Crystal Palace’s preparations for the beginning of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign continue on Friday, as the Eagles take on Charlton Athletic in a pre-season friendly LIVE on Palace TV+.
Oliver Glasner’s side are looking to continue to get minutes in the legs following behind-closed-doors games against Bournemouth and Sutton United earlier this month.
For the first time this season, fans will be able to check in on the team’s progress on Palace TV+, as they take on League One Charlton in a penultimate pre-season game before heading to the United States on tour.
Charlton are looking for a route back to the second tier of English football, after spending the last four years in League One and finishing last season in 16th place.
The appointment of Nathan Jones demonstrates that ambition, and seven new signings are looking to hit the ground running when the Football League gets back underway on 10th August, with the Addicks travelling to Wigan Athletic.
Jones took his players on a trip to Slovenia as part of their pre-season programme, beating Goztepe 3-1 in a friendly on the Austrian border, before returning to London and losing to Millwall behind closed doors.
Can they fare better against London opposition this time around?
The two clubs share a history, never moreso than in 1985 when Charlton, still in financial difficulty and having narrowly survived a winding up order, were turfed out of their long-term home, The Valley.
A move to West Ham United fell through, before a last-minute solution: Charlton would be heading to Selhurst Park.
For fans, this was a shock. Palace and Charlton didn’t enjoy each other’s company at the best of times, and now the latter’s fans would be making the journey to Selhurst on a weekly basis.
Bizarrely, the Addicks thrived despite their fate. Promotion in 1986 to the First Division sparked a four-year stay in the top-flight, before relegation in 1990 – while Palace were en route to the FA Cup final and a future third place finish.
In 1991, the unhappy marriage was finally annulled, much to many supporters' relief. Charlton moved across to Upton Park, before returning home in December 1992.
Palace, meanwhile, had Selhurst to themselves once more.
Jesurun Rak-Sakyi is back in red and blue, but he spent a season as Charlton’s standout talent, winning the club’s Player of the Season award in 2022/23 and earning a nomination for the League One Young Player of the Season.
He scored 15 goals and created eight more in his time at The Valley, before returning to Selhurst Park to feature in the Premier League.
Another player to have represented both clubs is a genuine Palace hero. Darren Ambrose spent four years at Charlton from 2005, playing 128 times for the club, before moving to SE25.
At Palace he cemented his name in the history books with his 20 goals across the 2009/10 campaign, including the most vital at Hillsborough, ensuring the club’s survival.
Although Nathan Jones’ tenure at Southampton was short-lived, his work at Luton was what earned him a reputation as one of the country’s brightest coaches.
He was named the Championship Manager of the Season in 2021/22, after reaching the play-offs with a Luton side possessing one of the smallest budgets in the division.
He had previously guided the club from League Two to the top of League One, and although he wasn’t the man to finally take them to the Premier League, the journey was only made possible because of his two spells in charge.
With an exciting programme of matches ahead of Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace, make sure you subscribe to Palace TV+ to watch every minute of five pre-season fixtures, both home and away, from just £19.99.
With Palace TV+, you'll also be able to watch Palace take on Crawley Town, before travelling to the United States to take on Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham United in the Stateside Cup, returning for a pre-season finale against Nantes at Selhurst Park.
Choose from a Palace TV+ pre-season bundle for just £19.99 for access to each of these matches live and on-demand (the full 90 minutes), wherever you are in the world, until Wednesday 14th August 2024. The pre-season bundle pass is a one-off payment that does not auto-renew.