Former Addick in charge at Dripping Pan

Former Addick Bradley Pritchard has been appointed manager of Lewes FC.   The midfielder played over 100 games for the Rocks between 2021 and 2024.

Initially hired by Charlton as a performance analyst, Pritchard was then given a footballing contract by the Addicks and made a total of 79 appearances scoring three goals.

Let go by Charlton, he went to Leyton Orient and then reverted to the non-league with Greenwich Borough.

I would describe Pritchard as industrious rather than skilled, but good luck to the 39-year old who has stuck with a football career through thick and thin.

Jones can be excused emotional response to victory

Nathan Jones has attracted some criticism from the tabloids for his emotional reaction to Thursday's victory, but he and the club have been through the mill as the BBC acknowledges: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c991y2zgp77o

The Currant Bun report on his 'bizarre antics' is here: https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/34980600/nathan-jones-charlton-praying-wycombe-playoff/

At least Charlton is getting some attention for once, even if some of the publicity is negative.

I was surprised to learn that one of my granddaughters, who has shown no previous interest in football, but plans to move to Wales has applied with enthusiasm for a backroom job at Swansea City.

Charlton in Dreamland

The report from The Times this morning on last night's game (click to enlarge):

Godden delivers Wembley final

He was derided as a poor quality replacement for Alfie May at the beginning of the season, but Matty Godden secured a Wembley final for Charlton at The Valley this evening.

Matty Godden's goal nine minutes from time sent Charlton into the League One play-off final as they edged past Wycombe at The Valley.  In a second leg almost as tepid as the first leg, the tie was settled by Godden's 22nd goal of the season.

A long ball into the Wycombe penalty area was turned towards goal by Lloyd Jones and fell kindly for Godden to poke home from close range.

Charlton will now play Leyton Orient in the final at Wembley on Sunday, 25 May with the Addicks aiming to return to the Championship for the first time since 2021.

It was another night of few chances but Charlton, who finished a point and a place above Wycombe in the table, finally found a goal as attention began to turn to extra time.

Macaulay Gillesphey floated a ball from just inside his own half into the Wycombe box and Jones beat Adam Reach to it and steered towards goal with his right boot.

Franco Ravizzoli, who replaced the unwell Will Norris in goal, was a little hesitant to come off his line and could only block Jones' touch towards goal. It bounced into the path of Godden who chested down and turned into an empty net.

Jones had earlier squandered by far the best chance of the whole tie as, six minutes before the break, he totally miscued a free header from six yards out, diverting Godden's cross from the right fully 20 yards wide of the right-hand post.

Charlton went close again after the break as Thierry Small cut inside from the right but curled his left-foot shot just wide of the left-hand post.

Wycombe were second best and failed to fashion a clear-cut chance but did go close twice as the game wore on.

First Garath McCleary took Fred Onyedinma's cross but his shot was superbly blocked by Kayne Ramsay for Charlton before the rebound fell for Xavier Simons, whose shot was also blocked by Ramsay.

At full-time Addicks boss Nathan Jones was close to tears as thousands of Charlton fans spilled onto the pitch to celebrate.    He says that relief was his main emotion: https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/sport/nathan-jones-overwhelmed-with-relief-as-charlton-athletic-secure-league-one-play-off-final-place/

Transfer 'ambitions'

Charlton will work off pretty much the same transfer list whether or not they get promoted.   I suppose you could interpret that as ambitious in one case and less so in the other: https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/sport/charlton-athletic-set-to-work-off-same-transfer-window-wanted-list-even-if-they-win-league-one-promotion/

Thierry Small wants to ply his trade in the Championship, although Millwall seem to have lost interest.

It's Orient in the final

Today's the day: either Charlton fans will be heading to Wembley or will have the joy of heading to beautiful downtown Burslem next season to play Port Fail: https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/sport/wembley-or-bust-charlton-athletics-championship-dreams-on-the-line-in-huge-league-one-play-off-semi-final-decider/

Orient got through to the final and penalties and with momentum may pose a greater challenge than gritty and tenacious Stockport.

Radio 5 were bigging up Orient this morning but I would agree with the Orient fan who said that a Wembley staging of the Blackwall Tunnel derby would sell out the stadium.  Wycombe wouldn't be able to fill it despite its proximity to beechy Bucks.

The strange world of beechy Bucks

An old secondary school friend of mine lived in many different parts of the UK before returning to his native heath on retirement (TOWIE).

He reckoned that the best place he lived was the Isle of Wight (home to many Addicks) and the worst was High Wycombe.   He thought that the people there were odd and unpleasant.

