Charlton Athletic - club profile

CLUB: Charlton Athletic.

GROUND: The Valley, Floyd Road, Charlton, London, SE7 8BL. Tel: 0208 3334000.

CAPACITY: 26,875.

PLAY IN: The Championship.

FOUNDED: 1905.

TEAM NICKNAME: The Addicks.

BEST VICTORY: 8-1 v Middlesbrough, September 12, 1953; 7-0 v Burton Albion, January 7, 1956.

WORST DEFEAT: 1-11 v Aston Villa, November 14, 1959.

BIGGEST ATTENDANCE: 75,031 v Aston Villa, February 12, 1938.

CURRENT MANAGER: Alan Pardew

Club history

1905: Charlton Athletic FC were founded. The club initially played in local leagues. They signalled their intentions by winning two leagues in one season - Division 2 of both the Woolwich League and the Lewisham League.

1919: The club moved to an old chalk pit which became The Valley. It was one of the biggest grounds in the country for many years with vast, steep terraces packed with fans.

1921: The Addicks (a nickname taken from a local fish and chip shop) entered the Football League, starting out in Division 3 South.

Manager Alan Curbishley, who led the Addicks to seventh spot in the Premiership in 2004

1929: Charlton were Division 3 South champions, on goal average, and were promoted to Division 2.

1933: Charlton were relgated back to Division 3 South. Former Spurs player Jimmy Seed appointed manager.

1935: Charlton finished second in their league.

1936: The Addicks were runners-up in Division 2.

1937: Continuing their trend of finishing second, Charlton occupied the same position in the top flight, finishing a point behind champions Manchester City. The following two seasons saw the Addicks finish third and fourth.

1946: Charlton were losing finalists in the FA Cup, beaten 4-1 by Derby County.

1947: Arguably Charlton’s finest day as they lifted the cup after beating Burnley 1-0.

1956: Legendary goalkeeper Sam Bartram retired at the age of 42 after a record 623 appearances for the club. He was soon followed out of the club by manager Jimmy Seed.

1957: Charlton were relegated from the top division.

1971: After remaining in the second division following their relegation, the club were relegated again down to the third division.

1975: Charlton won promotion back to the second division.

1980: Charlton were relegated back to the third division, but they bounced back up the following year.

1982: The Addicks performed a massive transfer coup when they landed former European Footballer of the Year Allan Simonsen. Unfortunately, the Dane only played 17 games before moving back to his homeland.

1985: Charlton’s darkest hour came when financial problems forced them to leave The Valley. Ground shares with Crystal Palace and West Ham followed.

1986: Under Lennie Lawrence’s management, Charlton won promotion back to the top flight and stayed there until 1990.

1992: After a determined effort from fans, the Addicks finally moved back to The Valley. New managers Alan Curbishley and Steve Gritt were appointed.

1995: Alan Curbishley was put in sole charge.

Iain Dowie was appointed manager in controversial circumstances in 2006 - but only lasted 12 Premiership matches

1998: Charlton finished fourth in Division 1 and reached the final of the play-offs. The Addicks faced Sunderland at Wembley. A see-saw match finished 4-4 draw, but Charlton eventually won on penalties and won promotion to the Premiership for the first time

1999: Charlton were relegated from the top flight.

2000: Charlton bounced back in style, winning the first division championship. Charlton retained their top-flight status the following season after finishing ninth.

2004: After finishing 14th and then 12th in the two previous seasons, Charlton achieved their highest ever Premiership finish when they ended the 2003-04 season in seventh spot.

2005: A late-season slump sees Charlton slip away from the European places and finish their centenary season in 11th spot in the Premiership.

2006: Charlton finish 13th in the Premiership but the season is most remembered for the departure of long-serving manager Alan Curbishley. His successor is Iain Dowie, who arrives from neighbours Crystal Palace in controversial circumstances - but only lasts 12 Premiership matches. He is replaced by Les Reed, who lasts just a few weeks before being replaced by former West Ham boss Alan Pardew.

2007: After a season to forget Charlton are relegated from the Premier League after seven years.