Next up in the series of teams new to League One next term, we take a look at Charlton Athletic.

Who's in charge?

Having been the man to steer Colchester United to an unlikely spot in the Championship back in 2005/06, Phil Parkinson is well-placed to know just what it will take to get Charlton Athletic out of League One this term.

Leaving Colchester at the end of their promotion season, Parkinson moved on to Hull City where he was in charge for just six indifferent months before moving on due to 'mutual consent'.Charlton Athletic were the next stop for the former Reading midfielder where he joined as Assistant to Alan Pardew.

When Pardew left in November 2008, Parkinson initially took temporary charge of affairs before taking over permanently in January 2009, where he was unable to avoid relegation to League One.

Where do they play?

The Valley has been home to Charlton Athletic since 1919 and has a capacity of 27, 100. In 1985 Charlton were forced to leave The Valley due to financial problems and improvements needed at the ground.

There followed a five-year groundshare with Crystal Palace before a season sharing West Ham's Upton Park ground before Charlton moved back to The Valley in 1992.

How did they get here?

Next season will see Charlton play in the third tier of English football for the first time in almost thirty years. After flitting between the Premier League and Championship in the late 90s/early 2000s, Charlton enjoyed a six-season run in the top flight before being relegated again in the 2006/07 campaign.

After a mid-table finish in the Championship in 07/08, Charlton found themselves rock bottom of the league last season and relegated to League One with three games remaining - finishing the season 6 points adrift.

When did we last meet?

Pools' one and only game with Charlton Athletic came in the 2005/06 campaign when Martin Scott's side were drawn against The Addicks in the Second Round of the League Cup.

The then Premier League outfit were too much for Pools on the night, running out 3-1 winners. Jon Daly got Pools only goal of the game. Click here for match report.

When do we play them?

Saturday 15^th August 2009 (Victoria Park)
Saturday 9^th January 2010 (The Valley)

Chris says…

"I think Phil Parkinson is an excellent Manager, and another one who has done extremely well at other clubs. He has joined Charlton at the wrong time in terms of their financial difficulties but I think Charlton's response will be determined by how many players they manage to keep hold of out of their squad from last season. But a club of their size should be in with a chance of bouncing straight back.