Charlton Athletic retro shirts: Addicks red
Charlton supporters spent seven years away from The Valley before the club came home in 1992, and that stubborn loyalty is easy to spot on a matchday in SE7. Here are the shirts they wear: home reds, away and third kits, goalkeeper tops and a fair bit of training gear.
The Valley and the long way home
Charlton left The Valley in 1985 and spent the next seven seasons lodging at Selhurst Park and Upton Park. Fans campaigned, stood for the local council and raised money until the club moved back. Shirts from the years after the return carry that feeling of a club that nearly lost its home. Under Alan Curbishley the Addicks climbed into the top flight through the 1998 play-off final against Sunderland, a 4-4 draw settled on penalties that many in south-east London still rate as the best game they have ever seen.
From Joma to Castore
The collection runs from a handful of 90s shirts through to the most recent seasons. Joma made the kit in the mid-2000s, and there are tops from the Nike and Macron years too. Hummel brought its chevrons in the late 2010s, and Castore followed. Red is always the home colour. The away shirts are where each supplier tried something different, from white to darker change kits.
A Di Canio shirt and the keeper tops
Printed shirts are rare here, which makes the ones that do turn up worth a second look. There is a 2003-04 away shirt with Paolo Di Canio’s name on the back, from his single season at the club. A Mark Kinsella home shirt from 2000-01 remembers the captain of the promotion years. Goalkeeper shirts are unusually well represented, with several recent keeper tops in different colours.
Training wear for the walk to the ground
Training shirts, shorts and cotton tees make up a good share of the list. They are a cheaper way into a Charlton collection and easy to wear away from the ground. Each item shows its condition score and size, so check both before you buy.