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The 42
25-05-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Agony and ecstasy for Irish stars as Charlton earn Championship promotion
MACAULEY GILLESPHEY STRUCK the only goal of the game to beat Leyton Orient in the League One play-off final and send Charlton back into the Championship after a gap of five years to the delight of their 40,000 fans in a crowd of 76,193. There was agony and ecstasy for Irish players and staff involved on either side, with former Republic of Ireland U21 captain Conor Coventry at the heart of a Charlton side that has ex international Curtis Fleming on the club's coaching staff. Leyton Orient goalkeeper Josh Keeley, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur and called up for Ireland's friendlies with Senegal and Luxembourg next month, was unable to keep Charlton out while, in attack, Ollie O'Neill could not repeat his semi-final impact. And no-nonsense defending from both sides led to a scrappy opening period with goal opportunities at a premium. Advertisement It took 31 minutes for the game to spark into life but the wait was worth it with a sublimely executed free-kick by Gillesphey breaking the deadlock. Tyreece Campbell, always a threat, was fouled outside the penalty box and Gillesphey curled his set-piece delivery from 20 yards past the wall and wide of Keeley who got his fingers to the ball but could not prevent it from nestling into the net. Charlton enjoyed the better of the possession in the first half whilst nervy Orient struggled to impose themselves on the game and the Addicks looked more comfortable on the ball. Campbell and skipper Greg Docherty exchanged passes in a potentially threatening move but Campbell's weak cross was comfortably collected by Keeley while Orient provided little concerns for Addicks shot-stopper Will Mannion. The teams came into the match in a rich vein of form, each having only tasted defeat once in each of their last 10 matches. The Addicks completed the scheduled league season in fourth spot, seven points ahead of the O's whose run of six successive victories at the death earned them the final play-off position. Orient raised their tempo in the second half, taking the game to their opponents from the restart. Jack Currie sent in a powerful drive that was deflected for a corner and then League One's leading scorer Charlie Kelman saw his goal-bound drive deflected onto the crossbar. Then Jamie Donley was brought down on the edge of the penalty area but his resultant free-kick was blocked by the resolute Charlton defence. Keeley kept Orient in the game when he dealt with an effort from Conor Coventry before he tipped a well-struck effort from substitute Chuks Aneke over the bar but Orient kept pushing forward in search of the equaliser. However, a combination of a lack of quality to their final touch and pass and the well-drilled determined unwavering steely defending of their opponents for whom Lloyd Jones was outstanding proved too much to overcome. The return to the second tier of English football was a triumph for Charlton boss Nathan Jones. He had twice led Luton to promotions and can now add Charlton to his list of successes having taken over as boss of the club in February 2024.
Daily Mirror
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Charlton Athletic star puts West Ham 'frustration' behind him to shine
Conor Coventry found himself frustrated by stop-start loan spells while a West Ham player but the midfielder is now thriving as a regular for League One play-off hopefuls Charlton Twenty days ago Charlton went to Adams Park and put four past Wycombe to derail the Chairboys' hopes of automatic promotion. But Conor Coventry insists neither side will read too much into that when the first leg of their play-off semi-final gets underway this evening. The Addicks' midfield general is expecting a tough test at the end of a gruelling season in which he has started all but two of their games. And Coventry, voted by his team-mates as their player of the season, reckons the key to a place at Wembley a fortnight from now could rest on humility. 'We're buzzing, it's something we've been looking towards for a while,' the Ireland international says. 'But it's a new game. 'We can take confidence from it (the 4-0) and we've beaten them twice but the main thing is to keep humble as a group and know that game doesn't count for anything. It's a level playing field and we've basically got to start from the bottom again.' For Coventry this has been a season of discovery following several campaigns of gradually increasing discontent. While the path to regular first-team football at West Ham, whom he joined aged 10, became increasingly difficult to progress down, a series of loan moves left him struggling to find a rhythm. 'There had always been a frustration because I'd play somewhere for six months and I'd be waiting again,' he said. 'It was very stop-start and it was hard to get my career on track and really get going. It was the main attraction for me coming to the club.' Nathan Jones' arrival as the new Valley boss two games after Coventry signed midway through last season threatened to throw another curveball into the mix. But an early conversation settled any concerns with Jones placing a faith in Coventry that he had not felt from previous coaches. 'I've loved the trust the manager has in me. When we spoke when he first came in he said he would make me more well-rounded as a player. Everyone knows the intensity and passion he has but it's his attention to detail that drives standards.' Last summer Coventry travelled to Tennessee to take in some country music and once he had enough of the honky-tonks he made the eight-hour drive to the site of JFK's assassination. When he joined West Ham, his mum sought assurances that he would continue his education and he focused on the American president's death as part of his A-Level in history. 'It was strange being there,' he says. 'When you're down on the road everyone's moving on, which feels surreal.' No such jaunts have been put in place yet for this off-season, but Coventry hopes a club that he thinks belongs in the Premier League is at least back in the Championship. 'I've been waiting to book something, hoping we can do the business. We have huge respect for the other teams but we believe we can do it.' Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
