Yann was the man at charlton...
ONE of my favorite aspects of supporting a sports team is the way in which cult heroes emerge. I love the idea that a player can arrive at a club as an unknown entity and end up being talked about on the terraces for years to come. Most cult heroes may not be the best players in their division or even the best players in their team but they are somehow able to create a unique bond with the fans through their determination and commitment to the club.
As a Charlton Athletic fan I have witnessed the emergence of many cult heroes over the years. Players such as Dean Kiely, Matt Holland and Johnnie Jackson have all been able to engineer a special relationship with the fans.
However, the most remarkable thing that I have witnessed during my 15 years as a fan is the way in which Yann Kermorgant spectacularly won over the Charlton faithful.
Kermorgant joined Charlton at what was already a special time for the Addicks. After years of almost permanent decline since relegation from the Premier League, things had finally begun to look a little brighter.
Club legend Chris Powell had been handed the managerial job towards the end of the 2010/11 season and that summer he was given the tools to build a side capable of promotion. By mid-September we were sitting proudly near the top of the League One table. Everything
seemed to be clicking into place; Jackson was heroically leading the side, new goalkeeper Ben Hamer was fantastically filling the void left by Rob Elliot’s departure and Bradley Wright-Phillips was in sublime goalscoring form.
Little attention was therefore given when Powell decided to bring in a 29-year old free agent from France.
Kermorgant made one of his first appearances by coming off the bench on a chilly September night at MK Dons. Charlton had put in an uncharacteristically poor performance and were a goal down when Powell decided to bring on the journeyman striker with 20 minutes remaining.
The Frenchman entered the pitch to polite applause but within just two minutes he had sent the away end into raptures as he bravely headed home a dramatic equaliser.
Just four days later Kermorgant once again scored within seconds of coming off the bench when he beautifully struck a longrange free-kick to secure an important win at promotion rivals Sheffield United.
It was around this time that I decided to do a little bit of research into our new super sub.
To begin with I found a wealth of comments and articles from disgruntled Leicester City fans. Kermorgant made 20 appearances for the Foxes during the 2009-10 season but is probably best known among Leicester fans