Charlton Athletic F.C.
Encyclopedia
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton
, in the London Borough of Greenwich
. They compete in Football League One
, the third tier of English football
. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area, including East Street Mission and Blundell Mission, combined to form Charlton Athletic. The club play at The Valley in Charlton, where they've played since 1919, apart from one year in Catford
, during 1923–24
, and seven years at Crystal Palace
and West Ham United
between 1985–1992. Charlton share local London rivalries
with Millwall
, Crystal Palace and West Ham.
The club's traditional kit consists of red shirts, white shorts and red socks and their most commonly used nickname is The Addicks. Charlton turned professional in 1920 and first entered the Football League
in 1921. Since then they have had four separate periods in the top flight of English football: between 1936–1957, 1986–1990, 1998–1999 and 2000–2007. Historically, Charlton's most successful period was the 1930s, when the club's highest league finishes were recorded, including runners-up of the First Division
in 1937. After World War II, the club reached the FA Cup Final
twice, losing in 1946
and winning in 1947.
. In the club's early years its progress was hampered by the nearby presence of Woolwich Arsenal F.C.
(now Arsenal), which was one of the largest clubs in the country, and Charlton spent the years before the First World War playing in local leagues. Woolwich Arsenal's move to North London in 1913 gave Charlton an opportunity to develop, and they became a senior side by joining the Lewisham League. After the war, they joined the Kent League for one season (1919–20) before becoming professional, appointing Walter Rayner
as the first full-time manager. They were accepted by the Southern League and played just a single season (1920–21) before being voted into the Football League. Charlton's first Football League match was against Exeter City
in August 1921, which they won 1–0. In 1923 it was proposed that Charlton merged with Catford Southend to create a larger team with bigger support. In the 1923–24 season Charlton played in Catford at The Mount stadium and wore the colours of "The Enders", light and dark blue vertical stripes. However, the move fell through and the Addicks returned to the Charlton area in 1924, returning to the traditional red and white colours in the process. Charlton finished second bottom in the Football League in 1926 and were forced to apply for re-election which was successful. Three years later the Addicks won the Division Three championship in 1929 and they remained at the Division Two level for four years. After relegation into the Third Division south at the end of the 1932/33 season the club appointed Jimmy Seed as manager and he oversaw the most successful period in Charlton's history either side of the Second World War. Seed, an ex-miner who had made a career as a footballer despite suffering the effects of poison-gas in the first war, remains the most successful manager in Charlton's history and he is commemorated in the name of a stand at the Valley. Seed was an innovative thinker about the game at a time when tactical formations were still relatively unsophisticated. He later recalled "a simple scheme that enabled us to pull several matches out of the fire" during the 1934–35 season: when the team was in trouble "the centre-half was to forsake his defensive role and go up into the attack to add weight to the five forwards." The organisation Seed brought to the team proved effective and the Addicks gained successive promotions from the Third Division
to the First Division
between 1934 and 1936. Charlton finally secured promotion to the First Division by beating local rivals West Ham in front of 41,254 fans at the Valley, with their valiant centre-half John Oakes playing on despite concusion and a broken nose.
In 1937, Charlton finished runners up in the First Division, in 1938 finished fourth and 1939 finished third. They were the most consistent team in the top flight of English football over the three seasons immediately before the Second World War. This continued during the war years and they won the "war" cup and appeared in finals.
in the 1946 FA Cup, but lost 4–1 to Derby County
. Charlton's Bert Turner scored an own goal in the eightieth minute before equalising for the Addicks a minute later to take them into extra time, but they conceded three further goals in the extra period. When the full league programme resumed in 1946–47 Charlton could finish only 19th in the First Division, just above the relegation spots. But they made amends with their performance in the FA Cup, reaching the final once again. This time they were successful, beating Burnley
1–0, Chris Duffy
scoring the only goal of the day. In this period of renewed football attendances, Charlton became one of only eleven English football teams to average over 40,000 as their attendance during a full season. The Valley was the largest football ground in the League, drawing crowds in excess of 70,000. However, in the 1950s little investment was made either for players or to The Valley, hampering the club's growth. In 1956, the then board undermined Jimmy Seed and then sacked, and Charlton were relegated the following year.
From the late 1950s until the early 1970s, Charlton remained a mainstay of the Second Division
before relegation to the Third Division
in 1972 caused the team's support to drop, and even a promotion in 1975 back to the second division did little to re-invigorate the team's support and finances. In 1979–80 Charlton were relegated again to the Third Division, but won immediate promotion back to the Second Division in 1980–81. Even though it did not feel like it, this was a turning point in the club's history leading to a period of turbulence and change including further promotion and exile. A change in management and shortly after a change in club ownership led to severe problems, such as the reckless signing of former European Footballer of the Year
Allan Simonsen
, and the club looked like it would go out of business.
The club began to groundshare with Crystal Palace
at Selhurst Park
and this arrangement looked to be for the long-term, as Charlton did not have enough funds to revamp the Valley to meet safety requirements.
Despite the move away from the Valley, Charlton were promoted to the First Division as Second Division runners-up at the end of 1985–86, and remained at this level for four years (achieving a highest league finish of 14th) often with late escapes, most notably against Leeds
in 1987, where the Addicks triumphed in extra-time of the play-off final replay to secure their top flight place. In 1987 Charlton also returned to Wembley for the first time since the 1947 FA Cup final for the Full Members Cup
final against Blackburn
.
Eventually, however, the Addicks fell to relegation in 1990 after a dismal season. Manager Lennie Lawrence
remained in charge for one more season before he accepted an offer to take charge of Middlesbrough
. He was replaced by joint player-managers Alan Curbishley
and Steve Gritt
. The pair had unexpected success in their first season finishing just outside the play-offs, and 1992–93
began promisingly and Charlton looked good bets for promotion in the new Division One (the new name of the old Second Division following the formation of the Premier League). However, the club was forced to sell players such as Rob Lee
to help pay for a return to The Valley, which eventually happened in December 1992.
There was a tragedy at the club late in the 1992–93 season. Defender Tommy Caton
, who had been out of action due to injury since January 1991, announced his retirement from playing on medical advice in March 1993, having failed to recover full fitness, and he died suddenly at the end of the following month, aged just 30 years.
An insight into life at the football club in this period is provided by Left Foot Forward: A Year in the Life of a Journeyman Footballer, a highly-praised account of the 1994–95 season written in diary form by Charlton forward Garry Nelson
. The book was shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year
Award.
appointed Alan Curbishley as sole manager of Charlton.
Under his sole leadership Charlton made an appearance in the playoffs in 1996 but were eliminated by Crystal Palace in the semi-finals and the following season brought a disappointing 15th place finish. 1997–98
was Charlton's best season for years. They reached the Division One playoff final and battled against Sunderland
in a thrilling game which ended with a 4–4 draw after extra time. Charlton won 7–6 on penalties, with the match described as "arguably the most dramatic game of football in Wembley’s history", and were promoted to the Premier League. Charlton's first Premier League campaign began promisingly (they went top after two games) but they were unable to keep up their good form and were soon battling relegation. The battle was lost on the final day of the season but the club's board kept faith in Curbishley, confident that they could bounce back. And Curbishley rewarded the chairman's loyalty with the Division One title in 2000 which signalled a return to the Premier League.
After the club's return, Curbishley proved an astute spender and by 2003 he had succeeded in establishing Charlton in the top flight. In the 2003–04 season, Charlton spent much of the campaign challenging for a Champions League
place, but a late-season slump in form, combined with the sale of star player Scott Parker
to Chelsea
, left Charlton in 7th place, which was still the club's highest finish since the 1950s. However, Charlton failed to build on this achievement and Curbishley left two years afterwards in 2006, after 15 years as manager, with the club still established as a solid mid table side.
In May 2006, Iain Dowie
was named as Curbishley's successor, but was sacked after twelve league matches in November 2006, with only two wins. Les Reed
replaced Dowie as manager, however he too failed to improve Charlton's position in the league table and on Christmas Eve 2006, Reed was replaced by former player Alan Pardew
. Although results did improve, Pardew was unable to keep Charlton up and relegation was confirmed in the penultimate match of the season.
Charlton's return to the second tier of English football was a disappointment, with their promotion campaign tailing off to an 11th place finish. Early in the following season the Addicks were linked with a foreign takeover, but this was swiftly denied by the club. More recently, on 10 October 2008 Charlton received an indicative offer for the club from a Dubai-based diversified investment company. However, the deal later fell through. The full significance of this soon became apparent as the club recorded net losses of over £13 million in the past financial year.
