Charlton Athletic Promoted to the Championship!

On Sunday afternoon around 3.00pm, just as the Premiership teams were kicking off the last match of their season, so referee Andrew Kitchen blew the final whistle at Wembley Stadium with the score at Charlton Athletic 1, Leyton Orient 0, a result which saw Charlton promoted back to the Championship after five years in League 1.

The day began for this writer with a 9.30am car journey to Charlton, parking near to the bus stop for routes to North Greenwich tube station, and thence a 45-minute Jubilee Line journey to Wembley Park. I mingled with clusters of fellow Addicks fans clad in their red shirts, strolling along Wembley Way to the stadium. I collected my media accreditation and went to join Addicks press friends in the Media Room, where we talked about the mood of the day, all in hope rather than expectation, until the team news was published at 12 noon. Then out into the media area with a panoramic view around the stadium, and to absorb and savour the building atmosphere in a sea of red flags as came from the crowd of some 40,000 Charlton fans.

The noise rose to a crescendo when the teams took to the pitch ahead of the 1.01pm kick off – the one-minute delay to highlight that one minute is vital in treatment of heart-attack victims. Orient had the better of early exchanges, but Charlton settled into a steady rather than dominating performance, with the defence kingpins of Jones and Gillesphey holding firm. On 28 minutes, the latter took on a different mantle as a free kick was awarded to the Addicks for a foul on Tyreece Campbell some 20 yards out. Up stepped Gillesphey with a curling left foot drive that evaded both the Orient defensive wall and their diving ‘keeper to give Charlton the lead.

This was maintained to half-time, and after the interval the O’s had a spell of dominance but were held at bay by strong defence. Anderson replaced Gilbert in midfield with Watson for Small on 68 minutes, and on 81 minutes Godden and the tiring Campbell were replaced by veteran Aneke and youngster Mbick to bolster the attack. Orient continued to attack and Charlton to repel, with Addicks ‘keeper commanding his area with fine game management until the final whistle blew.

Celebrations continued for best part of an hour, with on-pitch delight followed by the long walk up the Wembley stairs to collect the promotion trophy, than back down to the pitch for tinsel and glitter, and the trophy displayed to the ecstatic fans. This was the reward of a season of hard work and determination by manager Nathan Jones and his team of support and players, with a club record of 24 ‘clean sheets’ (no goals conceded in a match), plus a run of just two defeats in the last 21 games from November to May. Charlton Athletic are promoted to The Championship!