THE Valley will be close to capacity for the final third of Charlton’s Premiership season.

Almost 500 last-five match season tickets have been sold following a sudden surge in sales, prompted by the success of the Valley Express coach service which transports fans from 35 Kent towns for £5.

With the present Valley capacity standing at 27,111 – and the entire Jimmy Seed Stand normally given over to away supporters – Charlton can sell a maximum of 22,380 season tickets.

By 10.30am on Monday, the club boasted 21,056 season ticket holders leaving 1,324 remaining for sale.

With Premier League rules insisting that five per cent of a ground’s capacity must be reserved for match-by-match sales, Charlton are just over 1,000 seats short of selling the maximum season tickets permitted.

Charlton plc chairman Richard Murray confirmed: "We’ve had an unbelievable response to our last-five season ticket offer. Targeted marketing and the new Valley Express initiative seem to be paying huge dividends."

Included in the last-five price is the visit of Manchester United and the last game of the season against London rivals Crystal Palace plus matches against Bolton, Manchester City and West Bromwich Albion.

Last-five season tickets are priced at £90 adults, £60 senior citizens and under-18s and £40 under 16s. Call the hotline on 0800 587 1100 or ticket office on 0208 333-4010.

And with the club considering its 2005-06 season ticket prices, the purchase of a last-five ticket could lead to greater savings with existing holders likely to be given the chance to renew at a preferential rate.