On 22 November 2008 Charlton suffered a 2–5 loss to Sheffield United at home, which meant that the club had gone eight successive games without a win and had slipped into the relegation zone—particularly disastrous considering they were among the pre-season favourites for promotion. Hours after the game, Alan Pardew left Charlton by mutual consent. Matters did not improve under caretaker manager Phil Parkinson
, and a 3–1 defeat at Sheffield United saw the Addicks four points adrift at the bottom of the Championship as 2009 dawned, under threat of their first relegation to English football's third tier for 29 years. Charlton continued their poor run of form to go 18 games without a win, a new club record, before finally achieving a 1–0 away victory over Norwich City
in an FA Cup Third Round replay. They then went on to beat Crystal Palace 1–0 at the Valley on 27 January to achieve their first league win under Phil Parkinson
, whose contract was made permanent despite the lack of progress in the league. Charlton's relegation from the Championship was all but confirmed on Easter Monday (13 April) when, despite picking up a point in a 0–0 draw at Coventry
, they found themselves 12 points from safety with four games remaining. With a vastly inferior goal difference and with the two teams directly above them (Southampton
and Nottingham Forest
) still having to play each other, it was effectively an impossible task for Charlton to avoid relegation. The following game saw Charlton's relegation to League One become a reality after a 2–2 draw against Blackpool.
After spending almost the entire season in the top six of League One, Charlton were defeated in the Football League One play-offs
semi-final second leg on penalties to Swindon Town, condemning Charlton to another season in the third tier of English Football.
Parkinson had spent less than any other manager on purchasing players since Lennie Lawrence in the 1980s and was able to maintain a top six status despite only having the opportunity to bring in lower level players on loan. The new owners, however, decided to remove both Parkinson and Charlton legend Mark Kinsella, intending to replace them with an as yet unknown team. Another Charlton legend, Chris Powell
was appointed manager of the club in January, winning his first game in charge 2–0 over Plymouth at the Valley, Charlton's first win since November. Powell's bright start continued with a further three victories, before running into a dreadful downturn which saw the club go 11 games in succession without a win. Yet the fans' respect for Powell saw him come under remarkable little criticism. The club's fortunes picked up towards the end of the season, but leaving them far short of the playoffs.
Telegraph Works. Then followed Woolwich Common
(1907–1908), Pound Park (1908–1913), and Angerstein Lane (1913–1915). After the end of the First World War, a chalk quarry known as the Swamps was identified as Charlton's new ground, and in the summer of 1919 work began to create the level playing area and remove debris from the site. The first match at this site, now known as the club's current ground The Valley, was in September 1919. Charlton stayed at The Valley until 1923, when the club moved to The Mount stadium in Catford
as part of a proposed merger with Catford Southend Football Club. However, after this move collapsed in 1924 Charlton returned to The Valley.
During the 1930s and 40s, significant improvements were made to the ground, making it one of the largest in the country at that time. In 1938 the highest attendance to date at the ground was recorded at over 75,000 for a FA Cup
match against Aston Villa
. During the 1940s and 50s the attendance was often above 40,000, and Charlton had one of the largest support bases in the country. However, after the club's relegation little investment was made in The Valley as it fell into decline.
In the 1980s matters came to a head as the ownership of the club and The Valley was divided. The large East Terrace had been closed down by the authorities after the Bradford City stadium fire and the ground's owner wanted to use part of the site for housing. In September 1985, Charlton made the controversial move to ground-share with South London neighbours Crystal Palace
at Selhurst Park
. This move was unpopular with supporters and in the late 1980s significant steps were taken to bring about the club's return to The Valley. A single issue
political party, the Valley Party, contested the 1990 local elections in Greenwich Borough Council
on a ticket of reopening the stadium, capturing 11% of the vote, aiding the club's return. The Valley Gold investment scheme was created to help supporters fund the return to The Valley, and several players were also sold to raise funds. For the 1991–92 season and part of the 1992–93 season, the Addicks played at West Ham
's Upton Park as Wimbledon
had moved into Selhurst Park alongside Crystal Palace. Charlton finally returned to The Valley in December 1992, celebrating with a 1–0 victory against Portsmouth
.
Since the return to The Valley, three sides of the ground have been completely redeveloped turning The Valley into a modern, all-seater stadium with a 27,111 capacity. There are plans in place to increase the ground's capacity to approximately 31,000 and even around 40,000 in the future.
The Valley Club (CAFC Supporters Club) was situated in Harvey Gardens behind the North Stand, and was managed by licensee Ray Donn
from 1970 – 1984 the club had a full club licence supplying food and drink to its members and guests during match days and live entertainment, with cabaret and dancing every night of the week. The Valley Club was one of the most popular club venues in South London at this time, featuring named entertainers popular today.
s of Lewisham
, Greenwich
, Bexley
and Bromley
and also north-west Kent. Charlton were rare among football clubs, in that they reserved a seat on their directors' board for a supporter. Any season ticket holder could put themselves forward for election, with a certain number of nominations, and votes were cast by all season ticket holders over the age of 18. The last such director, Ben Hayes, was elected in 2006 to serve until 2008, when the role was discontinued as a result of legal issues. Its functions were replaced by a fans forum which met for the first time in December 2008.
Charlton's most common nickname is The Addicks. Among the theories on the origin of the Addicks name are that it was the south-east London pronunciation of either "addict" or "athletic". However, the most likely origin of name is from a local fishmonger, Arthur "Ikey" Bryan, who rewarded the team with meals of haddock and chips.
The progression of the nickname can be seen in the book The Addicks Cartoons: An Affectionate Look into the Early History of Charlton Athletic, which covers the pre-First World War history of Charlton through a narrative based on 56 cartoons which appeared in the now defunct Kentish Independent. The very first cartoon, from 31 October 1908, calls the team the Haddocks. By 1910, the name had changed to Addicks although it also appeared as Haddick. The club has had two other nicknames, the Robins, adopted in 1931, and the Valiants, chosen in a fan competition in the 1960s which also led to the adoption of the sword badge which is still in use. The Addicks nickname never went away and was revived by fans after the club lost its Valley home in 1985 and went into exile at Crystal Palace
. It is now once again the official nickname of the club.
Charlton fans chants included "Valley, Floyd Road", a song noting the stadium's address to the tune of "Mull of Kintyre
" and "The Red, Red Robin".
one-off drama, Albert's Memorial, shown on 12 September 2010, and starring Sir David Jason and David Warner
. Jason's character, Harry, is revealed to be a Charlton Athletic fan. Harry later buries his friend, Albert, played by Michael Jayston
, draped in a Charlton Athletic flag, to which Frank says, "hear that?". Harry replies,"no...what?" Frank says, "that's the sound of Albert turning in his grave. He hated Charlton Athletic", so Harry replies, "well, nobody's perfect." In Only Fools and Horses
Rodney Charlton Trotter
is named after the club.
Charlton have used a number of crests and badges during their history, although the current design has not been changed since 1968. The first known badge, from the 1930s, consisted of the letters CAF in the shape of a club from a pack of cards. In the 1940s, Charlton used a design featuring a robin
sitting in a football within a shield, sometimes with the letters CAFC in the four quarters of the shield, which was worn for the 1946 FA Cup Final
. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the crest of the former metropolitan borough of Greenwich was used as a symbol for the club but this was not used on the team's shirts.
In 1963, a competition was held to find a new badge for the club, and the winning entry by Bryn Collum of the Troll Academy was a hand holding a sword, which complied with Charlton's nickname of the time, the Valiants. Over the next five years modifications were made to this design, such as the addition of a circle surrounding the hand and sword and including the club's name in the badge. By 1968, the design had reached the one known today, and has been used continuously from this year, apart from a period in the 1970s when the just the letters CAFC appeared on the team's shirts.
With the exception of one season, Charlton have always played in red and white. The colours had been chosen by the group of boys who had founded Charlton Athletic in 1905 after having to play their first matches in the borrowed kits of their local rivals Woolwich Arsenal, who also played in red and white. The exception came during the 1923–24 season when Charlton wore the colours of Catford Southend as part of the proposed move to Catford, which were light and dark blue stripes. However, after the move fell through, Charlton returned to wearing red and white as their home colours.
, the rivalry began when Millwall moved south of the river in 1910 to The Den in New Cross
, South East London
situated less than 4 miles from The Valley, the two clubs met frequently in the league up until the mid-1990s, however the sides didn't play each other in a competitive match between 1996 and 2009, the first meeting in 13 years in December 2009 ended as a 4-4 draw.
, the exiled Charlton fans did not like the trek to Selhurst Park and felt the club weren't treated well during their time there. The two clubs met numerous times during this period and the Palace fans were particularly boastful about Charlton's homelessness, as well as rising rent costs.
