Charlton’s defenders must have breathed a sigh of relief when Lyle Taylor joined the club.

Taylor, 28, scored three goals against the Addicks last season.

And now, the striker wants to terrorise other League One defenders to help end Charlton’s three-year Championship exile.

Taylor told News Shopper: “I knew a lot of boys from playing against them. You’d be surprised at some of the conversations that actually happen on a football pitch.

“When I arrived, I was friendly enough with Jake [Forster-Caskey], Josh [Magennis] and even the young boys like Joe Aribo and Anfernee Dijksteel.

“Anfernee turned around to me and said ‘I hated playing against you, whenever I played against you, you were a big, strong kid, you were just annoying.’ I just laughed.

“He said ‘but you’re here now, so it’s all right!’ It’s nice.

“When you walk in the building and your team-mates already have a good opinion of you, that’s always good.”

During his three-year spell with AFC Wimbledon, Taylor won promotion to League Two and starred in two successful third-tier relegation battles.

There could be less reliance on the ex-Millwall trainee at the Valley with more competition for places.

He is rivalling Igor Vetokele, Josh Magennis, Nicky Ajose and Karlan Grant for a starting berth.

Taylor, who netted 55 goals in 150 appearances at Kingsmeadow, said: “Competition isn’t a bad thing. At the end of the day, I know if I go out there and do my job then I’ll play.

“There were times in the last couple of years at Wimbledon when I needed a rest and I wasn’t able to get a rest. I played 150 games in three years. We’re talking about some serious yards on your legs.

“Every now and then you need to be taken out and rested. I needed that a few times and wasn’t able to do it because of the situation we were in with injuries and whatever.

“If you run yourself into the ground for 60, 70 minutes, get a standing ovation from the crowd, a pat on the back by the manager and someone else goes on to finish the job, I don’t think that’s a bad thing at all.

“Sometimes it’s the best way to do it because you almost keep everybody that little bit fresher.

“At the end of the day it’s about winning games of football, and that’s what we’re going to try to do.”

Taylor travelled with the Charlton squad to their pre-season training camp in Portugal earlier this month.

He is set to sing his initiation song before the Addicks’ opening-day game at Sunderland on August 4.

Taylor added: “My initiation song was supposed to be in Portugal but there was four of us that were going to sing and two of us never got around to it.

“So I will do it at some point, I’m not going to shy away from it. It’s just singing in front of your team-mates, you sing the right song and everyone will get involved. It’s part and parcel of football.

“I’m going to sing Sitting on the Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding.

“It’ll probably be when we play Sunderland in our first away trip. I’ll sing and hopefully we’ll come back from there with three points.”

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