By Hugo Varley
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 long-range 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 for his infamous chipped penalty against Cardiff City in the play-offs which rolled straight into the arms of David Marshall.
As I delved a little deeper however, I found an incredibly inspiring story.
I discovered that at the age of 14 Kermorgant had been diagnosed with leukemia. After two years of treatment doctors told him that his footballing career was over but he defied the odds and began playing professionally for his hometown club Vannes.
This heart-warming story made me desperate to see Yann succeed at The Valley and, to my delight, he went from strength to strength during his first season with us. He soon transformed from super sub to star striker and formed a prolific partnership with Wright-Phillips as Charlton stormed to the League One title with a record-breaking 101 points.
Kermorgant scored 12 league goals during his first season including a superb lob from an almost impossible angle against Hartlepool Unitied on the final day of the campaign, which subsequently won the club’s goal of the season award.
Although Yann scored and assisted plenty of goals that season, it was his undeniable commitment to the cause that really endeared him to Charlton fans.
One particular moment that stands out for me happened when we played against Oldham on a rainy December afternoon at The Valley.
The Frenchman was forced off the pitch early on after a nasty clash of heads with Nathan Clarke. He disappeared down the tunnel for stitches and reappeared with a huge bloodstained bandage around his head. After suffering a large gash on his nose just a few minutes later Kermorgant’s face seemed to be entirely covered in bandages and plasters.
However he refused to be substituted and heroically finished the game despite looking almost unrecognizable!
Kermorgant played a season and a half of Championship football for Charlton where his work-rate and effort never dropped. During this time he played in three memorable matches against his former club Leicester City.
On all three occasions Yann superbly silenced the Leicester supporters by getting on the scoresheet as the Addicks came away as the victors on every occasion.
Unfortunately, Yann’s time in South London ended all too prematurely.
In January 2014 Charlton were taken over by new owners who were intent on drastically changing the structure of the club.
Kermorgant was sold to Bournemouth and a few months later Chris Powell was sacked as the club threatened to once again spiral into instability.
Unsurprisingly, Kermorgant quickly became an instant hit at Bournemouth and helped to fire The Cherries to promotion last season.
Rather fittingly, Bournemouth lifted the Championship trophy at The Valley. It was a touching moment to witness both sets of fans stand and applaud the Frenchman as he left the field with his winner’s medal.
It was brilliant to watch Kermorgant come up against some of the best players in the world this season but I am still clinging to the somewhat faint hope that he will one day make a homecoming return to The Valley in the red and white of Charlton.
Thanks for the memories, Yann
