Charlton Athletic struck gold with £0 deal for prolific striker - His career would take a sad turn though | OneFootball

Andy Hunt's incredible impact at The Valley

When Charlton Athletic sealed Andy Hunt’s signature on a free transfer in the summer of 1998, it looked like a clever, low-risk move.

What it became was one of the most influential signings of Alan Curbishley’s tenure.

Hunt’s goalscoring touch fired Charlton to a swift return to the Premier League and laid foundations for a long stay in the top flight.

Yet his story also carries a poignant edge: just as he was proving himself at the highest level, illness cut his career devastatingly short.

Andy Hunt’s golden promotion season at The Valley

Charlton’s gamble on Hunt came after a prolific spell at West Bromwich Albion, where he struck 76 goals across five seasons - but it was in south London that he reached the peak of his career.

Relegation from the Premier League in his first year might have deflated lesser signings, but Hunt responded with the campaign of his life.

The 1999-2000 season remains his crowning achievement. Hunt scored 24 league goals, more than any other player in the division, as Charlton stormed to the First Division title. His goals were decisive and often spectacular.

He became the first Addick to net hat-tricks in successive away games, scoring trebles at Norwich City and Stockport County, before repeating the feat against Stockport at The Valley. Few strikers in the second tier were as ruthless or as consistent.

Hunt’s intelligence as a forward stood out. Curbishley’s system, with Mark Kinsella supplying energy from midfield and John Robinson creating width, provided the service Hunt thrived upon.

Time and again he converted chances into points, dragging Charlton back to the Premier League at the first attempt.

Those goals helped Charlton stabilise as a Premier League club. The momentum from that season allowed Curbishley to build a side that would remain in the top flight for seven consecutive years.

For supporters, Hunt’s scoring run is remembered as the spark that ignited the club’s best modern era.

A cruel and premature ending for Andy Hunt’s promising career

The stage seemed set for Hunt to prove himself again at the highest level. He began the 2000-01 campaign in fine form, scoring four goals in his first eight Premier League games.

At 29, he looked primed to enjoy his peak years. Instead, his body betrayed him.

What initially seemed like fatigue soon spiralled into something more sinister. Hunt spoke of feeling as if he was “carrying a heavy load around all the time”.

Club doctors struggled to diagnose the problem until Dr Richard Budgett, then medical officer of the British Olympic Association, identified chronic fatigue syndrome. The diagnosis was devastating.

Hunt made four attempts to return to training but each time his body collapsed. His final professional goal, fittingly, came at The Valley against Coventry City in October 2000 - his last touch before being substituted. In May 2001, aged just 30, he announced his retirement.

There were fleeting flickers of hope. Hunt briefly attempted a comeback in 2003 after a period of recovery in Belize, playing in reserve matches for Charlton, but a full return proved impossible. He would never again grace the top level of English football.

That cruel ending should not obscure his impact. Hunt’s free transfer arrival was one of Charlton’s smartest pieces of business in the modern era.

His 24-goal season not only delivered silverware but also shaped the trajectory of the club for the coming years.

For a striker who came from non-league football and grafted his way up through Newcastle and West Brom, it was a richly deserved moment in the spotlight.

Andy Hunt’s career may have been curtailed by illness, but his legacy in south-east London remains secure: the prolific striker whose goals carried Charlton back to the Premier League - and kept them there long after he was gone.