Nathan Jones warns Charlton Athletic fans not to be 'idiots' ahead of Championship campaign

Charlton Athletic manager Nathan Jones told supporters that they would be ‘idiots’ not to get their season tickets for the upcoming Championship campaign following the big League One play-off final win against Leyton Orient on Sunday afternoon.

The Addicks fans put on an impressive showing at Wembley Stadium to cheer on their side to a 1-0 win over their London rivals. Celebrations were plentiful after the final whistle as the Charlton Athletic team lifted the trophy at the iconic stadium, the match’s early kick off time allowing for plenty of partying afterwards.

Jones celebrated with fans on the pitch and then, once post-match press duties were done, even headed out to join the Charlton Athletic faithful away from the stadium. In one clip that has emerged online, the Welshman can be seen on a balcony with a beer in hand, addressing supporters.

Nathan Jones sends Charlton Athletic fans ‘idiots’ message

Before launching into a Matty Godden chant, Jones said: “If you don’t book the season tickets now, you’re f***ing idiots. After just being part of 44,000 at a play-off final at Wembley, there is no better time to be a Charlton fan. There is NO better time to be a Charlton fan!”

Charlton Athletic will make the leap from League One to the Championship next season along with automatically promoted sides Birmingham City and Wrexham. Cardiff City, Plymouth Argyle and Luton Town will drop down from the second tier.

It’s the first time the Addicks are in the Championship since relegation in 2020. They have only played one campaign of second tier football since 2016 but Jones has his sights set on achieving even more while in charge at The Valley.

Jones sets Premier League ambitions at The Valley

The former Luton Town man briefly tasted Premier League management with Southampton in 2022/23 and wants to take Charlton Athletic back to the big time. The club spent seven seasons in the Premier League between 2000 and 2007, finishing seventh in 2004.

When asked whether he could lead the Addicks back to the Premier League, he said: “Absolutely. I didn’t drop to League One to become a League One manager, I dropped to League One to manage Charlton and I believe with a fair wind, God’s will and a hell of a lot of work we can start to build something. We’ve had a really meteoric rise from 19th in League One to getting promoted but first and foremost we had to finish 4th in the league. That took an extra 31 points from what we had last year, 10 wins and a draw, that’s a big shift in terms of everything with clean sheets and the structure we built.

“We’ve earned the right now to be a Championship football club. Now the work starts tenfold because we go into an unforgiving environment. We land on a different planet and we have to be competitive.”

In other news, What Charlton Athletic star did after play-off win amid Millwall and Blackburn Rovers transfer links.