by Keyan Milanian

A lifelong Charlton Athletic supporter and former player who once played at Wembley in front of 100,000 people took centre stage again for a day at his Gillingham care home.

Les Fell, 89, who now lives at Rogers House, an Abbeyfield Kent Society residential care home in Wigmore, played professionally for Charlton for nine years between 1945 and 1954.

He was visited by Phil Webster, a representative of the club’s former players association, who wanted to learn more about Les’s career at the club and how the sport has changed since the war.

The association has kept in touch with Les since he retired from football and regularly arranged for Les to watch games and get involved in social events until his eyesight deteriorated. He still listens to the Addicks on radio, including their recent League 1 playoff semi-final defeat to Swindon.

Les was born in 1920 and started playing for Margate at 13 years old. But it was when he was playing for Gravesend, aged 22, that he got his big break and was spotted by Charlton Athletic.

He was paid £12 a week, a "top wage and one of the best paid jobs of the time".

Les’s football highlight was in 1946, when he played in the first FA Cup final since the war. The match was at Wembley, with a crowd of 100,000 people, against Derby County. He recalls travelling up to the game by train from Margate and before the match his food of choice was 'cups of Bovril’.

Even though Les was on the losing team, the final score being 4 -1 to Derby, it was also a historic day and after the game Les received a medal from King George VI.

This was in bronze because on the day of the FA Cup final there was only enough gold for the winning team.

His gold medal was sent several months later by the Queen Mother.

Looking through old photographs and football programmes from his days at Charlton, Les said: "I’ve pretty much always played as number seven and was fast on my feet and there weren’t many footballers that stood a chance of getting past me."

When asked if football has changed, Les added: "It’s a different world, you can’t compare it. That was real football back then."

• Did you watch Les play? What are your memories of 'realfootball'? Leave us a note below.