He never met many Chairboys, but that's not so surprising as home attendances this season averaged 5,456.

For many years they were a successful amateur club and only joined the non-league system in 1985.  For over ten years they hosted Wasps rugby club and it is the sort of area that favours egg chasing.

The train from Leamington usually stops at High Wycombe and on a match day lots of fans of Premier League London clubs (plus QPR) would pile on.  Chelsea had a particularly strong representation.

Many years ago I went to see Rushden and Diamonds play Wycombe.  As I recall Irthlingborough's finest won and Sid and Doris Bonkers and the other away fans took exception to some of the decisions by the officials.

They then staged an away stand sit in and as I walked up the hill to the lane where I had parked my car, plaintive calls of 'Chairboys' drifted on the breeze.

Aneke is available and motivated

Super sub Chuks Aneke is available for tomorrow's play off match against Wycombe Wanderers and is extremely motivated: https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/sport/charlton-athletic-boss-expecting-extremely-motivated-chuks-aneke-for-wycombe-play-off-semi-tie/

Charlton are ready for the possibility of a penalty shoot out: https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/sport/charlton-athletic-boss-expecting-extremely-motivated-chuks-aneke-for-wycombe-play-off-semi-tie/

Let's hope that the referee hasn't won this month's Specsavers voucher and is more used to officiating at cage fighting.

Backroom bosses answer questions

Having got married last Friday and having my eldest's 25th wedding anniversary on Saturday meant that I have not had much bandwidth for Charlton matters, but I was pleased to have a Charlton table at my wedding reception.

I have now read the CAST meeting with the non-executive chair and the chief operating officer.  It is informative on a range of topic (including the recent ticketing problems): https://www.castrust.org/2025/05/gavin-carter-assume-positive-intent/

On the whole I was reassured by the answers.    However, it is implicit that the owners are not going to splash the cash if we get promoted.    The Championship is highly competitive with spending patterns influenced by parachute payments.

Dismal draw could lead to Valley victory

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Addicks were unable to replicate their league victory over Wycombe in the play offs, but start with a clean slate at The Valley on Thursday.

The two sides played out a largely uninspiring and cagey League One play-off semi-final first leg which ended goalless.

Former Leamington ace Daniel Udoh forced a good save from Will Mannion in the first few minutes but that was a rare bright moment in the first half.

Things got marginally better after the break and Will Norris in the Chairboys goal had to make key late saves from Matty Godden and Greg Docherty.

The stalemate means that none of the first legs in this season's EFL play-offs have been won by the home side - the first time this has happened since 2014-15.

Charlton had ended the season in fantastic form, with 16 wins from their final 22 league matches.  However, in a game where both teams lacked quality in the final third, it took them until almost the 70th minute for Godden to have their first shot on target.

That was straight at Norris in the Wycombe goal but the keeper was worked more by the striker's second attempt in the last few minutes and he then showed good reflexes to keep out Docherty's instinctive effort from the resultant corner.

Wycombe offered little in a match punctuated by fouls.  They were perhaps a touch fortunate not to be reduced to 10 men before the break when striker Richard Kone was only booked for a poor challenge on Kayne Ramsay.

Mike Dodds' men have now failed to score in five of their past nine matches but only runaway league winners Birmingham picked up more points away from home than the Buckinghamshire side in the regular season and nobody scored more goals.

Wycombe boss Mike Dodds told BBC Three Counties Radio:  "Two really good teams cancelled each other out I think.   When you play a Nathan Jones team they are so aggressive in the first phase we didn't want to give them the momentum in terms of making too many passes in front of them which probably contributed to the fact it was quite messy at times.

You need a moment and it didn't land for them and it didn't land for us.  They've had one big chance and we've had one and it was a really tight, even contest."

Charlton boss Nathan Jones told BBC Radio London: "It was a tough game, a war of attrition.  We defended our box excellently and I felt we finished really strongly.

It's evenly poised and it's not a bad place to be. We've got to win a home game to get to Wembley and I think we'd have taken that.   I'm really proud of the performance because we showed a resilience. Would I have liked us to play a bit more and create a bit more and show a bit more quality? Yes."

The SLP’s Richard Cawley said: ‘By no means a classic but it was the Addicks who showed more urgency to win it in the closing stages. Norris with a couple of key saves. Mannion only had one stop early on from Udoh. Charlton defence were very good.’

