Steve Herbert: Reds need a bit of Christmas magic

We could all do with a bit of Christmas magic right now. Not that we haven't had much to celebrate of late, November turned out to be a very productive month in terms of results both at home and away. The win at Charlton at the beginning of December should be the benchmark for the rest of the season.

After all if we can win at the Valley we can win anywhere. The narrow defeat at Peterborough was hopefully just a little bump in our survival story. This festive period will see us play five games in thirteen days. Starting with Monday's home game against the toughest side in League One, Birmingham City. We then face Orient and Exeter away, with Charlton coming to the Broadfield on New Year's Day.

This is then followed by a trip to Yorkshire and Barnsley on Saturday 4th January. We then thankfully have two weeks off to recharge our batteries, until we entertain bottom side Burton Albion on Saturday 18th January. On paper it's a tough run of games, but all games are tough at this level.

It will be the consistency of performance from Rob Elliott's squad that will dictate the number of points we amass over this festive period. One thing we can look forward to in January is the transfer window opening, and with it a chance to bolster a squad that at times has been stretched by injuries and suspensions. I'm sure Rob and our owners have players in mind already.

Personally I feel we need cover in defensive areas, especially in the heart of our defence, that was exposed a few times at Peterborough a week ago. Another good edition would be a ball winning central midfielder, a bit of a Dannie Bulman type, who has the experience and know how to win you games in the midst of battle.

Whatever happens between now and the new year, it's going to be an exciting one. Let's hope both myself and Steve Leake have plenty of positives to write about in 2025! Merry Christmas Reds fans!