CHRISTIAN Dailly was named Charlton’s player of the year on Sunday evening and the veteran defender used his acceptance speech to pay tribute to the Addicks fanbase.

Dailly, 36, edged out popular engine room man Jose Semedo and last year’s winner, club captain Nicky Bailey, in what the club describe as the “closest fans’ vote in years”.

And after thanking the fans for their support throughout his first season at The Valley, the former Scotland international told of how he meant every word he said following the ceremony.

He said of the supporters: "It's a two-way thing. I'm just thankful for the support I've received right from the very first day when I came to the club.

"When you consider the disappointments for the supporters over the past few years, I think the backing this year has been superb - we've probably got no right to expect that level of backing.

"That was epitomised by the crowd against Leeds. That game would have finished 0-0 without the fans - it was their singing and their support that willed the ball into the net.

“That's how much it means to us, and how much it means to me personally."

For the time being, the jury is out on whether Charlton’s season will ultimately be seen as a success or failure, depending on if the Addicks can clinch promotion be it automatically or via the play-offs.

But promotion or no promotion, Dailly spoke extremely positively of the way things are run in SE7, and re-iterated just how comfortable he feels at Charlton after just ten months at the club.

He added: "The way I approach games, I aim to leave the ground at the end of the match knowing that I've given as much as it's possible for me to give that week, physically and mentally.

"Sometimes you get credit for that, sometimes you don't, but it's so nice to be at a club like Charlton. I feel like I've here here for ages. It makes me very proud.

"I've always been second or third in the end-of-season awards, it's happened a number of times for me in these kind of things.

"I think what's different now is that maybe I'm enjoying my football a bit more than ever before.

"The management we have here is real top quality. The staff that we have, right the way down the medical team, the doctor and the fitness boys, everyone is terrific."