A Charlton Athletic Women’s player has taken the same shirt number that her father played in for the club.
Midfielder Atlanta Primus, daughter of ex-Charlton and Portsmouth defender Linvoy Primus, has taken the 35 shirt which her father wore during his second spell at the club.
She arrived late in the transfer window on loan from Southampton, and came on at half-time during the Addicks’ comeback win against Durham last Sunday.
Primus’ arrival to the club marks another chapter in her family’s ties to the club, after her father came through their academy and made his professional debut for the side in 1992.
She said: “It’s been a big part of Dad’s life, so to be able to come here and play for the team that he was playing for is very special, and something that I probably didn’t think would happen.
“I think when he’s in the stands and he’s down at The Valley, it brings back a lot of good memories.”
Primus jokingly referenced being on the other side of the family headlines, with her parent club Southampton being bitter rivals to Portsmouth where Linvoy made nearly 200 appearances.
It was Portsmouth who loaned Linvoy back to Charlton in 2008, there donning the number 35 that his daughter has now stepped into.
Reminiscing through the Charlton archives ❤️
— Charlton Athletic Women (@CAFCWomen) September 17, 2024
Something seems to be glitching 🧐 pic.twitter.com/tIZjg8gFXo
Primus said: “It’s a bit of a full circle moment, it’s an honour to wear the Charlton shirt for them and to be able to kind of pay tribute to my dad is a nice feeling as well.
“It just felt fitting, we had to jump through a few hoops to loopholes to get it.”
Primus’ late arrival caused doubts over whether or not the club could register her with the new number so late in the window.
She said: “Everyone liked the story. It was just about, how could we get it to work? With the help of a lot of different people we managed to get that over the line.
“I’m thankful to the staff and one of the young players who actually gave the number up for me.”
Primus has a history of symbolic shirt numbers, typically wearing the number 20, including at her parent club Southampton, which wasn’t available at The Valley.
She said: “I’d had a couple of camps with England where I was number 17, and that was kind of my number. When I went out to the States for a football scholarship 17 wasn’t available.
“I picked number 20 and I looked up the biblical meaning for it, it was something along the lines of being at the perfect timing.
“I’d gone out to the States super late because my visa didn’t come through, and it’s kind of just stuck with me.”
The change hasn’t shaken Primus’ confidence, being brought on at half time during her first matchday by manager Karen Hills and helping turn a one goal deficit into a victory courtesy of two goals by Katie Bradley.
Charlton ended last season one point behind Women’s Championship winners Crystal Palace, but are determined this year to secure promotion into the Women’s Super League, with three wins from three so far this season.
Primus said: “The common goal is that at the end of the season we look back and we put everything into pushing for promotion.”
As for her personal goals, Primus emphasised wanting to get back to her top level in a positive environment at The Valley.
She said: “I think I play my best football when I’m happy, and that is the most important thing at the minute.
“My best performances come when I’m playing with freedom and I’m hoping that this new journey is one where I can get back to playing my best.”
Featured image credit: Sam Wheatland
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