Charlton Athletic dominated League One last season to win the league title by eight points to gain promotion to the Championship.
Despite seeing off all that came before them in English football's third tier, manager Chris Powell knew that he would face a tougher test in the 2012-13 season.
Powell brought in several players with experience in England's lower leagues, while he also introduced Stoke City striker Ricardo Fuller to lead the line in attack.
Here, Sports Mole reviews how the Addicks have performed during the first half of the season.
August
Charlton began their season in fine fashion by securing a 1-1 draw at Birmingham City, with Leon Cort netting a late goal for his side.
The club's opening game at The Valley saw them record an impressive 2-1 win over Leicester City.
They concluded the month with a goalless draw against Hull City to maintain their unbeaten start to the season.
September
Nottingham Forest inflicted Charlton's first defeat of the season at the beginning of September before the Addicks lost further matches against Crystal Palace and Derby County.
Charlton returned to winnings ways with a 2-1 victory at Ipswich Town to move them away from the relegation zone.
The month ended with Johnnie Jackson netting Charlton's equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers.
October
Charlton opened October with a 2-1 defeat to Watford before they registered an impressive result at Blackpool, emerging victorious with a 2-0 win.
However, the international break halted Charlton's momentum and they returned to lose 2-0 at home to Barnsley.
The Addicks' topsy-turvy form continued as they finished the month with back-to-back draws away at Leeds United and Wolverhampton Wanderers respectively.
November
Charlton were continuing to keep away from the relegation zone but November began with a heavy 4-1 defeat at the hands of Middlesbrough.
The Valley staged arguably the match of the Championship season so far when Charlton came back from 2-0 down to defeat second-placed side Cardiff City 5-4.
That result sparked Charlton into form and after they defeated Bristol City at Ashton Gate, a Danny Haynes goal earned a third successive win at Burnley.
The Addicks' winning run ended with a draw with Huddersfield Town but Athletic secured a 2-0 win over Peterborough United to end the month in style.
December
A goalless draw with Millwall was followed by a further point picked up in a 2-2 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion to make it seven games unbeaten.
However, their run was ended with a 2-0 loss at Bolton Wanderers before they were defeated by Sheffield Wednesday by the same scoreline.
Charlton slipped further down the table when they lost 2-1 to Ipswich Town to end Boxing Day in 18th place in the Championship table.
Darren Plant