In 2005, Crystal Palace were relegated at The Valley after a 2-2 draw much to the delight of Charlton fans, who revelled in Palace's misfortune, after the match there was also an altercation between the two chairman's Richard Murray
and Simon Jordan
, Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan later described Charlton fans as Moronic Imbeciles.
In 2006 manager Iain Dowie
left Crystal Palace by mutual consent. A few weeks later he was appointed as Charlton manager, and a writ was served on behalf of Palace chairman Simon Jordan
during a press conference live on Sky Sports News
claiming Dowie had breached their agreement and that Dowie promised Jordan that he would move to a club in Northern England
.
Charlton, London
Charlton is a district of south London, England, and part of the London Borough of Greenwich. It is located east-southeast of Charing Cross. Charlton next Woolwich was an ancient parish in the county of Kent, which became part of the metropolitan area of London in 1855. It is home to Charlton...
, in the London Borough of Greenwich
London Borough of Greenwich
The London Borough of Greenwich is an Inner London borough in south-east London, England. Taking its name from the historic town of Greenwich, the present borough was formed in 1965 by the amalgamation of the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich with part of the Metropolitan...
. They compete in Football League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
, the third tier of English football
Football in England
Association football is a national sport in England, where the first modern set of rules for the code were established in 1863, which were a major influence on the development of the modern Laws of the Game...
. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area, including East Street Mission and Blundell Mission, combined to form Charlton Athletic. The club play at The Valley in Charlton, where they've played since 1919, apart from one year in Catford
Catford
Catford is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Lewisham. It is situated south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-Architecture:...
, during 1923–24
1923-24 in English football
The 1923–24 season was the 49th season of competitive football in England.-Events:*On 11 November 1923, Aston Villa centre-half Tommy Ball was shot dead by his neighbour, thus becoming the only Football League player to have been murdered.-Honours:...
, and seven years at Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
and West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
between 1985–1992. Charlton share local London rivalries
South London derby
South London derby is the name given to a football derby contested by any two of Charlton Athletic, Crystal Palace, Millwall and AFC Wimbledon, the four Football League clubs based in South London, England...
with Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
, Crystal Palace and West Ham.
The club's traditional kit consists of red shirts, white shorts and red socks and their most commonly used nickname is The Addicks. Charlton turned professional in 1920 and first entered the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
in 1921. Since then they have had four separate periods in the top flight of English football: between 1936–1957, 1986–1990, 1998–1999 and 2000–2007. Historically, Charlton's most successful period was the 1930s, when the club's highest league finishes were recorded, including runners-up of the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
in 1937. After World War II, the club reached the FA Cup Final
FA Cup Final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. With an official attendance of 89,826 at the 2007 FA Cup Final, it is the fourth best attended domestic club championship event in the world and the second most...
twice, losing in 1946
1946 FA Cup Final
The 1946 FA Cup Final, the first since the start of the Second World War, was contested by Derby County and Charlton Athletic at Wembley. Derby won 4–1 after extra time, with goals from Bert Turner , Peter Doherty and a double from Jackie Stamps.-Match summary:The game was goalless until the...
and winning in 1947.
Early history
Charlton Athletic were formed on 9 June 1905 by a group of 15- to 17-year-old boys in an area of Charlton which is no longer residential, near to the present-day site of the Thames BarrierThames Barrier
The Thames Barrier is the world's second-largest movable flood barrier and is located downstream of central London. Its purpose is to prevent London from being flooded by exceptionally high tides and storm surges moving up from the sea...
. In the club's early years its progress was hampered by the nearby presence of Woolwich Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
(now Arsenal), which was one of the largest clubs in the country, and Charlton spent the years before the First World War playing in local leagues. Woolwich Arsenal's move to North London in 1913 gave Charlton an opportunity to develop, and they became a senior side by joining the Lewisham League. After the war, they joined the Kent League for one season (1919–20) before becoming professional, appointing Walter Rayner
Walter Rayner
Walter Rayner was Charlton Athletic's first manager as a professional football team. He was a former Tottenham Hotspur coach. He was sacked after five years and banned from football management because of financial affairs under his management.-External links:...
as the first full-time manager. They were accepted by the Southern League and played just a single season (1920–21) before being voted into the Football League. Charlton's first Football League match was against Exeter City
Exeter City F.C.
Exeter City Football Club is an English football club, based in Exeter, which is owned by its fans through the Exeter City Supporters Trust.The club was a member of the Football League from 1920 to 2003...
in August 1921, which they won 1–0. In 1923 it was proposed that Charlton merged with Catford Southend to create a larger team with bigger support. In the 1923–24 season Charlton played in Catford at The Mount stadium and wore the colours of "The Enders", light and dark blue vertical stripes. However, the move fell through and the Addicks returned to the Charlton area in 1924, returning to the traditional red and white colours in the process. Charlton finished second bottom in the Football League in 1926 and were forced to apply for re-election which was successful. Three years later the Addicks won the Division Three championship in 1929 and they remained at the Division Two level for four years. After relegation into the Third Division south at the end of the 1932/33 season the club appointed Jimmy Seed as manager and he oversaw the most successful period in Charlton's history either side of the Second World War. Seed, an ex-miner who had made a career as a footballer despite suffering the effects of poison-gas in the first war, remains the most successful manager in Charlton's history and he is commemorated in the name of a stand at the Valley. Seed was an innovative thinker about the game at a time when tactical formations were still relatively unsophisticated. He later recalled "a simple scheme that enabled us to pull several matches out of the fire" during the 1934–35 season: when the team was in trouble "the centre-half was to forsake his defensive role and go up into the attack to add weight to the five forwards." The organisation Seed brought to the team proved effective and the Addicks gained successive promotions from the Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
to the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
between 1934 and 1936. Charlton finally secured promotion to the First Division by beating local rivals West Ham in front of 41,254 fans at the Valley, with their valiant centre-half John Oakes playing on despite concusion and a broken nose.
In 1937, Charlton finished runners up in the First Division, in 1938 finished fourth and 1939 finished third. They were the most consistent team in the top flight of English football over the three seasons immediately before the Second World War. This continued during the war years and they won the "war" cup and appeared in finals.
Post-war history
Charlton were finalists1946 FA Cup Final
The 1946 FA Cup Final, the first since the start of the Second World War, was contested by Derby County and Charlton Athletic at Wembley. Derby won 4–1 after extra time, with goals from Bert Turner , Peter Doherty and a double from Jackie Stamps.-Match summary:The game was goalless until the...
in the 1946 FA Cup, but lost 4–1 to Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
. Charlton's Bert Turner scored an own goal in the eightieth minute before equalising for the Addicks a minute later to take them into extra time, but they conceded three further goals in the extra period. When the full league programme resumed in 1946–47 Charlton could finish only 19th in the First Division, just above the relegation spots. But they made amends with their performance in the FA Cup, reaching the final once again. This time they were successful, beating Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
1–0, Chris Duffy
Chris Duffy (footballer)
Chris Duffy , is a Scottish footballer who played as a left winger in the Football League. He scored the only goal for Charlton Athletic in the 1947 FA Cup Final, against Burnley.-External links:*...
scoring the only goal of the day. In this period of renewed football attendances, Charlton became one of only eleven English football teams to average over 40,000 as their attendance during a full season. The Valley was the largest football ground in the League, drawing crowds in excess of 70,000. However, in the 1950s little investment was made either for players or to The Valley, hampering the club's growth. In 1956, the then board undermined Jimmy Seed and then sacked, and Charlton were relegated the following year.
From the late 1950s until the early 1970s, Charlton remained a mainstay of the Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
before relegation to the Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
in 1972 caused the team's support to drop, and even a promotion in 1975 back to the second division did little to re-invigorate the team's support and finances. In 1979–80 Charlton were relegated again to the Third Division, but won immediate promotion back to the Second Division in 1980–81. Even though it did not feel like it, this was a turning point in the club's history leading to a period of turbulence and change including further promotion and exile. A change in management and shortly after a change in club ownership led to severe problems, such as the reckless signing of former European Footballer of the Year
European Footballer of the Year
The "", literally translated as "the golden ball" and often referred to as the European Footballer of the Year award, was an annual association football award. It was presented to the player who had been considered to have performed the best over the previous calendar year...
Allan Simonsen
Allan Simonsen
Allan Rodenkam Simonsen is a former Danish footballer and manager. He most prominently played for German team Borussia Mönchengladbach, winning the 1975 and 1979 UEFA Cups, as well as for Barcelona from Spain, winning the 1982 Cup WInners' Cup...
, and the club looked like it would go out of business.
