Charlton Athletic may have 2009/10 fear ahead of Southend United FA Cup clash | OneFootball

Charlton Athletic will face Southend United at Roots Hall in the first round of the FA Cup on Saturday.

Charlton Athletic must avoid a repeat of the 2009/10 season when they visit Southend United in the first round of the FA Cup on Saturday.

It has been almost 15 years since Charlton played Northwich Victoria in the first round of the FA Cup in November 2009.

The Addicks had been relegated from the Championship the previous campaign, having spent just two seasons in the second tier after dropping out of the Premier League, but they had made a good start in League One under the management of Phil Parkinson and were second in the table at the time of the fixture.

On the other hand, Northwich Victoria were in the Blue Square North, the sixth tier of English football, a division that they would go on to be expelled from at the end of the 2009/10 season despite finishing 12th due to 'ongoing financial problems'.

The game was televised on ITV1, providing much needed revenue for a non-league side that had entered administration twice in five years, but not many viewers would have expected the outcome that materialised.

Northwich Victoria produced an upset against Charlton Athletic

Despite the fact that Northwich Victoria had managed to reach the third round of the FA Cup during the 2005/06 season, when they were knocked out by Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, not many people would have expected them to beat Charlton.

The Addicks' starting line-up included the likes of Darren Randolph and Jonjo Shelvey, but the Londoners were unable to overcome the challenge that was in front of them.

18-year-old Wayne Riley came off the bench for the hosts and slotted the ball past Randolph to make it 1-0 with just under 10 minutes remaining, ensuring that Charlton would exit the competition and Northwich Victoria would complete a memorable FA Cup upset to reach the second round.

That defeat is still the last time that Charlton lost against a non-league side in the FA Cup, and they will hope that record is still intact after their first round clash against Southend United on Saturday.

Charlton Athletic have recent experience against non-league sides

Charlton have come up against a number of non-league sides since they were beaten by Northwich Victoria, so they should know what to expect when they visit Southend at the weekend.

First, they edged past Luton Town in a replay during the 2010/11 campaign, before comfortably beating Halifax Town 4-0 the following season.

The Addicks' next meeting with a non-league team in the FA Cup came when they beat Truro City during the 2017/18 season, before they knocked out Havant & Waterlooville and Gateshead on their way to the third round during the 2021/22 campaign.

Coalville Town travelled to SE7 the following season, where they were beaten 4-1 by the Addicks, prior to Charlton's most recent victory over non-league opposition, which occurred last term.

117 league places separated Charlton and Cray Valley Paper Mills when they met at The Valley in the first round of the FA Cup last season, and the visitors remarkably earned a replay with a second-half equaliser, although they went on to be beaten 6-1 at their own stadium.

Charlton will hope to extend their run of good results against non-league opposition when they visit Southend on Saturday, while the Shrimpers will no doubt believe that they can recreate Northwich Victoria's success from just under 15 years ago.