Most football fans think they have a special connection with their stadium – unless you are a West Ham supporter – but in the case of Charlton and The Valley it is especially true.

As Heather McKinlay of the Charlton Athletic Supporters Trust (CAST) points out, the Addicks are the only EFL club who have been forced to leave their ground before fighting a long and ultimately successful battle to return.

AFC Wimbledon came close, but their Cherry Red Records Stadium is adjacent to the old Plough Lane, whereas The Valley is the same ground that became derelict in the 1980s.

“There are some things in life that are worth fighting for, and Charlton fans proved that The Valley is one of them,” McKinlay says.

Charlton returned to The Valley in 1992, but have not owned it since 2019, when mu

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