Charlton Athletic

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Charlton Athletic made it back-to-back wins to start their Championship campaign as they held on for a famous 2-1 win at West Ham on Saturday.

Lloyd Jones volleyed the Addicks ahead before Tyreece Campbell doubled the advantage and although Joel Piroe set up a grandstand finish, Valentin Castellanos thumped his stoppage-time penalty into the post to ensure the Addicks won three points in their first meeting against their rivals from the other side of the Blackwall Tunnel in 19 years.

Thank you to all the Addicks fans who sent us their views on the result and performance at a sold-out London Stadium. Here is a selection of their thoughts:

Terry - Excellent defending and determination by Charlton. Thrilled at the performance and win.

Sue - Don't underestimate the Addicks. We are consolidating this season.

Robert - A dogged and brave performance against the moneymen of the Championship.

Trevor - Hope we haven't peaked too soon.

Dave - A classic away performance from classy Charlton.

Luke - A brilliant away performance. Commitment and teamwork... something West Ham lacked.

Paul - Great team effort and tactically a masterpiece. Should never have been a penalty - hit straight at his face from two yards.

Paul Sullivan
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

All Championship wins are to be rejoiced. This one felt like it would be particularly memorable.

Charlton Athletic arrived at West Ham with 59,500 fans expecting only one outcome.

By the final whistle, 3,000 travelling Addicks were bouncing in a stadium gone eerily quiet, and the rest were left wondering how a side freshly relegated from the Premier League had been undone by a team that spent last season fighting its own battles at the wrong end of the table.

The opener had the fingerprints of Nathan Jones's meticulous planning and the spontaneity that makes football irresistible in equal measure. A long throw, the set-piece weapon drilled on the training ground, was met not with the expected header, but an audacious overhead finish from captain Lloyd Jones — improvisation no coaching manual could have scripted.

The second was pure quality. Miles Leaburn muscled Konstantinos Mavropanos off the ball — a reminder not to take liberties with him — before teeing up Tyreece Campbell for an exquisite finish.

A week after scoring in front of the Covered End, Campbell delivered on the big stage. Two academy graduates, still writing their names into Charlton folklore.

West Ham pulled one back and, as they always threaten to, might have found an equaliser.

Instead, Charlton simply refused to blink. That composure — sticking to the plan rather than panicking — has become the hallmark of this side, evident too against Derby County last time out.

Although a tad fortunate to keep all three points, with Taty Castellanos' missed penalty in added time, a West Ham friend texted me to say Charlton deserved the win.

Arthur Okonkwo, on his debut, produced the save of the game to deny Divine Mukasa, growing in authority with every cross claimed. In front of him, Danny McNamara, Jones, Billy Koumetio and Amari'i Bell — who kept Jarrod Bowen quiet all afternoon — formed a formidable rearguard.

We continued our impressive away record against relegated Premier League clubs after wins against Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough plus a draw against Southampton last season.

Charlton fans have had their appetites whetted. So a trip to Tottenham — in my opinion the best stadium in the land — for a midweek in the Carabao Cup tie is a glorious follow-up.

And you never know…

Paul Sullivan
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

This Charlton Athletic fan was pacing around his hotel room in Le Touquet, on France's northern coast, anxiously awaiting the outcome of our Championship opener against Derby County.

The relief was palpable when I re-joined my wife and our West Ham-supporting friends at the beach bar to celebrate a fine victory.

What pleased me most was Charlton's courage and resolve in recovering from a goal down to claim all three points - something we failed to achieve throughout last season.

After Tyreece Campbell put us ahead in the 80th minute, we defended stoutly through eight nervy minutes of added time to see the job through.

You could not help but feel delighted for Nathan Jones. These three points were the reward for tremendous work by him, his staff and players. Jones had certainly earned his glass of red wine.

At 1-0 down, Charlton appeared to benefit from attacking the Covered End in the second half. Lloyd Jones' equaliser was a special moment for our talismanic defender, who has committed himself to the club for another two years.

The two-time Player of the Year has developed a deep affinity with Charlton and is already potential Hall of Fame material. He played a key role in our promotion from League One and Championship survival last season.

It was also encouraging to see the new additions settle in so quickly. With one or two more signings expected, this could prove a fruitful transfer window as we evolve into what we hope will become a proper Championship side - perhaps even rivalling some of the behemoths in this division.

The switch from a back five to a back four worked well, while Charlton now have the flexibility to use either system.

Derby arrived with obvious threats in Carlton Morris and Sammie Szmodics, having finished eighth last season. Yet, after their proposed takeover collapsed and a quiet summer in the transfer market, I sensed they might be there for the taking. So it proved.

