Johansson: 'It’s fantastic to be coming back!'

'

Former Charlton striker Jonatan Johansson is relishing his return to The Valley on Saturday to watch Nathan Jones' side take on Huddersfield Town (KO 12.30pm GMT).

Johansson, who scored 33 goals in 167 appearances for the Addicks across all competitions, will be joined in SE7 by fellow Nordics Hermann Hreidarsson, Claus Jensen, Martin Pringle and Mathias Svensson this weekend.

"It’s fantastic to be coming back!" said Johansson. "I’ve only been back a couple of times before, and The Valley has so many special memories for me. 

"It will be great to see my old teammates as well and have the Nordic contingent at The Valley on Saturday. Some of them I haven’t probably seen since 2006, so a long time! 

"I speak to them on the phone sometimes and we text a little bit, but to catch up and see them properly will be absolutely fantastic. We went through a lot together and we have a lot of special memories."

Supporters are encouraged to take to their seats early on Saturday, with the Nordic quintet set to be presented to The Valley crowd at 12.20pm.

"I had a really special bond with the fans," the former forward explained. "I haven’t been back much and I know the fans have been through a lot over the years since I left. Good times seem to be coming back slowly, so hopefully we will have a good result on Saturday.

"To hear your name being sung at a sold-out Valley and to score in front of them was absolutely fantastic!

"My favourite memories are probably a lot of the derby games, scoring in them, beating the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea, and also staying in the Premier League for six years in a row which is a great achievement," he added. "The main memory is how we, as a young team of underdogs, really established ourselves as a Premier League club."

Former players can register for the club's Ex-Players' Association by using this form.

Image
'
Image
'
Read Time: 2 mins