New York Times
23-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Conor Coventry: ‘Weird' West Ham, Fornals' friendship and Charlton ambitions
Conor Coventry is open, engaging and affable, but one question from The Athletic prompts the former West Ham United youth product to pause for thought. It is 14 months since the midfielder swapped West Ham for League One Charlton Athletic in search of opportunities. He has become a lynchpin in Nathan Jones' promotion-chasing team, who are fourth and still in the hunt for the automatic promotion places with two games remaining, but emotions are still raw for the 25-year-old when it comes to his former club. Advertisement 'I find it weird watching West Ham,' Coventry tells The Athletic. 'I haven't been back to the London Stadium since leaving. If I went back, I can picture the lads giving me stick and telling me to let it go. 'There have been two managers (Julen Lopetegui and Graham Potter) this season who I haven't played under. It would feel strange going back and I don't enjoy watching them as much. It's nice seeing Ollie Scarles (academy graduate) and (Aaron) Cresswell in the team doing well. Hopefully, I can go back at some point but probably not now.' Coventry made 10 first-team appearances for West Ham, but they were sporadic. From a debut in September 2018 against Macclesfield Town, then of League Two, in the Carabao Cup, Coventry was never given a regular run of games. His sole Premier League appearance came against Manchester City nearly four years later and his career has included loan spells with Lincoln City, Peterborough United, MK Dons and Rotherham United. Coventry was still reluctant to leave West Ham earlier, having harboured hopes of being a first-team regular. His contract was set to expire at the end of the 2023-24 season and a discussion with former manager David Moyes prompted a tough decision when Charlton made their interest clear. 'Moyes was always honest with me,' says Coventry. 'There were times when he would say, 'Conor, I think you're better off leaving'. Then other times when he would tell me to stay. He helped me transition from the academy into the first team. You can be in a bubble when you play for the under-21s. As much as I loved training with Declan Rice and Mark Noble, I needed that experience of playing something meaningful, which is why I went out on loan. 'I tore my hamstring at Rotherham at the end of the (2022-23) season. I played the first pre-season game with West Ham but had a setback after. We went to Australia for the tour and I didn't play any of the games. I missed roughly five games, so I was struggling with my fitness. I had a few options but they didn't feel right. I decided to stay until January. Charlton first showed interest around November and it just felt right. Advertisement 'I had waited a long time for a chance at West Ham. Staff and the players told me to stay and I felt I was good enough. There were times when I had options but I still backed myself to earn a place in the team. 'In training, I felt close to being in contention. It's hard to say I should've left earlier because that's not how I felt. I developed so much training with (Jarrod) Bowen, (Lucas) Paqueta and all these top players.' Even the new start at Charlton has had difficulties. He was signed by Michael Appleton on January 12 — but within 12 days the manager had been sacked and replaced by Jones, with Charlton in relegation trouble. It was at that point that he turned to a former West Ham team-mate. 'It was a difficult time leaving West Ham and then the change at Charlton. When the gaffer (Jones) arrived, we spoke when he took over about where I could improve and what he liked about me. 'I'm a more well-rounded footballer now, but there's still more to come. I've overcome disappointments and not playing consistently in my career. But this is the best I've felt and I needed this stability. 'In the process of me leaving and starting at Charlton, (Pablo) Fornals helped me massively with advice. I still speak to him now. Fornals treated every young player as if they were his son. Even the new signings, he went out of his way to bond with them. He's someone you would love to have in your team. Just so genuine and one of my favourite team-mates.' This season, Coventry and Charlton, who have been in League One for five years, have been transformed. He has started 42 of their 44 league games and impressed in his holding midfield role as Jones has built a team pushing Wrexham and Wycombe Wanderers for automatic promotion, with a play-off place secured. In November, his form earned a senior call-up for the Republic of Ireland squad for the Nations League game against England. Advertisement 'Last summer, I arrived for pre-season with the intention of being in the team, so it's great to feature heavily in the push for promotion — the gaffer has shown great faith in me,' Coventry says. 'Maybe people from the outside thought we wouldn't be around it. But we all had confidence we would compete and here we are now. I believe the club can return back to where it belongs (the Premier League, where they have not played since 2006-07). 'We've seen it with recent performances from the team. The club is back on a rise and hopefully we can end the season on a high. I look back positively on my year here.' Coventry returned to West Ham's training ground before finalising his switch to Charlton. Given time constraints, there were no players or coaches present at Rush Green. The realisation of leaving his boyhood club finally sank in. 'Being there is all I knew, so it felt strange waking up one day and no longer being a West Ham player,' he says. 'I went to Rush Green and my seat in the training ground was next to Ben Johnson (who left last summer to join Ipswich Town on a free transfer). I got a bit emotional thinking me and him made it this far into the first team. But it was just me and the security guards because I got to the training ground late. 'It would've been nice to see people but maybe it was for the best so I wouldn't get emotional. Jamo (the kit man) dropped more of my stuff off the next day and had a picture of me with the Conference League trophy. I wasn't on the bench or played in the build-up to the Conference League win, but it's given me that inner drive to experience that winning feeling again. 'Hopefully, I can do it with Charlton.'
