Well, I got the timing of Earnshaw's goal right- and I was only 700 out on my attendance prediction.

Anyway, in an attempt to lighten the mood somewhat in these dark days at the Valley, I have compiled the Official A-Z guide of Charlton Athletic...



See you all at Carrow Road!

THE OFFICIAL A-Z GUIDE TO CHARLTON ATHLETIC

A is for attendance. Over 24,000 supposedly at yesterday's game as we head inexorably towards League 1. We'll be lucky to get half that next season.

B is for Bouazza. Enigmatic yet brilliant on his day, he couldn't wait to jump ship and join another B- Birmingham. The biggest tragedy in his departure was that we lost two of the five Z's from our squad list.

C is for who else but Curbishley. 729 games- 7 successive Premier League seasons, 2 promotions. Those halcyon days seem a distant dream now....

And D is for Defoe. The one that has cost us millions- those pesky thieves at West Ham..... Ask any Hammers fan, and they'll assure you he came through their "Academy."

E is for El Karkouri. Scorer of free kicks, shots from distance, he is sadly missed.

F is for another centre half- Fortune. The longest serving player at the club, who has been with us since 1998.

G is for Gritt. One half of the famous managerial double act, he was sacrificed in 1995 as Curbs' was given the job on his own. And after tragically losing his daughter in 2002 to cancer, he is now back at the club as academy manager.

H is for Hales. The club's record scorer with 168 goals, and infamous for an on-pitch fight with Mike Flanagan. Needless to say, they were both sent off.

I is for Inter. Back in 1999, there was supposed to be a link up with the Italian giants, which would enable some of their young stars to join up with the Addicks on loan. Funnily enough, it never materialised!

J is for Jonjo. Shelvey has all the talent, and I believe is destined for a fantastic career at the top level. Let's hope we can hang on to him for as long as possible.

K is for Kinsella. Club legend, future manager, Charlton in his blood. Need I say more?

L is for loans. Aaaarrrggghhhhh! Don't get me started. (See B)

M is for Mendonca. Scorer of 26 goals in our promotion season of 1997/98, including one of the finest hat tricks you will ever see. Tragic that his career was cut short through injury.

N is for Nottingham Forest. The team that has just consigned us to the 3rd tier of English football for the first time in 30 years.

O is for ordinary. The standard of football we're used to.

P is for Parker. Another one that got away thanks to the Chelsea millions. He left us when we were on track for European qualification and neither us or him have been the same since.

Q is for Queudrue. Scorer of "that" goal in our relegation season that we all knew would cost us at the time. Seeing Fulham flying now only makes things worse.

R is for Reed. I can't bring myself to say anything.

S is for Simonsen. Back in 1983, we had the European Footballer of the Year strutting his stuff at the Valley- against the likes of Grimsby! Funnily enough we couldn't afford his wages... Ronaldo to SE7 anyone?

T is for tickets. Buy a season ticket and you'll get a free one if/when we're in the Premier League next season, despite selling all our best players and replacing them with lower league freebies. As cock ups go, that was a fairly impressive one by the board...

U is for Upton Park. Much preferred going there than Selhurst, although it was never home. Was entertaining though when we beat West Ham there as the away team in 1992.

V is for Varney. Luke or Peter- take your pick.

W is for Waggott- Peter's successor. Big boots to fill- I think the jury's still out among many fans....

X is for x-men. Over the years, it's uncanny how many Charlton players have come back to haunt us. Names such as Defoe, Lita, Lisbie, Samuel, Cole, Parker, Jensen, Svensson, Cook and Fuller seem to ring a bell. God you can almost make a sodding team of them! Anyone I've left out?

Y is for Youga. Lunatic left back, hothead and generally rubbish defender.

And finally Z is for Zabeel. For one glorious month, we were the second richest club in the world. Then I think our potential investors saw the light!