The "wilderness" years
In 1984 financial matters came to a head and the club went into administration, to be reformed as Charlton Athletic (1984) Ltd. But the club's finances were still far from secure, and they were forced to leave the Valley just after the start of the 1985–86 season after its safety was criticised by Football League officials.The club began to groundshare with Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
at Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park is an English football stadium located in the London suburb of South Norwood in the Borough of Croydon. It is the current home ground of Crystal Palace Football Club. Its present capacity is 26,309.-History:...
and this arrangement looked to be for the long-term, as Charlton did not have enough funds to revamp the Valley to meet safety requirements.
Despite the move away from the Valley, Charlton were promoted to the First Division as Second Division runners-up at the end of 1985–86, and remained at this level for four years (achieving a highest league finish of 14th) often with late escapes, most notably against Leeds
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
in 1987, where the Addicks triumphed in extra-time of the play-off final replay to secure their top flight place. In 1987 Charlton also returned to Wembley for the first time since the 1947 FA Cup final for the Full Members Cup
Full Members Cup
The Full Members Cup was an association football cup competition held in English football from 1985 to 1992. It was also known under its sponsored names of the Simod Cup from 1987 to 1989 and the Zenith Data Systems Cup from 1989 to 1992....
final against Blackburn
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
.
Eventually, however, the Addicks fell to relegation in 1990 after a dismal season. Manager Lennie Lawrence
Lennie Lawrence
Robin Michael Lawrence, commonly known as Lennie Lawrence, is a British football manager who is assistant manager of Crystal Palace. He has managed a number of English clubs and one Welsh club in a coaching career spanning over 30 years...
remained in charge for one more season before he accepted an offer to take charge of Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
. He was replaced by joint player-managers Alan Curbishley
Alan Curbishley
Llewellyn Charles "Alan" Curbishley is an English football manager and former professional player....
and Steve Gritt
Steve Gritt
Stephen John "Steve" Gritt is a former English football player and manager. His playing career included spells at Charlton Athletic, Bournemouth and Walsall.-Playing career:...
. The pair had unexpected success in their first season finishing just outside the play-offs, and 1992–93
1992-93 in English football
The 1992–1993 season was the 113th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:This season saw the birth of the FA Premier League. This meant a break-up of the 104-year-old Football League that had operated until then with four divisions....
began promisingly and Charlton looked good bets for promotion in the new Division One (the new name of the old Second Division following the formation of the Premier League). However, the club was forced to sell players such as Rob Lee
Rob Lee
Robert Martin "Rob" Lee is a retired English footballer who played the majority of his career for Charlton Athletic and Newcastle United.-Charlton Athletic:...
to help pay for a return to The Valley, which eventually happened in December 1992.
There was a tragedy at the club late in the 1992–93 season. Defender Tommy Caton
Tommy Caton
Thomas Stephen "Tommy" Caton was an English football player.Born in Kirkby, Liverpool, Caton was a centre half who played for England schoolboys, before signing for Manchester City as an apprentice in 1978...
, who had been out of action due to injury since January 1991, announced his retirement from playing on medical advice in March 1993, having failed to recover full fitness, and he died suddenly at the end of the following month, aged just 30 years.
An insight into life at the football club in this period is provided by Left Foot Forward: A Year in the Life of a Journeyman Footballer, a highly-praised account of the 1994–95 season written in diary form by Charlton forward Garry Nelson
Garry Nelson
Garry Paul Nelson is an English former footballer who played in the Football League for Southend United, Swindon Town, Plymouth Argyle, Brighton & Hove Albion, Charlton Athletic and Torquay United between 1979 and 1997. He played as a striker or on the left wing...
. The book was shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year
William Hill Sports Book of the Year
The William Hill Sports Book of the Year is an annual British literary award sponsored by bookmakers William Hill. It claims to be "the world's richest sports book prize" at £22,000...
Award.
Back to The Valley
In 1995, new chairman Richard MurrayRichard Murray
Richard Alan Murray is an English businessman and the former chairman of Charlton Athletic F.C.Murray founded Avesco plc, the specialist services provider to the entertainment & sports industry in 1984, where he was Chairman for almost 20 years; he is the Chairman of Investinmedia plc and has other...
appointed Alan Curbishley as sole manager of Charlton.
Under his sole leadership Charlton made an appearance in the playoffs in 1996 but were eliminated by Crystal Palace in the semi-finals and the following season brought a disappointing 15th place finish. 1997–98
1997-98 in English football
The 1997-1998 season was the 118th season of competitive football in England.-Premier League:Arsenal overhauled Manchester United's lead during the final weeks of the season to win the Premiership title...
was Charlton's best season for years. They reached the Division One playoff final and battled against Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
in a thrilling game which ended with a 4–4 draw after extra time. Charlton won 7–6 on penalties, with the match described as "arguably the most dramatic game of football in Wembley’s history", and were promoted to the Premier League. Charlton's first Premier League campaign began promisingly (they went top after two games) but they were unable to keep up their good form and were soon battling relegation. The battle was lost on the final day of the season but the club's board kept faith in Curbishley, confident that they could bounce back. And Curbishley rewarded the chairman's loyalty with the Division One title in 2000 which signalled a return to the Premier League.
After the club's return, Curbishley proved an astute spender and by 2003 he had succeeded in establishing Charlton in the top flight. In the 2003–04 season, Charlton spent much of the campaign challenging for a Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
place, but a late-season slump in form, combined with the sale of star player Scott Parker
Scott Parker (footballer)
Scott Matthew Parker is an English footballer who plays for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the England national team. He is the FWA Footballer of the Year for the 2010–11 season. He has represented England at every level from under-16 to senior. Uniquely, he won his first four England...
to Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
, left Charlton in 7th place, which was still the club's highest finish since the 1950s. However, Charlton failed to build on this achievement and Curbishley left two years afterwards in 2006, after 15 years as manager, with the club still established as a solid mid table side.
In May 2006, Iain Dowie
Iain Dowie
Iain Dowie is a former footballer and manager. He is currently without a club. He has previously managed Hull City and Queens Park Rangers and was assistant manager of Newcastle United...
was named as Curbishley's successor, but was sacked after twelve league matches in November 2006, with only two wins. Les Reed
Les Reed (football coach)
Leswyn Reed is an English football coach and was the manager of Charlton Athletic, between 14 November and 24 December 2006. Reed was formerly Technical Director of the Football Association between 2002 and 2004...
replaced Dowie as manager, however he too failed to improve Charlton's position in the league table and on Christmas Eve 2006, Reed was replaced by former player Alan Pardew
Alan Pardew
Alan Scott Pardew is an English football manager and former player, currently the manager of Newcastle United....
. Although results did improve, Pardew was unable to keep Charlton up and relegation was confirmed in the penultimate match of the season.
Charlton's return to the second tier of English football was a disappointment, with their promotion campaign tailing off to an 11th place finish. Early in the following season the Addicks were linked with a foreign takeover, but this was swiftly denied by the club. More recently, on 10 October 2008 Charlton received an indicative offer for the club from a Dubai-based diversified investment company. However, the deal later fell through. The full significance of this soon became apparent as the club recorded net losses of over £13 million in the past financial year.
On 22 November 2008 Charlton suffered a 2–5 loss to Sheffield United at home, which meant that the club had gone eight successive games without a win and had slipped into the relegation zone—particularly disastrous considering they were among the pre-season favourites for promotion. Hours after the game, Alan Pardew left Charlton by mutual consent. Matters did not improve under caretaker manager Phil Parkinson
Phil Parkinson
Philip John "Phil" Parkinson is an English football manager and former player who currently manages Bradford City.-Playing career:...
, and a 3–1 defeat at Sheffield United saw the Addicks four points adrift at the bottom of the Championship as 2009 dawned, under threat of their first relegation to English football's third tier for 29 years. Charlton continued their poor run of form to go 18 games without a win, a new club record, before finally achieving a 1–0 away victory over Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
in an FA Cup Third Round replay. They then went on to beat Crystal Palace 1–0 at the Valley on 27 January to achieve their first league win under Phil Parkinson
Phil Parkinson
Philip John "Phil" Parkinson is an English football manager and former player who currently manages Bradford City.-Playing career:...
, whose contract was made permanent despite the lack of progress in the league. Charlton's relegation from the Championship was all but confirmed on Easter Monday (13 April) when, despite picking up a point in a 0–0 draw at Coventry
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
, they found themselves 12 points from safety with four games remaining. With a vastly inferior goal difference and with the two teams directly above them (Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
and Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
) still having to play each other, it was effectively an impossible task for Charlton to avoid relegation. The following game saw Charlton's relegation to League One become a reality after a 2–2 draw against Blackpool.
