Luke Berry spoke of his excitement at reuniting with Nathan Jones after Charlton confirmed the capture of the goalscoring midfielder, who has signed a two-year deal with a club option of a third.
“He’s got an intensity about him that gets the best out of me,” said Berry. “And I feel like he gets the best out of players and teams. He’s just a great person as well as a great Manager.
“I signed for him in League Two and he was saying things [about getting to the Premier League]. You’re thinking, ‘this guy, he’s crazy’. But eventually he was right. You’ve just got to believe in yourself - this Charlton team is a really good team, we just need to believe in ourselves and put in the hard work, and I can see us doing something special.
“He’s been trying to get hold of me for a while, just saying how great the club is. When I finished up at Luton, I rang him straight away and wanted to get it going.”
For Berry, the objective next season is clear. “To get promoted is the first thing I want to achieve with the team,” he said. “And I want to contribute as many goals as I possibly can - if I can contribute 10-15 goals and assists as well then I’ll be delighted.”
As a player who has been promoted four times during his career, Berry knows a thing or two about what it takes.
“Consistency, really. Just being consistent with what we do. Working hard and just a bit of quality here and there. And I think we can do that as well.
“It’s not easy getting out of leagues, especially League One. It’s a tricky league, so hopefully I can bring a bit of experience, help some of the younger lads to try and do that.”
Having had difficult experiences at The Valley as an opposition player, Berry is well aware of the impact the supporters can have.
“There’s no real good memories, to be honest, because we’ve always had a tricky time here!” he explained. “The last one was 3-1. Luton went 1-0 up early doors and then the atmosphere got going and then next thing we’re 3-1 down. Not great memories but you can tell if you’re a home player here that the fans get behind you and it’s great.
“It makes a massive difference. It energises the boys when you’re feeling tired. When we make The Valley a real fortress to come to it will be intimidating for other teams as well. So I’m looking forward to playing here.”
With a week-and-a-half until the start of pre-season, the midfielder is already raring to go.
“I’ve seen a couple of the lads today,” he said. “When you’re around it and even in the gym you just want to get out and start training again.”
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