After the debacle of the 1989-90 season, Charlton were in search of success during the 1990-91 campaign. Their campaign did not go according to plan as their season was a catastrophic disaster. They were humiliated in the cup competitions, most notably losing 1-0 against lower division opposition, Leyton Orient. Their FA Cup attempt was poor, suffering a 2-1 defeat against Everton. Their league campaign was poor, only managing a 16th position finish despite good performances by Robert Lee and Andy Jones.
The start of the 91-92 season saw the appointment of Steve Gritt and Alan Curbishely in charge at the club. The Addicks witnessed a significant improvement in their league performances and were most unfortunate to miss out on a play off birth, finishing the season off in seventh place. They were unfortunate in the FA Cup, stumbling out against top flight opposition, Sheffield United. Andy Peake was outstanding in attack for the Addicks; however the end of the campaign saw the loss of Rob Lee, who moved onto play for Newcastle United.
The 92-93 season was a fair one for the Valliants, they played some incredible football, however they were unfortunate with some of their results, deserving more than what they acquired. A 12th place finish was little consolation for a hard working season; the addicks were disappointing in the league cup, losing against Bury in the second round.
The 1993-94 season saw little change in Charlton’s fortunes; they casually finished the season off in 11th place, a slight improvement on the previous season. The highlight of their campaign was a great cup run that saw the addicks reach the quarter finals, meeting eventual ‘double’ winners, Manchester United. They encounter was a thrilling one, that United ended up winning 3-1.