Charlton Athletic – League One Champions 2011-12
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The summer transfer window saw a number of key players join the club, with Ben Hamer, Michael Morrison, Danny Hollands, Danny Green, Dale Stephens and Rhoys Wiggins the notable additions, and they looked to make a fast start to the campaign. They did just that, with an opening day 3-0 home win over AFC Bournemouth setting the tone as they would go the first twelve games of the season unbeaten. Away wins against Notts County, Colchester United and Bury and a 2-2 home draw with Scunthorpe United was to round off the opening month. They were to continue September in similarly confident fashion, kicking it off with a 1-1 draw against Sheffield Wednesday before recording a routine 2-0 victory against Exeter City. This was to be followed with an away win, coming out on the right side of a 3-2 display against Rochdale, a result that would see the Addicks go top of League One. This proved to be the running theme for the Addicks, with Chris Powell’s going on to not surrender top spot after this point between then and the end of the campaign.
They were to win one and draw one as they rounded off September, following up a routine 3-1 home victory against Chesterfield with a point apiece away to MK Dons. October was to start in very much the same fashion to which they finished the last, picking up four points in their first two games of the month, with a 2-0 away win against Sheffield United followed up with a 1-1 draw at home to Tranmere Rovers. The middle of October was to see their first defeat of the campaign, failing to find the net as they lost 1-0 away to Stevenage. They responded in emphatic fashion, securing three successive wins to round off the month, hitting four at home to Carlisle United and away to Hartlepool United – keeping a clean sheet in both – and recording a vital 2-1 away win against Wycombe Wanderers.
November saw a slightly reduced quota of games in the league, with only three games to contend with, but nevertheless no let up in their fine form as they won all three to keep them firmly in the driving seat. The notable result was an impressive 5-2 victory at home to Preston North End, following that up with a 1-0 win away to Brentford and a 2-0 home win against Huddersfield Town. December was also to see just three games, with another 1-1 draw – at home to Oldham Athletic – followed with a 3-2 away win against Yeovil Town before they rounded off the year with a narrow 1-0 away defeat against Leyton Orient to head into January.
They started the new year very much in the same way in which they started the campaign, going the first 11 games of 2012 unbeaten, dropping points in just three of these; 1-1 draws against Bury, Tranmere Rovers and Rochdale. Five of these was to be won by just a single goal margin, away to Sheffield Wednesday, Exeter City and AFC Bournemouth and at home to Sheffield United and MK Dons, with a notable victory being a 4-0 demolition of Chesterfield away from home. Despite their strong position, the start of March was to provide the Addicks with a reminder that there was still work to be done before they could engrave their name on the trophy, with back-to-back defeats in the league against Colchester United and Notts County at home and a draw to Scunthorpe United would provide a test of their credentials. A win and a loss apiece were to be exchanged as they headed into the final game of the month, a routine 2-0 home win against Leyton Orient.
Still firmly in the driving seat, they headed in the final month of the campaign knowing that they were on the verge of securing their promotion and with it the title. Three successive 1-0 wins were to start off the month, against Oldham Athletic, Walsall and Carlisle United, to secure their promotion before they returned to home soil in the next game against Wycombe Wanderers and made no mistake as a 2-1 victory saw them secure the title. Eager to ensure they finished and put a shine on the title, they went the last two games unbeaten, drawing 2-2 with Preston North End before rounding up an impressive campaign with a 3-2 home win against Hartlepool United on the final day.
Dover Athletic – Isthmian League Premier Champions 2008-09
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Dover Athletic headed into the 2008-09 campaign as one of the firm favourites to be promoted, and they were to make a fast start in dropping points in just one of five games in the opening month, a narrow 1-0 away defeat against AFC Hornchurch. Otherwise, they won the other four to put them firmly in the mix early on, opening the season with a rampant 4-0 home rout over Haringey Borough, before routine wins saw them run out 1-0 winners against Margate and 2-0 away to Dover Athletic. They rounded off the month by having their first real blip defensively, conceding twice away to Boreham Wood, although still managed to come out on top as they recorded a 3-2 win.
September saw them go from strength-to-strength as they not only recorded an unbeaten month, but a perfect one at that, winning all five games to put down a marker at the top. Narrow 1-goal wins against Horsham and Hastings United were coupled with impressive attacking performances as they beat Ashford Town 3-2 and cantered to a routine away win against Hendon, before rounding off the month with a 4-1 home victory against Ramsgate. October saw a much-reduced round of games, with only two league fixtures, but there was no let up in their form as they followed up a narrow 1-0 away win against Carshalton Athletic with an impressive 3-0 away performance over Canvey Island.
November was to see their form continue, with Dover Athletic keeping their spot at the top of the division, albeit fell to their first league defeat of the campaign as Sutton United claimed the title as the first to beat them in the league as they won 1-0. The rest of the month otherwise saw impressive wins against Staines Town and Tonbridge Angels to start and finish the month respectively, scoring three in both games, as well as securing 2-1 wins against Heybridge Swifts and Wealdstone. They headed into the final month of the year looking to continue their form to strengthen their position at the top heading into the new year, and they did just that. A 3-0 away defeat against Harrow Borough to start December did little to dampen their spirits, as they bounced back with three successive home wins against Harlow Town, Dartford and Tooting and Mitcham – scoring nine goals in the process – and after securing a narrow 2-1 away win against Horsham they ended 2008 with a routine 3-0 home win over Maidstone United.
January started in similarly confident fashion, going all five games unbeaten and dropping points only in the final game of the month in a 0-0 draw with Ramsgate. The began 2009 with a 2-0 away victory against Margate, before wins at home to Billericay Town and Hastings United by a 1-goal margin along with a 2-1 away win against Ashford Town. They continued to impress as they made their way into February, recording another unbeaten month with home victories against Canvey Island and Hendon – the later by an impressive 3-0 margin – and a 4-1 away victory over Harlow Town, before honours were even against Carshalton Athletic. Another month came and gone in March as their attacking qualities really came to the fore, with draws against Staines Town and Tooting and Mitcham coupled with narrow victories against Billericay Town and AFC Hornchurch, before rounding off the month with a mesmeric home performance as they ran out 6-0 winners against Sutton United.
They headed into the final month of the campaign with the title already assured by virtue of their substantial lead at the top, and nevertheless the month saw just a single defeat – 2-1 at home to Boreham Wood – as they beat Tonbridge Angels, Maidstone United and Wealdstone all by a 2-goal margin – the first two 2-0 away from home and the later 3-1 on home soil – to put the shine on their title, finishing on 104 points.
Guess Who #17
We continue our Xmas Calendar Guess Who with a player that has been promoted to League One with Bradford City, has played at youth level for England and has played for Sutton United. Who do you think it could be?
Let us know by commenting on this post, or on either of our social media posts (Twitter or Instagram) and we will reveal the identity of the player in tomorrow’s edition. Happy guessing, and good luck!
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