ASCENSION DAY

Charlton on the rise as devout Christian Jones can start to forget all about his hellish spell with Saints

- BY MIKE WALTERS

AS a devout born-again Christian, with the tattoos to prove it, Nathan Jones will know it's Ascension Day on Thursday.

And fittingly he will celebrate it after taking Charlton Athletic up.

Sacked by Southampton after just 95 days in his only taste of Premier League management two years ago, celestial powers have seen to it that Jones will meet his former employers as equal partners in the Championship next season.

Macaulay Gillesphey’s free-kick after 31 minutes settled a bruising League One play-off final and sent 43,000 disciples from south-east London into raptures.

The Addicks were 18th in the third tier, and going nowhere fast, when Jones (right) took over in February 2024. Now he joins Lennie Lawrence, Peter Shirtliff, Clive Mendonca, Sasa Ilic and Patrick Bauer in the gallery of Charlton legends after extending their 100 per cent record in play-off finals: Played four, won four.

And even the clots who treated him so poorly at St Mary's would not begrudge his euphoria.