Next up is West Ham United. It could be a good time to play them so early as they adjust their squad and approach to life in the Championship following their relegation from the Premier League.

I can thoroughly recommend Le Touquet by the way. But nowhere feels quite so great when you are sweating on your team's result.

Don't forget to tap the 'follow' button at the top of this page to stay up to date with the latest Charlton news.

This is a first home game in the Championship for West Ham United since August 2011 when they lost 1-0 to Cardiff City.

Charlton head across the capital on the back of an opening-day 2-1 victory over Derby County.

• This will be the first league meeting between West Ham United and Charlton Athletic since February 2007 in the Premier League, with the Addicks recording a 4-0 home win.

• Charlton Athletic have won four of their past six league games against West Ham (D1 L1), though their only defeat came in their last away match against the Hammers – a 3-1 defeat in August 2006.

• West Ham United are winless in each of their past nine London derbies at home in the league (D1 L8), losing all six last season – they are both their worst ever such runs in the Football League.

• Last season, Charlton remained unbeaten across their three away games against sides who had been relegated from the Premier League the season prior (W2 D1), conceding just one goal in the process.

• West Ham have lost their home opener in six of the past eight seasons (W2), conceding 2.5 goals per match across that time.

Charlton Athletic defender Lloyd Jones has a simple response to those who predicted the Addicks to struggle in the Championship this season - "Stuff them".

Jones scored the equaliser in an opening day comeback victory against Derby County at The Valley on Saturday.

Many pundits expect the south-east London club to be battling relegation in the 2026-27 campaign but the 30-year-old says they do not pay attention to those predictions.

"It's good to be the underdog sometimes. You haven't got as much pressure going into games," Jones told BBC Radio London.

"But it's just outside noise. We're a confident bunch. There are going to be some tough times this season as well as good ones.

"And it's just about how quickly we can recover from that."

Charlton's 2-1 win over the Rams was the first time they have come from behind to win a league game since May 2025, when they beat Burton Albion in League One.

"Obviously I would have liked a clean sheet but to come from behind, especially in the first Championship game, and to get three points is a great feeling," said Jones, who recently signed a new two-year deal at the club.

"We're just together really. We've signed a lot of new lads but I think they've fitted in really well."

When asked what is possible this season, Jones added: "I think for us, we've just got to keep building.

"We had our targets set last week and I think if we can improve our points tally, goal difference and scoring, it will stand us in good stead."

Listen to the full interview with Lloyd Jones above or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

Explore more Charlton Athletic content on BBC Sounds

Derby County and Charlton Athletic are both interested in taking Nigerian goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo on loan from Wrexham, with the 24-year-old keen to move this summer. (Alan Nixon - subscription required), external

For more EFL transfer news, read Monday's full gossip column here.

Adam Cottier
BBC Radio 5 Live report

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You could sense it.

That renewed optimism, a classic pre-season cliche, maybe, but at The Valley there was a buzz.

A hum in the sunshine from those - young, and old - giddy with excitement. This south-east London stadium was alive with anticipation before the game - both sets of fans hoping for better than last season. More play-off places; more hope.

Twenty years ago Charlton were embarking on their most recent Premier League campaign.

The road back to within any kind of range of it has been a long one - but Nathan Jones has a tenacious team that reinforced his belief that they are now better equipped with a gutsy and determined home win in front of a home crowd that by full-time had reached fever pitch.

Tyreece Campbell's winning goal exemplified endeavour. A purposeful run by Miles Leaburn eventually led to Campbell firing home the kind of left-footed shot that could not have been struck any sweeter. It was a dazzling moment, in a game where clear openings were limited to just the actual goals themselves.

Campbell has been linked with a move away. Jones told me after the game he wants to keep the forward and it might be the case that Campbell can only get better. He and Karlan Grant, along with Sonny Carey, all looked a threat and Charlton looked better and better as the game went on.

Jones was rightly thrilled with his side's high-octane second-half turnaround.

That pre-match hum around the stadium had gotten a little louder as fans spilled out onto the Floyd Road at full-time.

Charlton Athletic boss Nathan Jones spoke to BBC London following his side's 2-1 victory over Derby County:

"I'm really pleased – the result is everything and we've bedded in a lot of new signings We had a captain's goal where he gets over the back and scores a great header.

"With TC [Tyreece Campbell], he gets in those positions all the time and one-v-one he is a threat. We just want the outcomes from him.

