Johnnie Jackson bid an emotional farewell to The Valley after the Blackburn game on Saturday.

The skipper – who is retiring at the end of the season – addressed the fans after they welcomed him onto the pitch with the, “Johnnie Jackson runs down the wing for me,” song. Here is what he said:

“I’ve always loved that song even though I don’t do much running down the wing anymore.

“I want to say a few thank yous. First of all to my teammates, past and present, it’s been a privilege to play with them all. I want to thank the staff, all of the managers I’ve played under. You learn a little bit off of everyone you play under.

“I want to say a special thank you to Phil Parkinson for bringing me to this club and to Sir Chris Powell for showing faith in me and giving the captain’s armband which has always meant a hell of a lot to me.

“I’ll always be grateful for him for that. Lastly I want to say a big thank you to you guys (the fans). You took to me from the moment I came here, you made me one of your own and you made me feel so welcome. For that, I can’t thank you enough.

“We’ve had our ups and downs in the eight years but I’ve got nothing but brilliant, fond memories and let’s hope there is a little bit more to come.

“We have got, hopefully, four more games and with your support and these guys (the players), we stick together and we can get the club back to where it belongs in the Championship.”

The season is not over yet of course, and Charlton look set for a two-legged play-off semi-final clash with Shrewsbury or Rotherham.

The Addicks completed the double over Rotherham on Easter Monday, and won at Shrewsbury ‎two weeks ago, so would go into the games full of confidence. Shrewsbury are their more likely opponents.

Scunthorpe and Plymouth clash at Glanford Park on Tuesday, and if the Iron win, Charlton would need no more than a draw in their final game at Rochdale to qualify for the play-offs.

So Jackson looks likely to ‎be involved in one more game at The Valley, and could possibly make a Wembley appearance too.

He needs two more appearances to take his career total to 500, of which 274 have been made during his time in SE7, and he has scored 55 goals for the Valley outfit.

Jackson was Phil Parkinson’s first signing when he cut his managerial teeth at Colchester, and Parkinson brought him to The Valley, on loan from Notts County, eight years ago.

Jackson played as an emergency left-back, but was injured after just four games. Parkinson made the move permanent in the summer, but Jackson’s odyssey really started a year later, in the summer of 2011.

Chris Powell had replaced Parkinson as manager in January of that year, and rebuilt the side prior to the title winning season of 2011/12.

Powell made Jackson his captain, and the team took League One by storm‎, winning the title with a record number of points.

Jackson operated on the left side of a midfield that included Danny Green, Dale Stephens and Danny Hollands.

The future for the skipper is unclear. He will now devote his energies to coaching, but with the club up for sale, the new owners may want to bring their own coaching team in.

But a Valley without Johnnie Jackson is unthinkable, and any new owner would be wise to keep the Camden born skipper on board.

Legend is a word that is used far too frequently in football, but there have been few bigger legends in SE7 than Johnnie Jackson.