After spending almost the entire season in the top six of League One, Charlton were defeated in the Football League One play-offs
Football League One play-offs
The Football League One Playoffs are a series of playoff matches, contested by the teams finishing from 3rd to 6th in the NPower Football League One table to determine the third spot for promotion to the second tier of English football, the Championship....
semi-final second leg on penalties to Swindon Town, condemning Charlton to another season in the third tier of English Football.
Parkinson had spent less than any other manager on purchasing players since Lennie Lawrence in the 1980s and was able to maintain a top six status despite only having the opportunity to bring in lower level players on loan. The new owners, however, decided to remove both Parkinson and Charlton legend Mark Kinsella, intending to replace them with an as yet unknown team. Another Charlton legend, Chris Powell
Chris Powell
Christopher George Robin "Chris" Powell is an English football manager and retired player, who had a long career as a left back, crowned by five caps for the English national team...
was appointed manager of the club in January, winning his first game in charge 2–0 over Plymouth at the Valley, Charlton's first win since November. Powell's bright start continued with a further three victories, before running into a dreadful downturn which saw the club go 11 games in succession without a win. Yet the fans' respect for Powell saw him come under remarkable little criticism. The club's fortunes picked up towards the end of the season, but leaving them far short of the playoffs.
Stadium
The club's first ground was Siemens Meadow (1905–1907), a patch of rough ground by the River Thames. This was over-shadowed by the now demolished SiemensSiemens AG
Siemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Munich, Germany. It is the largest Europe-based electronics and electrical engineering company....
Telegraph Works. Then followed Woolwich Common
Woolwich Common
Woolwich Common is an area of military land located to the south of the town centre of Woolwich in South East London England.It is bounded on the south side by the A207 Shooter's Hill Road, and on the east by Academy Road that the former Royal Military Academy fronts. Situated to the west is the...
(1907–1908), Pound Park (1908–1913), and Angerstein Lane (1913–1915). After the end of the First World War, a chalk quarry known as the Swamps was identified as Charlton's new ground, and in the summer of 1919 work began to create the level playing area and remove debris from the site. The first match at this site, now known as the club's current ground The Valley, was in September 1919. Charlton stayed at The Valley until 1923, when the club moved to The Mount stadium in Catford
Catford
Catford is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Lewisham. It is situated south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-Architecture:...
as part of a proposed merger with Catford Southend Football Club. However, after this move collapsed in 1924 Charlton returned to The Valley.
During the 1930s and 40s, significant improvements were made to the ground, making it one of the largest in the country at that time. In 1938 the highest attendance to date at the ground was recorded at over 75,000 for a FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
match against Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
. During the 1940s and 50s the attendance was often above 40,000, and Charlton had one of the largest support bases in the country. However, after the club's relegation little investment was made in The Valley as it fell into decline.
In the 1980s matters came to a head as the ownership of the club and The Valley was divided. The large East Terrace had been closed down by the authorities after the Bradford City stadium fire and the ground's owner wanted to use part of the site for housing. In September 1985, Charlton made the controversial move to ground-share with South London neighbours Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
at Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park is an English football stadium located in the London suburb of South Norwood in the Borough of Croydon. It is the current home ground of Crystal Palace Football Club. Its present capacity is 26,309.-History:...
. This move was unpopular with supporters and in the late 1980s significant steps were taken to bring about the club's return to The Valley. A single issue
Single-issue politics
Single-issue politics involves political campaigning or political support based on one essential policy area or idea.-Political expression:...
political party, the Valley Party, contested the 1990 local elections in Greenwich Borough Council
London Borough of Greenwich
The London Borough of Greenwich is an Inner London borough in south-east London, England. Taking its name from the historic town of Greenwich, the present borough was formed in 1965 by the amalgamation of the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich with part of the Metropolitan...
on a ticket of reopening the stadium, capturing 11% of the vote, aiding the club's return. The Valley Gold investment scheme was created to help supporters fund the return to The Valley, and several players were also sold to raise funds. For the 1991–92 season and part of the 1992–93 season, the Addicks played at West Ham
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
's Upton Park as Wimbledon
Wimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football...
had moved into Selhurst Park alongside Crystal Palace. Charlton finally returned to The Valley in December 1992, celebrating with a 1–0 victory against Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
.
Since the return to The Valley, three sides of the ground have been completely redeveloped turning The Valley into a modern, all-seater stadium with a 27,111 capacity. There are plans in place to increase the ground's capacity to approximately 31,000 and even around 40,000 in the future.
The Covered End
The Valley's North Stand which is known by locals as "The Covered End" to this day and is where the more vocal fans gather. The Covered end title is quite self explanatory. It comes from the original design of the north stand before it was redeveloped.The Valley Club (CAFC Supporters Club) was situated in Harvey Gardens behind the North Stand, and was managed by licensee Ray Donn
Ray Donn
Ray Donn is a British entepreneur and businessman-turned-actor.-Businessman:Donn began his professional life in 1961 and spent 36 years running pubs, clubs and hotels, such as The Pegasus from 1961 to 1968, The Goat from 1968 to 1970, The Valley Club from 1970 to 1984, and Syndale Park Motel from...
from 1970 – 1984 the club had a full club licence supplying food and drink to its members and guests during match days and live entertainment, with cabaret and dancing every night of the week. The Valley Club was one of the most popular club venues in South London at this time, featuring named entertainers popular today.
Supporters
The bulk of the club's support base comes from the London BoroughLondon borough
The administrative area of Greater London contains thirty-two London boroughs. Inner London comprises twelve of these boroughs plus the City of London. Outer London comprises the twenty remaining boroughs of Greater London.-Functions:...
s of Lewisham
London Borough of Lewisham
The London Borough of Lewisham is a London borough in south-east London, England and forms part of Inner London. The principal settlement of the borough is Lewisham...
, Greenwich
London Borough of Greenwich
The London Borough of Greenwich is an Inner London borough in south-east London, England. Taking its name from the historic town of Greenwich, the present borough was formed in 1965 by the amalgamation of the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich with part of the Metropolitan...
, Bexley
London Borough of Bexley
The London Borough of Bexley lies in south east Greater London, and is a borough referred to as part of Outer London. It has common borders with the London Borough of Bromley to the south, the London Borough of Greenwich to the west, across the River Thames to the north it borders the London...
and Bromley
London Borough of Bromley
The London Borough of Bromley is a London borough of south east London, England and forms part of Outer London. The principal town in the borough is Bromley.-Geography:...
and also north-west Kent. Charlton were rare among football clubs, in that they reserved a seat on their directors' board for a supporter. Any season ticket holder could put themselves forward for election, with a certain number of nominations, and votes were cast by all season ticket holders over the age of 18. The last such director, Ben Hayes, was elected in 2006 to serve until 2008, when the role was discontinued as a result of legal issues. Its functions were replaced by a fans forum which met for the first time in December 2008.
Charlton's most common nickname is The Addicks. Among the theories on the origin of the Addicks name are that it was the south-east London pronunciation of either "addict" or "athletic". However, the most likely origin of name is from a local fishmonger, Arthur "Ikey" Bryan, who rewarded the team with meals of haddock and chips.
The progression of the nickname can be seen in the book The Addicks Cartoons: An Affectionate Look into the Early History of Charlton Athletic, which covers the pre-First World War history of Charlton through a narrative based on 56 cartoons which appeared in the now defunct Kentish Independent. The very first cartoon, from 31 October 1908, calls the team the Haddocks. By 1910, the name had changed to Addicks although it also appeared as Haddick. The club has had two other nicknames, the Robins, adopted in 1931, and the Valiants, chosen in a fan competition in the 1960s which also led to the adoption of the sword badge which is still in use. The Addicks nickname never went away and was revived by fans after the club lost its Valley home in 1985 and went into exile at Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
. It is now once again the official nickname of the club.
Charlton fans chants included "Valley, Floyd Road", a song noting the stadium's address to the tune of "Mull of Kintyre
Mull of Kintyre (song)
"Mull of Kintyre" is a song written by Paul McCartney and Denny Laine and performed by Wings. The song was written in tribute to the picturesque Kintyre peninsula in Scotland, where McCartney has owned High Park Farm since 1966, and its headland or Mull of Kintyre.The song was Wings' biggest hit...
" and "The Red, Red Robin".
In popular culture
Charlton Athletic featured in the ITVITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
one-off drama, Albert's Memorial, shown on 12 September 2010, and starring Sir David Jason and David Warner
David Warner (actor)
David Warner is an English actor who is known for playing both romantic leads and sinister or villainous characters, both in film and animation...
. Jason's character, Harry, is revealed to be a Charlton Athletic fan. Harry later buries his friend, Albert, played by Michael Jayston
Michael Jayston
Michael Jayston is a Nottingham-born English actor.- Early life :He attended the Becket Grammar School in West Bridgford, then worked briefly as a trainee accountant at the offices of the National Coal Board before obtaining a scholarship to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama to train as an...