On a day when Barca beat Real Madrid 4-3, it was hardly an English 'el Classico' in beechy Bucks and it was rather pathetic of the Chairboys to turn up the public address system given the lack of noise coming from fans Sid and Doris Bonkers.   However, Richard Cawley gives his analysis of the game here: https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/sport/the-lowdown-on-wycombe-0-charlton-0-physicality-and-industry-outshine-quality-in-tense-league-one-play-off-encounter/

 

Jones emphasises his commitment to Charlton

Nathan Jones emphasies that he is at Charlton for the long tern, despite potential interest from other clubs: https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/sport/i-want-to-be-here-nathan-jones-has-unwavering-commitment-to-charlton-athletic-as-he-targets-league-one-play-off-glory/

Two Wycombe players face late fitness tests, but they have not been named: https://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/highwycombe/25153301.wycombe-vs-charlton-athletic-mike-dodds-looks-ahead/

Godden: we must forget the 4-0

Like many footballers, Matty Godden uses golf to relax.   Life is different now he is back home.  He is prepared to take penalties for Charlton in the play offs if necessary.   He rightly emphasises that we must get the 4-0 victory at Wycombe out of our minds: tomorrow will be a completely different game.  https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/sport/golf-is-a-switch-off-from-football-matty-godden-an-ice-cool-performer-on-football-pitch-and-the-fairway/

CAS Trust also warn against complacency: https://www.castrust.org/2025/05/back-to-wycombe/

Our record in the play offs has been quite mixed.   The defeat on penalties by Swindon at The Valley still hurts, but I had blotted the defeat to Shropshire's finest out of my mind: https://www.castrust.org/2025/05/a-brief-history-of-time-in-the-play-offs/

Jones and Godden on coming through adversity

Moaners were hoping for his early dismissal, but Nathan Jones defends the way in which he brought success to Charlton by sticking with his squad: https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/sport/charlton-athletic-boss-jones-on-key-to-coming-through-adversity-this-season-to-land-play-off-place/

Matty Godden was derided as a poor replacement for Alfie May at the beginning of the season but here he talks about how he has battled through his career, including a spell in non-league: https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/sport/ive-worked-my-n-off-charltons-matty-godden-on-non-league-career-rebuild-and-rooting-for-coventry-city-play-off-success/

Over at our sister site special guest correspondent Nigel Pooter has been looking at the finances of Crystal Palace: https://footballeconomyv2.blogspot.com/2025/05/can-eagles-soar-even-higher.html

Jones is full of Fullah

Nathan Jones was rightly delighted with Ibrahim Fullah's debut at The Valley on Saturday and sees it as reflecting the strength of the Academy as a whole: https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/sport/it-has-a-wonderful-feel-charlton-boss-on-handing-debut-to-ibrahim-fullah/

Alex Mitchell and Matty Gooden are both named in the final Sky Bet League One Team of the Week.

Saturday’s attendance of 20,971 was the highest at the Valley for the last home regular League game of the season in 10 years.

Charlton to face Wycombe in play offs

Charlton will face Wycombe at home in the second leg of the play offs on May 15th after the Chairboys lost 1-3 at home to Stockport today.   The first leg will be in beechy Bucks next Sunday evening.  (The EFL has changed the date more than once). The out of form Chairboys have lost six of their last eight games.  Stockport will face in form Leyton Orient.

Charlton beat Burton 3-1 as I forecast at the start of the season.  A Brewers penalty gave an early scare and their fans literally went bananas as they did the conga in the Jimmy Seed.

Matt Godden scored two first half goals and Alex Mitchell made it three on 51 minutes in front of a crowd of 20,971.

The Addicks fell behind in the 13th minute, Mason Bennett converting from the penalty spot after Fabio Tavares was brought down by goalkeeper Ashley Maynard-Brewer.

Godden restored parity in the 24th minute, Charlton’s top scorer finished from the right of the penalty box with Burton keeper Max Crocombe making a bad call to stray from his line to try and reach Tennai Watson’s through ball.

Godden doubled his tally in the 34th minute, producing a sharp turn from Josh Edwards’ pass to beat Crocombe, who managed to get a hand to his low left-footed shot.

Alex Mitchell, whose poor back pass had led to the early penalty, made amends when he headed in Conor Coventry’s inswinging corner in the 51st minute to put Charlton 3-1 ahead.

Addicks debutant Ibrahim Fullah hit the right post from Karoy Anderson’s cutback.

Just as well the play off is now on Sunday evening, as I am getting married on Friday and my eldest is having her 25th wedding anniversary party on Saturday evening.

Analysis of the game by Louis Mendez emphasises the contribution of Matt Godden who was, of course, written off as useless by moaners earlier in the season: https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/sport/the-lowdown-on-charlton-3-burton-albion-1