Ex Charlton Athletic and QPR 'pantomime villain' joins non-league club at 29 year old

Former Charlton Athletic and QPR striker Macauley Bonne has signed for non-league outfit Maldon & Tiptree following his release from Southend United this summer.

The 29-year-old will now play his football in the Pitching In Isthmian League North Division with the club announcing the signing on Saturday afternoon. Bonne was handed a debut for the team on the same day, coming off the bench in a 1-0 FA Cup win over Flackwell Heath.

Bonne spent two stints at Charlton Athletic with time at QPR and Ipswich Town in between. He has also represented Colchester United, Leyton Orient and Gillingham at times during his career so far.

Ex Charlton Athletic and QPR star joins non-league outfit

The striker has 75 Championship appearances, 135 League One appearances and 43 League Two appearances to his name. Bonne’s time with the Addicks and the R’s in the capital ended with the player as somewhat of a pantomime villain.

Bonne managed just three goals in 44 outings for QPR with the west London outfit having forked out a reported £2 million for his services in 2020. The forward’s contract was eventually terminated early by mutual consent and he returned to The Valley in January 2023.

That second stint with Charlton Athletic lasted just half a season with Bonne leaving the club in June 2023. In the April, Bonne was dropped from the Addicks matchday squad having caused tension by liking a social media post by former club Ipswich Town, celebrating a 6-0 win over Charlton Athletic.

The Addicks boss Dean Holden was adamant that Bonne “didn’t mean any intention to disrespect our supporters” and was determined to move on from the episode, but the player’s relationship with supporters continued to sour.

Macauley Bonne takes swipe at Addicks supporters

After moving to Gillingham, Bonne scored in a 2-0 FA Cup win over the Addicks and took a dig at supporters of Charlton Athletic after the match. He said: “We always knew they’d come here and it would be a tough game, they are a League One side doing well. They’ve got some good players in their side but I think that spurred us on a bit more.

“They brought a lot of fans and the start for us was a fast start. We get the first goal, I score which is a bit of a sweet one for me because I was taking some real abuse today. They are the things, some players go under but it spurred me on. I wanted to do something to say, you keep abusing me then I’m going to use it. I ended up using it and it helped my performance during the game.

“It’s one of those things, playing against your former club, it always happens doesn’t it, you play and score against your former club and it’s not nice for them. But it’s one of them things in football, it happens and today I’m the one going home with the last laugh, aren’t I?”

In other news, 7 free agents still available to Millwall, QPR and Charlton, including ex-Liverpool star and promotion winners.