, draped in a Charlton Athletic flag, to which Frank says, "hear that?". Harry replies,"no...what?" Frank says, "that's the sound of Albert turning in his grave. He hated Charlton Athletic", so Harry replies, "well, nobody's perfect." In Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses is a British sitcom, created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom between 1981 and 1991, with sporadic Christmas specials until 2003...
Rodney Charlton Trotter
Rodney Trotter
Rodney Charlton Trotter is a fictional character in the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses, played by Nicholas Lyndhurst.-Personality:Rodney's personality was based on the experiences of series creator John Sullivan, who also had an older sibling and, like Rodney, claimed to have been a dreamer and...
is named after the club.
Colours and crest
European Robin
The European Robin , most commonly known in Anglophone Europe simply as the Robin, is a small insectivorous passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family , but is now considered to be an Old World flycatcher...
sitting in a football within a shield, sometimes with the letters CAFC in the four quarters of the shield, which was worn for the 1946 FA Cup Final
1946 FA Cup Final
The 1946 FA Cup Final, the first since the start of the Second World War, was contested by Derby County and Charlton Athletic at Wembley. Derby won 4–1 after extra time, with goals from Bert Turner , Peter Doherty and a double from Jackie Stamps.-Match summary:The game was goalless until the...
. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the crest of the former metropolitan borough of Greenwich was used as a symbol for the club but this was not used on the team's shirts.
In 1963, a competition was held to find a new badge for the club, and the winning entry by Bryn Collum of the Troll Academy was a hand holding a sword, which complied with Charlton's nickname of the time, the Valiants. Over the next five years modifications were made to this design, such as the addition of a circle surrounding the hand and sword and including the club's name in the badge. By 1968, the design had reached the one known today, and has been used continuously from this year, apart from a period in the 1970s when the just the letters CAFC appeared on the team's shirts.
With the exception of one season, Charlton have always played in red and white. The colours had been chosen by the group of boys who had founded Charlton Athletic in 1905 after having to play their first matches in the borrowed kits of their local rivals Woolwich Arsenal, who also played in red and white. The exception came during the 1923–24 season when Charlton wore the colours of Catford Southend as part of the proposed move to Catford, which were light and dark blue stripes. However, after the move fell through, Charlton returned to wearing red and white as their home colours.
Kit sponsors and manufacturers
| Year | Kit Manufacturer | Shirt Sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 1974–80 | Bukta Bukta - History :Edward Buck and Sons founded the company in 1879, mainly producing shorts for soldiers fighting in the Boer Wars. In 1884 football team Nottingham Forest were pictured wearing kit produced by Bukta.... |
None |
| 1980–81 | Adidas Adidas Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport... |
|
| 1981–82 | FADS | |
| 1982–83 | None | |
| 1983–84 | Osca | |
| 1984–86 | The Woolwich The Woolwich The Woolwich is a trademark of the British bank Barclays. Originally the 'Woolwich' was the Woolwich Building Society before it demutualised and became a public limited company in 1997... |
|
| 1986–88 | Adidas Adidas Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport... |
|
| 1988–92 | Admiral Admiral Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"... |
|
| 1992–93 | Ribero | None |
| 1993–94 | Viglen Viglen Viglen Ltd provides IT products and services, including storage systems, servers, workstations and data/voice communications equipment and services.- History :... |
|
| 1994–98 | Quaser | |
| 1998–00 | Le Coq Sportif Le Coq Sportif Le Coq Sportif is a French company producing sports equipment such as shoes, shorts, and T-shirts. It was founded in 1882 by Émile Camuset, but the first clothing items branded with the rooster appeared in 1948... |
MESH Mesh Computers MESH Computers is a computer company based in London, England, owned by Mehdi Sherafati. As well as being a PC manufacturer, the company also sells a number of peripherals and components through their website.... |
| 2000–02 | Redbus | |
| 2002–03 | All:Sports | |
| 2003–05 | Joma Joma Joma is a Spanish sports apparel manufacturer, which currently produces footwear and apparel for football, running and tennis. Its headquarters are located in the city of Toledo, Spain.... |
|
| 2005–08 | Llanera | |
| 2008–09 | Carbrini Sportswear | |
| 2009 | Kent Reliance Building Society Kent Reliance Building Society Kent Reliance Banking service, also known as KRBS, was a building society based in Kent, England. Incorporating the Chatham Reliance , Dover District , Herne Bay and Kent & Canterbury , KRBS was the fastest growing building society in the UK between 2003 and 2008 and was a member of the Building... |
|
| 2010– | Macron Macron (sportswear) Macron is an Italian association football, basketball, baseball, rugby, handball, futsal, and volleyball sportswear manufacturer. It has links throughout Europe and its headquarters are located in Crespellano, Italy. It was founded in 1971... |
Millwall
Charlton's traditional rivals are MillwallMillwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
, the rivalry began when Millwall moved south of the river in 1910 to The Den in New Cross
New Cross
New Cross is a district and ward of the London Borough of Lewisham, England. It is situated 4 miles south-east of Charing Cross. The ward covered by London post town and the SE 14 postcode district. New Cross is near St Johns, Telegraph Hill, Nunhead, Peckham, Brockley, Deptford and Greenwich...
, South East London
South East London
South East London could refer to:*SE postcode area*South East - a sub region of the London Plan created in 2004 and corresponding to Southwark, Lewisham, Greenwich, Bexley and Bromley*Eastern part of South London...
situated less than 4 miles from The Valley, the two clubs met frequently in the league up until the mid-1990s, however the sides didn't play each other in a competitive match between 1996 and 2009, the first meeting in 13 years in December 2009 ended as a 4-4 draw.
Crystal Palace
In the 1980s when the Addicks ground shared with Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
, the exiled Charlton fans did not like the trek to Selhurst Park and felt the club weren't treated well during their time there. The two clubs met numerous times during this period and the Palace fans were particularly boastful about Charlton's homelessness, as well as rising rent costs.
In 2005, Crystal Palace were relegated at The Valley after a 2-2 draw much to the delight of Charlton fans, who revelled in Palace's misfortune, after the match there was also an altercation between the two chairman's Richard Murray
Richard Murray
Richard Alan Murray is an English businessman and the former chairman of Charlton Athletic F.C.Murray founded Avesco plc, the specialist services provider to the entertainment & sports industry in 1984, where he was Chairman for almost 20 years; he is the Chairman of Investinmedia plc and has other...
and Simon Jordan
Simon Jordan
Simon Jordan is an English businessman who made his fortune in the mobile phone industry. In 2000 he purchased Crystal Palace Football Club and remained chairman of the club until they entered administration in early 2010....
, Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan later described Charlton fans as Moronic Imbeciles.
In 2006 manager Iain Dowie
Iain Dowie
Iain Dowie is a former footballer and manager. He is currently without a club. He has previously managed Hull City and Queens Park Rangers and was assistant manager of Newcastle United...
left Crystal Palace by mutual consent. A few weeks later he was appointed as Charlton manager, and a writ was served on behalf of Palace chairman Simon Jordan
Simon Jordan
Simon Jordan is an English businessman who made his fortune in the mobile phone industry. In 2000 he purchased Crystal Palace Football Club and remained chairman of the club until they entered administration in early 2010....
during a press conference live on Sky Sports News
Sky Sports News
Sky Sports News is a 24-hour sports news channel in the United Kingdom. It is run by BSkyB whose sports channels include Sky Sports 1, 2, 3 and 4, as well as Sky Sports HD1, HD2, HD3 and HD4....
claiming Dowie had breached their agreement and that Dowie promised Jordan that he would move to a club in Northern England
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
.