"Last week he had a similar chance, went outside and hit the bar with a rasper. Then he cut inside and hit the corner (to score against Cheltenham in the EFL Cup).

"There are 45 more games. Last season we had a really good start – we had that momentum after coming up – and once we picked up a few injuries we didn't have the squad to cope with that. This season we have got the squad to cope with it a little bit more."

Image source, Opta

Charlton and Derby get their new Championship season under way with a meeting at The Valley on Saturday (15:00 BST).

The Addicks, who began the campaign with an EFL Cup win at Cheltenham last weekend, are unbeaten in seven seasons on the opening day, winning five of those games, most recently 1-0 at home to Watford last year.

The Rams exited the EFL Cup at home to Lincoln and have seen a proposed takeover fall through in recent days while their 3-1 defeat at Stoke last season was their third straight defeat on the opening day.

• Charlton Athletic have lost their past two home league games against Derby, only losing more consecutively between December 1946 and May 1951 (5).

• Derby County have lost just one of their previous five league meetings with Charlton Athletic (W3 D1); a 2-1 defeat in February 2024.

• Charlton lost five of their final eight league games last season (W1 D2), while only Sheffield Wednesday (12.7%) spent a lower proportion of their games in a winning position than the Addicks (16.5%) in the Championship last term.

• Derby lost six of their final eight away games last season (W2), though did win their most recent match at QPR in April (3-2).

• Carlton Morris' 12 league goals for Derby last season was his second-most in a single campaign in the top four tiers, behind his 20 for Luton Town in 2022-23; five of his goals in 2025-26 came from corners, more than anybody else.

Charlton Athletic manager Nathan Jones says the club's summer recruitment has given him more competition for places.

The Addicks have made seven signings in the close season across defensive, midfield and attacking areas.

"We've recruited significantly in certain areas," Jones told BBC Radio London.

"Our left side, for example, got depleted last year and we never recovered from it, so we made sure we rectified that.

"In attacking areas, we feel now we've got real competition. We've got more pace, more power [and] more fluidity.

"We feel we're better equipped to maintain any runs that we have and to fend off any bad runs.

"[Last season] when we picked up injuries to key players, we didn't have the squad to cope with it. This year, we have."

Jones also said the club were looking to add another wide attacker before the end of the transfer window.

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Paul Sullivan
Fan writer

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After a discombobulating week of anxiety over club sale speculation and frustration at the lack of midfield reinforcements, it was a relief to experience competitive football again.

That frustration eased when Nathaniel Chalobah signed a one-year deal with the Addicks. Now with the further midfield loan signing of Timothy Ouma from Slavia Prague, it gives supporters even more reason to feel optimistic about the club's options in that area.

Chalobah made an immediate impression in Charlton's Carabao Cup first-round tie at Cheltenham Town.

Charlton looked resplendent in their fetching purple third kit and, on paper, possessed too much quality for the League Two side. Apart from spells at the beginning of each half, that proved to be the case as three fine goals secured a deserved victory.

The Addicks showed real class in turning defence into attack, combining pace, power and control. Chalobah provided the composure and experience expected of him, while Sonny Carey contributed a goal and an assist.

Midfield was widely regarded as one of our weaker areas last season, so seeing Chalobah, Carey and indeed Conor Coventry influence the game so quickly was particularly encouraging.

With Ouma now added to the squad, competition and depth in the centre of the pitch appears considerably healthier now.

Forward play has also been a concern, but goals for Tyreece Campbell and Matty Godden should provide both players with a valuable confidence boost as the new campaign begins.

I was delighted with the result, especially after the disappointment of last season's early cup exit at Cambridge United, when Charlton were beaten by lower-league opposition with a weakened side.

Some may argue that this match did not matter, but given the disjointed pre-season and the continued rumblings around the club's ownership, this victory was the perfect tonic before Saturday's league opener against Derby County at The Valley.

And of course, we have been rewarded with a plum EFL Cup tie at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in the second round.

Charlton put the game against Cheltenham beyond doubt with a three-goal burst in just 16 minutes, helped by winning the ball back and attacking quickly in transition.

The one negative was Will Mannion's poor goalkeeping for Cheltenham's goal.

Goalkeeping coach Stephen Henderson has work to do to restore confidence in Mannion and Thomas Kaminski, with consistency between the posts essential this season.

So with manager Nathan Jones revealing he still wants to bring in someone to challenge Rob Apter on the right side and still the possibility we will see departures, we nevertheless feel we are in a better place now to take on the rigours of a second Championship season.

The Valley should be rocking on Saturday.

Buckle in and get ready for the ride.

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