Johnson's admission that he has been considering his future.

That also came on the back of an emphatic defeat against Brighton at home and though Johnson's men did respond with victory against Walsall next time out, their failure to beat a Stockport side that suffered successive 5-0 hammerings leaves our perception up in the air somewhat.

Meanwhile, Rochdale ought to be feeling suitably embarrassed after their FA Cup defeat to FC United in front of the television cameras last Friday but they have the perfect match in which to bounce back against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.

After failing in the role of Goliath, Dale now revert back to the much comfortable role of David for the trip across the Pennines and they deserve a poke at 4.80.

In truth, Keith Hill's men haven't been playing particularly well for a few weeks now but we suspect that's as much to do with the fixture list than anything else because they've certainly shown an appetite for the glamour games since winning promotion from the basement.

Southampton and Huddersfield have both been caught cold by the Lancashire minnows while they've also held Brighton at the Withdean.

As for Wednesday, their season has peaked and troughed according to the mood surrounding the club's financial future.

The Owls started like a house on fire until the tax man came knocking in early September, after which followed four straight defeats. However, form picked up instantly following reports of a £2million cash boost from anonymous backers, but now they're winless in three following concerns over the legitimacy of those investors.

Needless to say, news of a second winding-up order from HMRC is unlikely to do much for morale and Alan Irvine faces a real struggle to lift spirits on the back of three disappointing results with the club now falling out of the play-off picture into mid-table.

PICKS:
Charlton to beat Peterborough at 3.50 at Betsson.
Rochdale to beat Sheffield Wednesday at 4.80 at Betsson.