Opposition Lowdown: Nathan Jones’ Charlton Athletic Enjoying Perfect Start
Reading return to the Select Car Leasing Stadium this weekend when they face Charlton Athletic. Join us as we take a closer look at the opposition.
Form
Charlton Athletic finished last season in 16th place in League One, one place ahead of Reading, separated only on goal difference. This season marks their fifth straight year in the third tier, having been relegated from the Championship at the end of 2019/20 season.
The Addicks have made an impressive start to the new campaign and are one of three League One sides to maintain a perfect record so far, with three wins in three matches. They started the season with back-to-back 1-0 wins over Wigan and Leyton Orient and beat Bolton Wanderers 2-0 at The Valley last weekend.
The two sides shared the spoils last season with Charlton claiming an impressive 4-0 victory over the Royals at The Valley, before Reading claimed a 2-0 win at The Select Car Leasing Stadium back in February, after a double from winger Femi Azeez.
The boss
Nathan Jones: Jones was appointed Charlton manager in February, taking over from Michael Appleton who was sacked following a 12-match winless run. He had a 20-year playing career as a midfielder, starting out in his homeland Wales, before representing the likes of Southend, Brighton & Hove Albion and Yeovil Town.
Following his retirement, Jones took on a coaching role with Charlton in 2012 working with their under-21 team. He joined Brighton a year later as assistant to head coach Oscar Garcia. He then had a spell as caretaker manager of the Seagulls in 2014 before taking on his first full-time manager role at Luton in 2016.
Jones was in charge of the Hatters for three years and guided the side to automatic promotion to League One in 2018. He joined Stoke City as manager the following season but only lasted nine months in role before his sacking in November 2019.
A return to Luton followed in May 2020 and guided the side to the Championship playoffs, while also winning manager of the season in 2022. An ill-fated spell at Premier League Southampton followed in November 2022, where he lasted only three months, securing one league win during his time at the club.
Jones guided Charlton to a 16th-place finish last season and currently holds a 35% win percentage at the Addicks, however he appears to have settled the ship with the side only losing three of his 20 games in charge so far.
The 51-year-old Welshman likes his sides to play pressing football, with intensity in and out of possession.
Squad
Charlton lost star striker and last season’s League One top scorer Alfie May to Birmingham City this summer for an undisclosed fee. Former Royals Michael Hector and Terrell Thomas were both released at the end of their contracts. Other departures included midfielders George Dobson and Jack Payne, wingers Corey Blackett-Taylor and Kazenga Lua-Lua and goalkeepers Harry Isted and Lewis Ward.
The Addicks replaced May with the signing of two strikers for undisclosed fees, with Gassan Ahadme joining from Ipswich Town and Matty Godden signing from Coventry City. They also signed Millwall defender Alex Mitchell and Jamaican international forward Kaheim Dixon on permanent deals.
Goalkeeper Will Mannion, left-back Josh Edwards and midfielders Luke Berry and Greg Docherty all joined the club on free transfers. Luton midfielder Allan Campbell also joined the club this week, joining on a season-long loan.
Charlton will definitely be without defender Josh Edwards this weekend, while Miles Leaburn is also expected to miss out as he recovers from a hamstring injury.
Expected lineup
Mannion, Gillesphey, Jones, Mitchell, Small, Berry, Docherty, Coventry, Ramsay, T. Campbell, Godden
Key player
Luke Berry: Midfielder Berry joined Charlton on a free transfer this summer following his release from Luton Town.
He started his career at Cambridge United, where he signed his first pro deal after coming through their youth system. He made his U’s debut in 2010 and went on to make 240 appearances for the club over two separate spells. He joined Barnsley in 2014 but re-signed for Cambridge a year later.
Berry stayed at Cambridge for another two years before joining Luton Town in 2017 for an undisclosed fee. He made 184 appearances for the Hatters, representing the club in League Two, League One, the Championship and the Premier League. He made 17 appearances for Luton in the Premier League last season, scoring two goals.
The 32-year-old is a centre midfielder who is athletic, with a keen eye for goal. The signing was seen as a coup for Charlton, with Berry linking up with Nathan Jones again following their time together at Luton.
One to watch
Daniel Kanu: Forward Kanu is a product of the Charlton youth system who has been with the club from under-11 level. He signed his first pro deal with the club in 2022 and made his debut for the Addicks shortly after, coming on as a substitute against Wigan in the league.
He made a number of substitute appearances for the club in the 2022/23 season and had a short spell on loan at Southend United the following season where he scored four goals in six games, before being recalled. Kanu went on to make 33 appearances for Charlton upon his return, scoring six goals.
Kanu has been capped by the Sierra Leone national team, winning three caps for his country so far. The 19-year-old is a centre-forward who was a prolific goalscorer in the Charlton academy team.