Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Former Ireland U 21 internationals Conor Coventry (left) with Ollie O'Neill.Alamy Stock Photo FreeEFL League One Agony and ecstasy for Irish stars as Charlton earn Championship promotion Strong contingent in action on both sides in front of over 76,000 at Wembley. 3.37pm, 25 May 2025 Share options MACAULEY GILLESPHEY STRUCK the only goal of the game to beat Leyton Orient in the League One play-off final and send Charlton back into the Championship after a gap of five years to the delight of their 40,000 fans in a crowd of 76,193. There was agony and ecstasy for Irish players and staff involved on either side, with former Republic of Ireland U21 captain Conor Coventry at the heart of a Charlton side that has ex international Curtis Fleming on the club’s coaching staff. Leyton Orient goalkeeper Josh Keeley, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur and called up for Ireland’s friendlies with Senegal and Luxembourg next month, was unable to keep Charlton out while, in attack, Ollie O’Neill could not repeat his semi-final impact. And no-nonsense defending from both sides led to a scrappy opening period with goal opportunities at a premium. Advertisement It took 31 minutes for the game to spark into life but the wait was worth it with a sublimely executed free-kick by Gillesphey breaking the deadlock. Tyreece Campbell, always a threat, was fouled outside the penalty box and Gillesphey curled his set-piece delivery from 20 yards past the wall and wide of Keeley who got his fingers to the ball but could not prevent it from nestling into the net. Charlton enjoyed the better of the possession in the first half whilst nervy Orient struggled to impose themselves on the game and the Addicks looked more comfortable on the ball. Campbell and skipper Greg Docherty exchanged passes in a potentiallythreatening move but Campbell’s weak cross was comfortably collected by Keeley while Orient provided little concerns for Addicks shot-stopper Will Mannion. The teams came into the match in a rich vein of form, each having only tasted defeat once in each of their last 10 matches. The Addicks completed the scheduled league season in fourth spot, seven points ahead of the O’s whose run of six successive victories at the death earned them the final play-off position. Orient raised their tempo in the second half, taking the game to their opponents from the restart. Jack Currie sent in a powerful drive that was deflected for a corner and then League One’s leading scorer Charlie Kelman saw his goal-bound drive deflected onto the crossbar. Then Jamie Donley was brought down on the edge of the penalty area but his resultant free-kick was blocked by the resolute Charlton defence. Keeley kept Orient in the game when he dealt with an effort from Conor Coventry before he tipped a well-struck effort from substitute Chuks Aneke over the bar but Orient kept pushing forward in search of the equaliser. However, a combination of a lack of quality to their final touch and pass and the well-drilled determined unwavering steely defending of their opponents for whom Lloyd Jones was outstanding proved too much to overcome. The return to the second tier of English football was a triumph for Charlton boss Nathan Jones. He had twice led Luton to promotions and can now add Charlton to his list of successes having taken over as boss of the club in February 2024. Press Association Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Agony and ecstasy for Irish stars as Charlton earn Championship promotion”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “Agony and ecstasy for Irish stars as Charlton earn Championship promotion”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. Racism or Hate speech An attack on an individual or group based on religion, race, gender, or beliefs. Trolling or Off-topic An attempt to derail the discussion. Inappropriate language Profanity, obscenity, vulgarity, or slurs. Advertising, phishing, scamming, bots, or repetitive posts. Please provide additional information Thank you for the feedback Your feedback has been sent to our team for review. Leave a commentcancel Access to the comments facility has been disabled for this user View our policy ⚠️ Duplicate comment Post Comment have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion Charlton Athletic EFL League One Leyton Orient News in 60 seconds FreeTake a Bow Lake Victoria back to her brilliant best in Irish 1,000 Guineas Freesuccess Lando Norris wins Monaco Grand Prix to cut Oscar Piastri’s lead to three points 19 mins ago FreePastures new Southampton appoint highly rated 32-year-old coach as manager FreeChampions Disappointment for Mayo as Galway win 19th Connacht title FreeWeighing Things Up Liam Scales insists Celtic will come back stronger after treble bid fails Freehala gaffa Real Madrid confirm Xabi Alonso as new manager on three-year deal Freeformula 2 Offaly native Alex Dunne eliminated after chaotic crash in Monaco Sharlene Mawdsley shines for second as Efrem Gidey makes golden history for Ireland Robbie Keane leads Ferencváros to Hungarian league title Bordeaux overcome stubborn Saints to land first Champions Cup title UEFA Women's Champions League Katie McCabe's Arsenal beat Barcelona for Champions League glory more from us Investigates Daft.ie Property Magazine Allianz Home Magazine The 42 Sports Magazine Money Diaries The Journal TV Journal Media Advertise With Us About FactCheck Our Network FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition more from us TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Journal Media Advertise With Us Our Network The Journal FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition © 2025 Journal Media Ltd Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition Switch to Desktop Switch to Mobile The 42 supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at https://www.presscouncil.ie, PH: (01) 6489130, Lo-Call 1800 208 080 or email: mailto:info@presscouncil.ie Report an error, omission or problem: Your Email (optional) Create Email Alert Create an email alert based on the current article Email Address One email every morning As soon as new articles come online Sign in or create a free account To continue reading create a free account Or sign into an existing account