Charlton Athletic are delighted to confirm the appointment of Richard O’Donnell as Men’s First-Team Coach.
The 38-year-old reunites with Head Coach Michael Appleton, who he worked alongside at Lincoln City and Blackpool.
O’Donnell first met Appleton in 2004 when the duo studied for their UEFA B Licence together.
The former Scunthorpe United and Barnsley prospect acquired his UEFA A Licence aged 21 after his playing career was ended prematurely through injury and began his coaching career at York City, before spending 12 years within Hull City’s academy setup.
He was named First-Team Development Coach at Lincoln in January 2020 and followed Appleton to Blackpool in the summer of 2022.
Commenting on O’Donnell’s appointment, Technical Director Andy Scott said: “I am delighted to welcome Richie to the club. He comes with a strong career in coaching and has demonstrated his ability to work with players, both young and more experienced, at this level, as well as the Championship.
“Michael was very keen to work with Richie again and, after many conversations and meetings, it was clear that he would complement Michael as well as the rest of the first team staff well. He is an excellent communicator who will interact with the players well and we look forward to working with him.
“With Richie joining the club, Jason Pearce will return to his role in the academy after this weekend’s game as was his wish and I personally would like to thank him for stepping up in difficult circumstances and being so professional and thorough - something that I’m sure all Charlton fans won’t be surprised to hear. We believe Jason has a very long, successful coaching career ahead of him.
“Following Richie’s arrival, we will now reflect and review the coaching team - as we are with all football-related departments - and, with Michael’s input, decide what other members of staff we will recruit and in which areas to enable the players to improve and for the club to ensure we have a high performing team on and off the pitch.”
O’Donnell will join Appleton, Jason Pearce and Interim Goalkeeping Coach Stephen Henderson in the dugout at Stevenage on Saturday.
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