CHRIS Powell was delighted to see the career of Colin ‘Paddy’ Powell celebrated on Saturday, despite Charlton losing his testimonial match 1-0 to Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

Paddy Powell, the club’s groundsman, represented the club 358 times as a player before switching studs for forks in 1987.

And the Charlton manager was pleased to see Paddy’s many years of service to the club finally rewarded.

He said: “He’s a man who fully deserves the testimonial game and I really wish we got the win for him.

“It would have been a nice way to end the day for him, but it wasn’t to be but we move on.

“It’s a shame it’s happened (the loss) but it’s more about him people turning out and making sure we celebrate what he’s done for us.

“I hope everyone supports him in his testimonial year. I think we’ve got another event for him, a dinner, and I hope everybody turns out in force for him on that evening.”

The Addicks chief added: “He’s a fine man, and was a very good player in his day.

“A lot of our older fans will remember him dancing own the wing and then he became our groundsman.

“It’s just great he is still involved and linked with our club.

“Paddy’s someone I really admire.

“He had a tough year with the pitch last year but he ploughed on.

"We keep in touch about the pitch and how we want things, and I’m really impressed with how it’s looking now.”

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