Charlton's new man on old rivalries

By Rob Virtue on August 8, 2008 1:50 PM |

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WHEN a player moves to a new club there's always the chance he will run into an old enemy.

That was the case when Mark Hudson first walked into the changing room at Charlton and came face to face with a sparring partner from last year, Luke Varney.

The two were at loggerheads in their last meeting, when Varney scored twice but received a few bruises from the then-Crystal Palace centre back in Charlton's win at The Valley.

With a nervous laugh, Hudson joked that they had to have a clear the air talk.

He said: "Yeah, we have had a bit of a chat. Luke said he tried to do me but I think he came off worse.

"Seriously though, he scored a couple against me last season and I saw then that he was such a big threat."

Hudson would know more than many how dangerous Varney can be and in his view he sees the forward as being a key player this season.

He said: "This year we have got to use him as much as possible. He scored eight or nine goals last year and he should get way more than that this time."

Hudson signed as a free transfer from rivals Palace in the close season and was earmarked by boss Alan Pardew as a possible captain.

Last week Pardew confirmed he had the armband for the season and Hudson said he was delighted.

He said: "It's a great honour and one I've never had in my career before. I would never have turned it down.

"Now we've all got to hope for the best which is promotion, so we have to start well from the word go. We need a good start and that will lead to our goals and we will know where we're aiming for."