Current squad
Out on loan
Player of the Year
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Club officials
Club officials as of 13 January 2011| Year | 1924–1932 | Edwin Radford | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1932–1951 | Albert Gliksten | ||
| 1951–1962 | Stanley Gliksten | ||
| 1962–1982 | Edward Gliksten | ||
| 1982–1983 | Mark Hulyer | ||
| 1983 | Richard Collins | ||
| 1983–1984 | Mark Hulyer | ||
| 1984 | John Fryer | ||
| 1984–1985 | Jimmy Hill Jimmy Hill James William Thomas "Jimmy" Hill OBE is an English association football personality. His career has taken in virtually every role in football, including player, union leader, coach, manager, director, chairman, television executive, presenter, analyst and match official.-Early life:Hill was born... |
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| 1985–1987 | John Fryer | ||
| 1987–1989 | Richard Collins | ||
| 1989–1995 | Roger Alwen | ||
| 1995–2008 | Richard Murray Richard Murray Richard Alan Murray is an English businessman and the former chairman of Charlton Athletic F.C.Murray founded Avesco plc, the specialist services provider to the entertainment & sports industry in 1984, where he was Chairman for almost 20 years; he is the Chairman of Investinmedia plc and has other... (plc) |
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| 1995–2008 | Martin Simons | ||
| 2008–2010 | Derek Chappell Derek Chappell Derek G. Chappell is a British businessman and the plc chairman of Charlton Athletic F.C.Born in Dartford, Chappell was born into a Charlton supporting family. His grandfather had been a season ticket holder in the 1920s, whilst Chappell himself first had a season ticket in the 1960s... |
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| 2008–2010 | Richard Murray Richard Murray Richard Alan Murray is an English businessman and the former chairman of Charlton Athletic F.C.Murray founded Avesco plc, the specialist services provider to the entertainment & sports industry in 1984, where he was Chairman for almost 20 years; he is the Chairman of Investinmedia plc and has other... |
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| 2010– | Michael Slater |
Boardroom
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Chairman and joint-owner | Michael Slater |
| Joint-owner | Tony Jimenez Tony Jimenez Tony Jimenez is a London-based property developer and former Vice President for Newcastle United. He is a millionaire because of a series of property developments, which have included hotels and golf courses in Spain, England, and Dubai.Jimenez is friend of former Tottenham boss Juande Ramos and... |
| Executive Vice-Chairman | Peter Varney |
| Chief Executive | Stephen Kavanagh |
| Director | Richard Murray Richard Murray Richard Alan Murray is an English businessman and the former chairman of Charlton Athletic F.C.Murray founded Avesco plc, the specialist services provider to the entertainment & sports industry in 1984, where he was Chairman for almost 20 years; he is the Chairman of Investinmedia plc and has other... |
Coaching staff
| Role |  Chris PowellChris Powell Christopher George Robin "Chris" Powell is an English football manager and retired player, who had a long career as a left back, crowned by five caps for the English national team... |
|---|---|
| Assistant Manager | Alex Dyer |
| First Team Coach | Damian Matthew Damian Matthew Damian Matthew is a professional football coach and retired footballer. Matthew is first team coach and former manager for Charlton Athletic Reserves.... |
| Technical Director | Keith Peacock Keith Peacock Keith Peacock is an English former footballer and manager.-Playing career:Peacock played his entire professional career for Charlton Athletic, making over 500 Football League appearances between 1962 and 1979... |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Ben Roberts Ben Roberts (footballer) Ben James Roberts is a former English footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is currently goalkeeper coach at Charlton Athletic.... |
| Club Doctor | John Fraser |
Managerial history
| Name | Dates | Achievements |
|---|---|---|
| Walter Rayner Walter Rayner Walter Rayner was Charlton Athletic's first manager as a professional football team. He was a former Tottenham Hotspur coach. He was sacked after five years and banned from football management because of financial affairs under his management.-External links:... |
June 1920 – May 1925 | |
 Alex MacFarlane |
May 1925 – January 1928 | |
| Albert Lindon Albert Lindon Albert Lindon was a football player and manager.Lindon was a goalkeeper who played for Merthyr Town but was signed by Charlton Athletic as a player-manager after Alex MacFarlane's departure to Dundee in January 1928. Lindon only won one of his eleven games in charge, and became assistant manager... |
January 1928 – June 1928 | |
| Alex MacFarlane |
June 1928 – December 1932 | Division Three Champions (1929) |
| Albert Lindon |
December 1932 – May 1933 | |
| Jimmy Seed Jimmy Seed James Marshall "Jimmy" Seed was an English footballer and football manager.Despite being born in Blackhill, Seed was brought up in the village of Whitburn on the coast just to the north of Sunderland... |
May 1933 – September 1956 | Division Three Champions (1935); Division Two runners up (1936); Football League The Football League The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football... runners up (1937); FA Cup FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's... runners up 1946; FA Cup winners 1947 |
| David Clark (caretaker) |
September 1956 | |
| Jimmy Trotter Jimmy Trotter Jimmy Trotter was a football player and, later, manager.-Playing career:Trotter's playing career began with Bury from where he joined The Wednesday in 1923. He scored 108 times, including five in one game against Portsmouth, in 150 league matches before joining Torquay United in 1930... |
September 1956 – October 1961 | |
| David Clark (caretaker) |
October 1961 – November 1961 | |
| Frank Hill Frank Hill Frank Robert Hill was a Scottish football player and manager.-Forfar and Aberdeen:Hill was born in Forfar and started his career at Forfar Athletic, joining the club in 1924. He moved to Aberdeen in 1928 and played over 100 Scottish First Division matches... |
November 1961 – August 1965 | |
| Bob Stokoe Bob Stokoe Robert "Bob" Stokoe was an English footballer and manager who was able, almost uniquely, to transcend the traditional north-east rivalry between the region's footballing giants, Newcastle United and Sunderland.... |
August 1965 – September 1967 | |
 Eddie FirmaniEddie Firmani Edwin Ronald "Eddie" Firmani is a retired football player and manager. He was born in South Africa but represented Italy internationally.-Playing career:... |
September 1967 – March 1970 | |
 Theo FoleyTheo Foley Theo Foley is an Irish former footballer and football manager.-Playing career:During his footballing career, he played as a defender for Home Farm F.C., before moving to England to pursue a career beginning with Burnley F.C., then moving to Exeter City F.C., Northampton Town F.C., then Charlton... |
March 1970 – April 1974 | |
| Les Gore (caretaker) |
April 1974 – May 1974 | |
| Andy Nelson Andy Nelson (footballer) Andrew Nesbitt "Andy" Nelson was a football player and manager. As a player, he won the Football League with Ipswich Town in 1962.... |
May 1974 – March 1980 | Division Three 3rd place (promoted – 1975) |
| Mike Bailey Mike Bailey (footballer) Michael Alfred Bailey is an English former international footballer who played in the Football League for Charlton Athletic, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Hereford United, and in the North American Soccer League for the Minnesota Kicks. He represented England twice... |
March 1980 – June 1981 | Division Three 3rd place (promoted – 1981) |
| Alan Mullery Alan Mullery Alan Patrick Mullery MBE is a former English football player and manager. After enjoying a successful career with Fulham and in the 1960s and 1970s, he became a manager working with several different clubs. He is now employed as a television pundit... |
June 1981 – June 1982 | |
| Ken Craggs Ken Craggs Kenneth "Ken" Craggs was an assistant football manager, and, briefly, a manager. He has held various coaching and scouting roles within the game. He never played the sport at a professional level.... |
June 1982 – November 1982 | |
| Lennie Lawrence Lennie Lawrence Robin Michael Lawrence, commonly known as Lennie Lawrence, is a British football manager who is assistant manager of Crystal Palace. He has managed a number of English clubs and one Welsh club in a coaching career spanning over 30 years... |
November 1982 – July 1991 | Division Two runners up (1986); Full Members Cup Full Members Cup The Full Members Cup was an association football cup competition held in English football from 1985 to 1992. It was also known under its sponsored names of the Simod Cup from 1987 to 1989 and the Zenith Data Systems Cup from 1989 to 1992.... runners up (1987) |
| Alan Curbishley Alan Curbishley Llewellyn Charles "Alan" Curbishley is an English football manager and former professional player.... & Steve GrittSteve Gritt Stephen John "Steve" Gritt is a former English football player and manager. His playing career included spells at Charlton Athletic, Bournemouth and Walsall.-Playing career:... |
July 1991 – June 1995 | |
| Alan Curbishley Alan Curbishley Llewellyn Charles "Alan" Curbishley is an English football manager and former professional player.... |
June 1995 – May 2006 | Division One play-off winners (1998); Football League The Football League The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football... Champions (2000) |
 Iain DowieIain Dowie Iain Dowie is a former footballer and manager. He is currently without a club. He has previously managed Hull City and Queens Park Rangers and was assistant manager of Newcastle United... |
May 2006 – November 2006 | |
| Les Reed Les Reed (football coach) Leswyn Reed is an English football coach and was the manager of Charlton Athletic, between 14 November and 24 December 2006. Reed was formerly Technical Director of the Football Association between 2002 and 2004... |
November 2006 – December 2006 | |
| Alan Pardew Alan Pardew Alan Scott Pardew is an English football manager and former player, currently the manager of Newcastle United.... |
December 2006 – November 2008 | |
| Phil Parkinson Phil Parkinson Philip John "Phil" Parkinson is an English football manager and former player who currently manages Bradford City.-Playing career:... |
November 2008 – January 2011 | |
| Keith Peacock Keith Peacock Keith Peacock is an English former footballer and manager.-Playing career:Peacock played his entire professional career for Charlton Athletic, making over 500 Football League appearances between 1962 and 1979... (caretaker) |
January 2011 | |
| Chris Powell Chris Powell Christopher George Robin "Chris" Powell is an English football manager and retired player, who had a long career as a left back, crowned by five caps for the English national team... |
January 2011 – present |
Honours
- Football League First DivisionFootball League First DivisionThe First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
(1st tier)- Runners-up - 1937
- Football League Second DivisionFootball League Second DivisionFrom 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
/Football League First DivisionFootball League First DivisionThe First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
(2nd tier)- Champions - 2000
- Runners-up - 1936, 1986
- Play-off winners - 1987, 1998
- Football League Third DivisionFootball League Third DivisionThe Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
(third tier)- Runners-up - 1936, 1986
- Football League Third Division SouthFootball League Third Division SouthThe Football League Third Division South was a level of English professional football which ran in parallel to Third Division North from 1921 to 1958....
