"Wow" - Exclusive: Sky Sports pundit hails "masterstroke" Charlton Athletic transfer | OneFootball

Matty Godden has been a key man for the Addicks as they make a late play for the top two

Former footballer and current Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman has hailed Charlton Athletic's summer capture of veteran striker Matty Godden, and believes that his great form could fire the Addicks to a potential automatic promotion spot in League One this season.

Charlton started the season in inconsistent form, but they have turned a corner in recent months and are now in with a genuine chance of sealing promotion to the Championship inside the top two of the third-tier. They sit fourth in the league table, just five points from second-placed Wycombe Wanderers with nine games to go.

Nathan Jones' side have lost just one of their last 13 league outings, and their great run has been spearheaded by 33-year-old frontman Godden, who netted a brace to help sink Wigan Athletic at The Valley last time out.

Don Goodman praises Matty Godden impact and issues Charlton promotion prediction

Godden has been a regular scorer in the EFL for nearly nine seasons now, after he first properly made his name in professional football following a move to Stevenage from Ebbsfleet United in 2016.

He was a hit at the Lamex Stadium, and also in his one season spent at Peterborough United, before he fired Coventry City to League One glory in 2020 and then spent four years with the Sky Blues in the second-tier. He scored 32 goals in 112 Championship appearances under Mark Robins.

It was, therefore, viewed as somewhat of a coup for Charlton to land his services last summer for a fee that could reportedly rise to around £400,000, but questions were starting to be asked of his quality after a relatively slow start to life at the club.

The 33-year-old has certainly proven any doubters wrong since, though, and now sits on 15 strikes from 37 games in all competitions so far this term after his exploits against Wigan.

Sky Sports co-commentator and pundit Don Goodman has praised Charlton for pulling off the signing of Godden back in July, and believes that he could potentially fire them to an automatic promotion place ahead of the likes of Wycombe and Wrexham this season.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Goodman said: “I do think the signing of Matty Godden at Charlton was a masterstroke.

“I remember thinking ‘wow, he’s going to score plenty of goals at that level, and in a team managed by Nathan Jones,’ so it’s no surprise to me.

“12 League One goals in just 20 starts. Charlton are coming to the boil at exactly the right time of the season, and I think they’re giving Wycombe and Wrexham something to worry about.

“For long periods it just felt like a two-horse race for the other automatic promotion place alongside Birmingham City…not anymore, because Matty Godden and Charlton Athletic are absolutely flying.

“They are, by no means, out of the automatic promotion race. Absolutely a masterstroke.”

Godden has been praised by Nathan Jones for his outstanding League One form

Godden is in some of the best form of his life right now in South London, even at 33-years-old. He only needs three more league goals this season to better his previous two best single-season goal-hauls in the third-tier, after he bagged 14 for both Peterborough and Coventry in the 2018/19 and 2019/20 campaigns respectively.

No team has picked up more League One points than Charlton since the start of 2025, and both Godden and his teammates are showing no signs of slowing down as the season edges closer to a conclusion.

Addicks boss Nathan Jones was likely a huge reason why the Canterbury-born striker chose to move to The Valley, and he recently heaped huge praise on his in-form frontman after his star turn against Wigan last week.

"I’d love to go back to July and look at some of the comments, scepticism and things that said he (Godden) is not him, he is not this or he is a journeyman. I knew he wasn’t," he told the South London News.

"I could be really self-righteous now and say: ‘I told you so’…but no. Matty Godden is class.

"He has had a wonderful career and is a goalscorer. We brought him here to score goals for Charlton Athletic and Matty Godden has given us the return we wanted."

Godden himself is clearly full of self-confidence, and even admitted that he "should’ve scored a hat-trick" against the Latics, despite winning the game for his side.

The Addicks need to keep up their strong form to bypass both Wycombe and Wrexham into second place from now until the end of the season, but even if they do have to settle for a play-off spot, they are the form team and no-one will fancy facing them with a scorer like Godden amongst their ranks.