Lee Bowyer feels his Charlton fans have got their reward for their season’s effort with a trip to Wembley this Sunday.

The Addicks travel to the new Wembley for the first time this weekend as they face Sunderland in the League One play-off, a repeat fixture of their last trip to the ‘old’ national stadium, the 1998 Championship play-off final.

The day-out for the Charlton fans, who’ve sold out their original 30,000 ticket allocation, is deserving of a support that has been unwavering this season according to the manager.

“What I’ve asked from them from day one is to be part of this journey, because I knew we were going to do well, and believed in the players we bought in, and they now know they play a massive part,” Bowyer said of the support.

“There’s been times when we’ve scored late goals and it’s because they don’t stop singing, and they realise now what a big part they’ve played this season and now they’ve got their reward by getting a trip to Wembley.

“At the start of the season it was ten or 12 thousand for home games, at the end we’re filling it with 25 or 26 thousand.

“And It’s not just the home games, away as well.

“Some of the atmospheres away, Portsmouth away, Peterborough away, tough ones on a Tuesday night at Burton, and obviously the first leg of the play-offs at Doncaster.

“The atmosphere is unreal.

“Sunday will be the same, but the most important thing we do is win the game, it’s important for everybody, there’s a lot of people who’s been on this journey with us and the fans have been a massive part of that.”

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Bowyer’s success in galvanising the Club as a whole was an integral part of the re-building progress the manager targeted.

The value in the togetherness Charlton have been renowned for over a season of off-field turmoil stemmed from his own playing days he said.

“As a player in the past you have to have that togetherness, that’s the most important thing,” he continued.

“I let the team know from day one that I won’t carry anyone that wants to play for themselves and be an individual.

“The group we’ve put together is an exceptional group and a unique group and I’ve said that for a long time.

“You must know that the friend you’re playing alongside will help you if you’re having a bad time or if you’re caught out of position and to know that everyone is pulling in the right direction and that they’re pulling for the team because as individuals you don’t win.

“That’s what I’ve tried to build.

“I played in a similar side to that when I was at Leeds and the reason we did so well was that we were a team.”