Divisive ex-player could hurt Charlton Athletic again in April: View | OneFootball

Highlights

After deciding to sack Dean Holden as head coach in late August and replace him with Michael Appleton, Charlton Athletic's new owners - SE7 Partners - are probably feeling very smug and justified with their actions right about now.

Holden became the first casualty of the EFL season after just five league matches - despite opening the 2023-24 League One campaign with a victory, four losses on the spin led to his dismissal.

And in Appleton, a manager was brought in who was not only experienced at League One level, but someone who has also developed young, attacking players in his time at the likes of Oxford United and Lincoln City such as Kemar Roofe and Brennan Johnson.

Since Appleton's arrival, the Addicks have lost just twice in the league in 10 matches, with 16 points picked up out of a possible 30, which is a solid record especially as it's not really his squad.

Sitting five points off the play-off spots in 11th position, Charlton and Appleton will expect to be in the mix for the top six come the end of the season, but when they are battling for that place at the back end of the campaign, their rivals will be looking to spoil their fun.

Charlton Athletic's 4 most famous fans

One of those is Wycombe Wanderers, and the last week, the Chairboys have bolstered their strike-force with a former Addicks player in the form of Lyle Taylor.

And he's someone that not only could hamper his former club's top six ambitions, but he is also someone that now has a split opinion at The Valley among the fanbase.

Why is Lyle Taylor disliked by some Charlton Athletic fans?

Taylor landed at Charlton in the summer of 2018 from AFC Wimbledon as a striker in the prime of his career, having hit double figures in League One for the Dons in the previous two seasons.

He did the exact same for the Addicks, firing home 22 goals on the way to their promotion to the Championship through the play-offs, and he continued with his scoring form in the second tier with 11 goals in 22 appearances.

However, after football returned following the three-month break because of COVID-19, Taylor made it clear that he was not going to play a part in the final nine matches of the campaign as Charlton looked to survive the drop back to League One.

With his contract set to expire on June 30, Taylor felt as though he could not risk injury and prevent a big-money move to another club, so he did not take the temporary extension until the end of the season and instead sat it out and departed The Valley - whilst manager Lee Bowyer understood, some fans did not.

Taylor's refusal to play saw Charlton lack the fire-power needed to stay up for the final nine matches, scoring just six goals in that time and they ended up being relegated - and they haven't made it back to the Championship since.

The Montserrat international did get his big move to Nottingham Forest, but he was not really a success at the City Ground and after sitting on the sidelines for the entirety of last season, the 33-year-old has now signed for Wycombe until the end of the season, making his debut this past weekend in the EFL Trophy against his former club AFC Wimbledon.

With the likes of Brandon Hanlan, Sam Vokes and Dale Taylor to choose from, it remains to be seen how much game-time the veteran actually gets, but if he gets goals under his belt then that could directly hurt his former club in the form of the Addicks.

When will Lyle Taylor and Wycombe face Charlton Athletic?

On April 27, Charlton will make the trip to Adams Park to take on Wanderers, and there's every chance that both clubs could be in the running for a play-off spot.

And it would be extremely irritating for Charlton fans if Taylor were to be one of the difference makers between the club getting in the play-offs or not, especially after how he somewhat abandoned them when they really needed him the most.

It may not work out for the experienced centre-forward in Buckinghamshire, and considering he's barely kicked a competitive ball in anger for well over a year, Taylor won't be expected to bang in the goals straight away.

But if he does play a part in Charlton not making the top six, then expect some of the ones that dislike him for his actions over three years ago to voice their displeasure even further...