Charlton Athletic Trophies & Titles

There was a time when Charlton Athletic were one of the country’s big clubs, fighting for the title in the top-flight and winnings cups. All eras pass, sadly, and the Addicks soon found themselves dropping through the divisions without even being able to enjoy the success that sometimes comes with playing in the lower leagues and winning their titles. In terms of their place in the London clubs, even their most ferocious of supporters would admit that they are more successful than some sides and less successful than others. Their position geographically, South of the River, means that their rivals are more like Wimbledon thank Chelsea.

Charlton’s fans have had little to celebrate in terms of major trophies over the years, but they have still done well enough in the lesser ones to mean that their trophy cabinet isn’t exactly empty. They have also been close on a few occasions, such as the 1936-1937 season when they finished as runners up to Manchester City in the First Division, missing out by three points in an era when it was two points for a win. In truth, that is the only time that they came close to winning the top-flight, which is even more remarkable when you consider that it was their first one in it. That, though, is the life of a lower league team.

League Titles

The 1936-1937 campaign was the first one that the Addicks enjoyed in what was then known as the First Division. In the years that followed, when Charlton enjoyed spells in both the First Division and when it was later rebranded as the Premier League. They never got closer to winning it than that second place finish, with seventh in the 2003-2004 season being their most impressive display of the Premier League era. All of the club’s league titles came away from the top-flight, but they are just as worthy of a mention to Charlton fans as the top-flight titles would be to supporters of the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal.

Second Division / First Division / Championship

It is not exactly unfair to suggest that the naming of the second tier of English football adds a touch of confusion to proceedings. Charlton fans might well suggest that they have won the First Division, for example, given that the second tier was called that for a time. It was previously known as the Second Division and nowadays bears the title of the Championship, but whatever it has been called it is the level below the top-flight on the English Football League pyramid. Here is a look at how they have got on in it, including information about the team that finished second and the points tallies of both clubs:

Season	Points	Second Place	Second Place Points
1999-2000	91	Manchester City	89

Third Division South / Third Division / League One

The story of having random names is just as true of the third tier of the English game as it is of the second. For a time, the Third Division was split into North and South leagues, in order to stop teams from having to travel too much. Charlton Athletic won it when that was the case, as well as when it boasted its modern name of being League One. The club won it on their way up through the divisions during its first spell of heading towards the top-flight, with the Addicks also winning it just a couple of years before they finished second in the First Division. They have also won promotion thanks to a third place finish and the play-offs.

Season	Points	Second Place	Second Place Points
1928-1929	54	Crystal Palace	54*
1934-1935	61	Reading	53
2011-2012	101	Sheffield Wednesday	93

*Charlton Athletic and Crystal Palace both finished on the same points in the 1928-1929 season, with the Addicks winning thanks to their superior Goal Average.

Cups & Trophies

When it comes to Charlton Athletic’s trophy cabinet, it would be untrue to suggest that it is full of the kinds of trophies that major clubs have won repeatedly. That being said, it is far from empty and boasts a number of smaller trophies that some other London clubs would delight to have in their own cabinet. That is the life of a lower league side, competing in the lesser trophies but knowing that they are no less worthy of celebrating just because your have spent some time in the past in the biggest competitions that the country has to offer. In the case of Charlton, an FA Cup win makes that even more painful.

FA Cup

Charlton Athletic came close to winning the FA Cup for the first time in the 1945-1946 season, using the post-war era to challenge for English football’s oldest cup tournament. They made it all the way to the final, only to lose to Derby County after extra-time. Far from being disheartened by missing out, the club responded in spectacular fashion the following season when they made it back to the final, this time against Burnley. Again the match went to extra-time, but this time it was the Addicks that came out on top thanks to a 1-0 win, which came courtesy of a Christopher Duffy goal after 114 minutes.

Year of Final	Opposition	Scoreline
1947	Burnley	1-0 (a.e.t.)

Other Cups & Trophies

As you might imagine, life lower down the divisions hasn’t always been easy for Charlton Athletic. The cups and trophies that they’ve ended up competing in at various times over the years haven’t always been the ones that the bigger teams would find themselves writing home about. Even so, they came close to winning the Full Members Cup in the 1986-1987 season, for example, as well as having several close misses in the Kent Senior Cup to talk of alongside their wins. Here is a look at the lesser tournaments that they’ve won, including information about their opponents when available:

Year of Final	Competition	Opposition	Score
1944	Football League War Cup	Aston Villa	1-1*
1995	Kent Senior Cup	Gillingham	4-2 (a.e.t.)
2013	Kent Senior Cup	Tonbridge Angels	7-1
2015	Kent Senior Cup	Gillingham	1-0
2023	London Senior Cup	Haringey Borough	5-3 (a.e.t.)**
2024	London Senior Cup	Hendon	2-1**

*The Football League War Cup didn’t have a replay, so Charlton Athletic and Aston Villa shared the trophy.

**The London Senior Cup was won by the Charlton Athletic Reserves.