Charlton Athletic v Scunthorpe United

REPUBLIC of Ireland international midfielder Andy Reid has been handed the captaincy for Charlton's opening Championship home game against Scunthorpe on Saturday.

Manager Alan Pardew ended weeks of speculation when he announced on Friday: "Andy will take the captain's armband.

"I think he has a fantastic personality and he's a winner. Sometimes he gets frustrated but he will learn and improve by having the captaincy."

England Under-21 international winger Jerome Thomas is likely to miss the season's curtain-raiser with a hamstring strain, but former MK Dons leading scorer Izale McLeod will be involved following his £1.55 million signing this week.

China captain Zheng Zhi will not be involved.

"The squad has had a radical overhaul and a positive look," said Pardew. "I’m sure our season will be a winning one, though I don’t think we’re the promotion favourites because ours is such a new squad.

"I do feel that our season will be influenced more by the players we’ve retained rather than the new signings."

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