- Champions - 1929, 1935
- FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
- Winners - 19471947 FA Cup FinalThe 1947 FA Cup Final was contested by Charlton Athletic and Burnley at Wembley, England on April 26, 1947. Charlton, losing finalists the previous year, won by a single goal, scored in extra time by Chris Duffy....
- Runners-up - 19461946 FA Cup FinalThe 1946 FA Cup Final, the first since the start of the Second World War, was contested by Derby County and Charlton Athletic at Wembley. Derby won 4–1 after extra time, with goals from Bert Turner , Peter Doherty and a double from Jackie Stamps.-Match summary:The game was goalless until the...
- Winners - 1947
- Full Members CupFull Members CupThe Full Members Cup was an association football cup competition held in English football from 1985 to 1992. It was also known under its sponsored names of the Simod Cup from 1987 to 1989 and the Zenith Data Systems Cup from 1989 to 1992....
- Runners-up - 1987
- Football League War CupFootball League War CupThe Football League War Cup was an association football tournament held between 1939 and 1945 which aimed to fill the gaping hole left in English Football by the cancellation of the FA Cup.- Background:...
- Joint Winners - 1944
Records
- Goalkeeper Sam BartramSam BartramSamuel "Sam" Bartram was an English footballer and manager.-Career:After school, Sam Bartram became a miner and played as either centre forward or wing-half in north east non-league football. As a teenager he had an unsuccessful trial with Reading...
is Charlton's record appearance maker, having played a total of 623 times between 1934 and 1956. But for six years lost to the Second World War, when no league football was played, this tally would be far higher
- Keith PeacockKeith PeacockKeith Peacock is an English former footballer and manager.-Playing career:Peacock played his entire professional career for Charlton Athletic, making over 500 Football League appearances between 1962 and 1979...
is the club's second highest appearance maker with 591 games between 1961 and 1979
- Charlton's record goalscorer is Derek HalesDerek HalesDerek David Hales is an English former footballer.Hales joined Gillingham as a youth team player in 1968 but failed to gain a professional contract and drifted into non-League football, playing for Faversham Town and then Dartford...
, who scored 168 times in all competitions in 368 matches, during two spells, for the club
- Counting only league goals, Stuart LearyStuart LearyStuart Edward Leary was a South African who played football as a centre-forward and cricket as an all-rounder....
is the club's record scorer with 153 goals between 1951 and 1962
- The record number of goals scored in one season is 33, scored by Ralph AllenRalph Allen (footballer)Ralph Slack Littlewood Allen was an English professional footballer. He played as a forward and he was born in Newburn, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland....
in the 1934–35 season1934-35 in English footballThe 1934–35 season was the 60th season of competitive football in England.-Events:Arsenal become only the second team to win the League three consecutive times.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour...
- Charlton's record home attendance is 75,031 which was set on 12 February 1938 for an FA Cup match against
- The record all-seatedAll-seater stadiumAn all-seater stadium is a sports stadium in which every spectator has a seat. This is commonplace in football stadiums in nations such as the United Kingdom, Spain, and the Netherlands. Most soccer and American football stadiums in the United States and Canada are all-seaters, as are most baseball...
attendance is 27,111, The Valley's current capacity. This record was first set in September 2005 in a Premier League match against and has since been equalled several times
| Role | First Division Football League First Division The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship.... ) |
|---|---|
| Most League Points in a Season | 91 in 1999/2000 (Division One Football League First Division The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship.... ) |
| Most League Goals in a Season | 107 in 1957/58 (Second Division Football League Second Division From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams... ) |
| Record Victory | 8–1 vs Middlesbrough Middlesbrough F.C. Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889... , 12 September 1953 |
| Record Defeat | 1–11 vs Aston Villa Aston Villa F.C. Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder... , 14 November 1959 |
| Record FA Cup Victory | 7–0 vs Burton Albion Burton Albion F.C. Burton Albion Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire. The club's home ground is the Pirelli Stadium, having moved from Eton Park in 2005... , 7 January 1956 |
| Record League Cup Victory | 5–0 vs Brentford Brentford F.C. Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One.... , 12 August 1980 |
| Most Successive Victories | 12 matches (from 26 December 1999 to 7 March 2000) |
| Most Games Without A Win | 18 matches (from 18 October 2008 to 13 January 2009) |
| Most Successive Defeats | 10 matches (from 11 April 1990 to 15 September 1990) |
| Most Successive Draws | 6 matches (from 13 December 1992 to 16 January 1993) |
| Longest Unbeaten | 15 matches (from 4 October 1980 to 20 December 1980) |
| Record Attendance | 75,031 vs Aston Villa Aston Villa F.C. Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder... , 17 October 1938 |
| Record League Attendance | 68,160 vs Arsenal Arsenal F.C. Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups... , 17 October 1936 |
| Record Gate Receipts | £400,920 vs Leicester City Leicester City F.C. Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester... , 19 February 2005 |
Player records
| Role | Sam Bartram Sam Bartram Samuel "Sam" Bartram was an English footballer and manager.-Career:After school, Sam Bartram became a miner and played as either centre forward or wing-half in north east non-league football. As a teenager he had an unsuccessful trial with Reading... (623) |
|---|---|
| Most Goals | Derek Hales Derek Hales Derek David Hales is an English former footballer.Hales joined Gillingham as a youth team player in 1968 but failed to gain a professional contract and drifted into non-League football, playing for Faversham Town and then Dartford... (168) |
| Most Hat-Tricks | Johnny Summers and Eddie Firmani Eddie Firmani Edwin Ronald "Eddie" Firmani is a retired football player and manager. He was born in South Africa but represented Italy internationally.-Playing career:... (8) |
| Most Capped Player | Radostin Kishishev Radostin Kishishev Radostin Prodanov Kishishev is a Bulgarian footballer, who is currently playing for Chernomorets Burgas in the A PFG.-Career:Kishishev, born in the Bulgarian city of Burgas, began his career with local sides Chernomorets Burgas and Neftochimic Burgas... (88) |
| Most Capped player while at the club | Radostin Kishishev Radostin Kishishev Radostin Prodanov Kishishev is a Bulgarian footballer, who is currently playing for Chernomorets Burgas in the A PFG.-Career:Kishishev, born in the Bulgarian city of Burgas, began his career with local sides Chernomorets Burgas and Neftochimic Burgas... (43) |
| Oldest Player | Sam Bartram Sam Bartram Samuel "Sam" Bartram was an English footballer and manager.-Career:After school, Sam Bartram became a miner and played as either centre forward or wing-half in north east non-league football. As a teenager he had an unsuccessful trial with Reading... (42 years and 47 days) |
| Youngest Player | Jonjo Shelvey Jonjo Shelvey Jonjo Shelvey is an English footballer who plays for Liverpool. A midfielder, he has represented and also captained England at U19 level. Previously he played for , for whom he was the youngest-ever first-team player, appearing at the age of 16 years and 59 days... (16 years and 59 days) |
| Oldest Scorer | Chris Powell Chris Powell Christopher George Robin "Chris" Powell is an English football manager and retired player, who had a long career as a left back, crowned by five caps for the English national team... (38 years and 239 days) |
| Youngest Scorer | Jonjo Shelvey Jonjo Shelvey Jonjo Shelvey is an English footballer who plays for Liverpool. A midfielder, he has represented and also captained England at U19 level. Previously he played for , for whom he was the youngest-ever first-team player, appearing at the age of 16 years and 59 days... (16 years and 310 days) |
| Quickest Scorer | Jim Melrose (9 seconds) |
| Quickest Sending Off | Nicky Weaver Nicky Weaver Nicholas James "Nicky" Weaver is an English footballer who is a goalkeeper currently playing for League One club Sheffield Wednesday. Weaver is a former England under-21 international.-Career:... (3 minutes) |