Charlton Athletic are set to welcome their largest crowd in five years for their League One clash against Hollywood-owned Wrexham.
But while Addicks fans can look forward to a 22,000-plus crowd at The Valley, one part of the match day has left a section of them sitting with their heads in their hands.
Charlton are welcoming Wrexham to The Valley for the first time since the 1980sGetty
And plenty of day trippers are turning up to see Wrexham in the fleshGetty
The Valley, which has a capacity of 27,111, last welcomed a sell-out crowd for a Charlton game in 2019 when Doncaster Rovers visited in the League One play-off semi-final.
Charlton once competed amongst the best in the Premier League, selling out every week. But since their 2007 relegation and plummet down the leagues, their home attendance has slowly dipped, with the average this season being below 15,000.
YouTubers The Sidemen previously hosted their charity matches there, which also attracted a full house at the south London venue.
Now, Wrexham coming to town has seen a big boost in ticket sales for this Saturday’s clash.
Wrexham were taken over by ‘Deadpool’ star Ryan Reynolds and ‘It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia’ creator and actor Rob McElhenney in 2020, and fans have become obsessed with following the club’s rise.
After back-to-back promotions up from the National League to League One, Wrexham currently sit second in the third tier, four points behind leaders Birmingham City who have a game in hand.
Meanwhile, Charlton, managed by former Luton, Stoke and Southampton boss Nathan Jones, are in 11th, one point off the play-off spots.
Saturday’s crowd won’t be near the League One attendance record, with Sunderland attracting 46,039 spectators in the 2018/19 season.
Nevertheless, it’s clear people are coming to south east London especially for the occasion, which is likely to feature on Wrexham’s Disney+ docuseries ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ – even if it’s not yet clear whether Reynolds or McElhenney will be present.
Fans of the docuseries will no doubt be hoping Reynolds and or McElhenney turn upGetty
Nathan Jones and Charlton will be hoping to quieten the noise and beat WrexhamGETTY
The Addicks are making the most out of Wrexham’s visitCharlton Athletic
Fans will be able to see Manchester United content creator Mark Goldbridge, though. The YouTuber will be doing a live watchalong from the Charlton TV studio, much like the ones he does for Red Devils matches.
While the financial benefit will be big for Charlton, and a thrilling game could lead to some of their new attendees returning, one aspect of the day has left a section of Addicks raging.
On Thursday, images of the Charlton club shop went viral on social media, with half-and-half Charlton and Wrexham scarves on display on the wall.
Pictures from the club shop have split opinion when they emerged onlineTwitter
In response, one fan wrote on X: “Listen, I’ve experienced some lows as a Charlton fan, proper lows. But us advertising the Wrexham game like they’re the A side of this fixture is right up there.”
“Sorry, but wtf is the club doing, this half and half scarf is being sold in our club shop ffs,” another said. “We’re playing Wrexham not f******* Real Madrid.
“We better win on Saturday.”
It was the final straw for one fan, who wrote on X: “On my life I’m not going Saturday. That’s me done.”
Former Charlton captain George Dobson will make his return to The Valley this weekend after his departure in the summer.
Ex-Addicks Elliot Lee and Eoghan O’Connell will also come back to their former stomping ground, as well as former manager Phil Parkinson.
