Ahead of Chris Solly's testimonial match against Aston Villa at The Valley on July 27th, we spoke to former Addick, Yann Kermorgant, to get his take on what Chris Solly is like as a player and as a person.
Kermorgant, who made 97 appearances for Charlton from 2011 to 2014, had flown out from France to join Solly in celebrating his 10 years at Charlton.
"If he was not a great person, I would not have flown over tonight to see him!" he explained.
"I’ll always love Chris. When I played with him, he was a really good friend. We had a lot of good times together. As a player I loved him as well because he was such a good player, a good pro. He was always enjoying football and he was a good competitor, as well. He always wanted to win and I remember that when I was playing with him I thought ‘this guy is so difficult to get past'."
Kermorgant and Solly both played their part in the Charlton squad which stormed the 2011/12 Football League One and the forward has fond memories of that era they both shared.
"That season [2011/12], we just had such a great group," he said.
"We could have done better if we’d stayed together. The group was there. Everyone loved the manager.
"For me, in football, there are two things; football tactics and the management and group, and I think that we had everything. We loved to play together, we were friends. I’ve been in different groups after and before and I think this one was a really good group. Lots of different characters but we loved to play together."
Ahead of Solly's 11th season in red and white, the Addicks will host Aston Villa in a testimonial match at The Valley on Saturday, July 27th (3pm). Tickets are now on sale and supporters can purchase them here.
Adult - £15
Over 65/Under 21 - £10
Under 11 - When accompanied by a full paying adult - £5
Profits for the game will go to the Chris Solly testimonial fund which will then result in a charitable donation to Prostate Cancer UK as well as other charities of his choosing.
