‘Important’ – Former Charlton Athletic Man Makes Addicks Promotion Claim
Former Charlton striker Francis Jeffers has admitted that it is important for the Addicks to be around the promotion places this season, after several seasons of disappointment.
Since relegation from the Championship, the club have only finished in the top seven once, and last season suffered a finish of 16th – their worst finish in the third tier since 1926.
For a club used to Championship football at the very least, this is a dismal run, and Jeffers believes them being involved in the promotion hunt is hugely important.
“It’s definitely important for them to be around the promotion race this season,” said the 43-year-old, speaking to us courtesy of GamingGadgets. “In Nathan Jones they have a manager who has proven himself at this level and Championship level, so the fans and everyone can be excited about the season ahead.”
Over the summer, The Addicks lost striker Alfie May, who smashed 23 league goals, but opened their campaign with an impressive 1-0 win against Wigan Athletic. They seem to have brushed off the loss of their talisman striker, and it isn’t something that Jeffers feels should derail their assault on the top six.
“Even losing Alfie May, the squad is good enough to compete for a play-off spot and the win at Wigan was the perfect way to start the campaign.
“It’s going to be an exciting season for Charlton and the club can now look upwards which can mean the fans can come back in their numbers and fill The Valley to being good days back to the club.”
That doesn’t detract from the division’s competitiveness. Seven of the clubs, Charlton included, have played Premier League football, and there’s a host of others with aspirations of Championship football. However, Jeffers feels Jones’s experience, which helped Luton through the divisions, will be vital as they hunt for promotion.
“League One is very competitive, but having a good manager is so important and Jones can get a lot of them as he has done at this level in the past.”
Jeffers spent two seasons with Charlton, moving there in 2004 for £2.6 million. His first season was moderate, scoring five goals in 24 outings, but in 2005 he was loaned to Rangers, and left the following year without making another appearance for the Addicks.
He was once the joint all-time top scorer for England under-21s with 13 goals from 16 appearances, a record he shared with Alan Shearer, until Eddie Nketiah surpassed them both in 2020.
