The first time I met Johnnie Jackson - after a 3-0 win over Swindon Town on the final day of last season - words utterly failed me.

There I stood shaking the hand of Charlton Athletic’s greatest player since the Premier League era and one of my biggest heroes, completely star-struck and open-mouthed.

Impeccably polite though, as he is, Jacko said ‘good to meet you’ and broke a handshake that I’d clearly held for far too long.

So, when a second chance came to talk to the goalscoring midfielder who has brought Charlton fans so much joy since arriving at The Valley in 2010, I knew it couldn’t be passed up.

And in truth, there won’t be a much better time to talk to the Addicks’ iconic captain than right now; just when Ronald Duchatelet’s ever-turbulent ownership tenure appeared to be finally calming down, coinciding with welcomed improvements on the pitch, news of the much-maligned Belgian looking to sell has sent the South East London club back into a tailspin.

Since the final days of December, Chief Executive Katrien Meire has left for Sheffield Wednesday, takeover talks have taken place with two interested parties, key player Ricky Holmes has been sold to Sheffield United and manager Karl Robinson has admitted there's a lack of clarity from those above him.

Has the uncertainty at boardroom level seeped down to the first-team squad?

"Obviously we hear everything, we read everything, but we’ve made a point of saying ‘this is out of our control - there’s nothing we can affect’. So, we just worry about getting on with the football. If you let it start being a factor you’re just looking for excuses really. As players we can’t change anything and what will be will be - our job doesn’t change. We’d rather there was more clarity but really, what changes if there is a new owner today? We’ve still got to play Walsall on Saturday. We look at it like that really; get on with your job, worry about the things you can control and then let everything else take care of itself."

Holmes’ departure has hit fans hard for obvious reasons. While few begrudge the 30-year-old a chance to make it to the Premier League with Sheffield United, he won the Player of the Year award last season and has been a shining light this term as well with six goals in 22 appearances.

Has Holmes left a void behind in the dressing room as well as on the pitch?

"He was definitely a big player for us. On the pitch he was brilliant for us in the year-and-a-half was at Charlton, he’s definitely been one of our best players, and he’s quite a big personality in the changing room as well. So he’s definitely been missed already - it’s a little quieter without him. But this is football; people come and go, people who you’re friendly with move on and that’s just the nature of the game. He’ll be missed because of the guy that he is and because he was such a good player for us, but we’ve still got plenty of players who can fill his position in the team. But as a character and a person, he’s a really good friend of mine so I’ll miss him certainly."

Part of the reason fans have been so infuriated with Holmes’ departure is because the club have revealed  that his transfer fee won’t be reinvested in the squad due to the impending takeover - suggesting any direct replacement would have to be a loan signing, a free agent or that there won’t be one at all.

Have there been talks about who could be brought in to replace Holmes?

"I think it’s all a bit uncertain at the moment. Obviously there was a statement from the owner saying there wouldn’t be any business - I don’t imagine that will change if he’s still the owner come the end of the transfer window. If something happens before that, we may see something different. I’m not privy to all the information and all the conversations; I’m going by what the owner has said publicly. I know the gaffer is working hard trying to do one or two things and he’ll be wanting bodies in the building, but ultimately we’ll be dictated to by above and they’ll have the final say on what we can and can’t do."

Do you think the squad has enough quality to get into the playoffs with directly replacing Holmes?

"I do, definitely. I think on our day our XI is a match for anyone and I think we’ve really suffered from bad injuries and a tough fixture list. We’ve lost a lot of players this season - I’ve never seen anything like it, the amount of players we’ve had out - coinciding with playing two games a week for the last two months; Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday. The fact is, now we’re getting a lot of players back fit: Tarique Fosu is back fit, I think he’s a big plus, Jake Forster-Caskey looks like he’s fit again, Jason Pearce isn’t too far off and Patrick Bauer as well. So, we’re getting players back and also we’re now playing Saturday, Saturday for the next month or so, which obviously gives us longer to recover between games and hopefully pick up less injuries. Having less games, more recovery time and people coming back fit, I think we’ve got enough in the building to consolidate a spot in the top six."

After an eight-game winless run that put promotion hopes in jeopardy, Charlton have bounced back well with consecutive wins and consecutive clean sheets against Oldham and Bury. Another victory against Walsall this weekend, who the Addicks drew with in the reverse fixture, would mark their longest winning streak in League One since the start of September.

Are you confident of going one step better against Walsall this Saturday and taking all three points?

"I’d like to think so. We looked at the January fixtures and thought this is really an opportunity for us to kick on. We’ve got back-to-back wins now, and with Walsall at home - no disrespect to them, I’m sure it’ll be a tough game - if you want to be in the top six, those are the games you have to win. So, on the back of two wins and with confidence pretty high after a good performance up at Bury and getting the job done against Oldham, two clean sheets as well, there’s no reason we can’t win on Saturday. We’ve got a few boys coming back as well - hopefully Fosu will be back on the bench being involved and one or two others. The bench is looking a little healthier than it was at the weekend. I think this is one we’ve got to be looking at and thinking that we can go three-on-the-bounce, and then Blackpool away is another winnable one. It will be a tough game though - there are no gimmes, we know that for sure."

Much of Jackson’s time at Charlton has been thwarted with protests from the fans, angered by the Duchatelet regime. The Coalition Against Roland Duchatelet has become one of the key supporter groups and there was a rally planned for this Saturday, but it appears to have been avoided after director Richard Murray agreed to hold a meeting with the Charlton Athletic Supporters’ Trust. While nobody can question the fans’ right to hold protests, or for that matter their reasons behind them, the perspective of the players and the managers is rarely considered.

Have the protests been a disruptive influence at times?

"The times it has happened, we’ve been briefed and told it’s going to happen, so we’ve been prepared for it. You don’t have to deal with it as such because you know it’s coming, you’re prepared for it and you just get on with it. The fans have obviously got their grievances. Obviously though, it depends what it is. When stuff comes on the pitch it delays the game so you have to react to that, especially when you’ve just kicked off and then you have to wait another ten minutes before restarting. You have to deal with that and keep warm but it’s not really a factor. You can’t let it be a factor in results or performances - I think you’re just looking for excuses if you do. It hasn’t happened for a while, but we were quite accustomed to it at one stage and we knew how to deal with it. So if the fans decide they want to protest again we’ll deal with it again - no problem."

This season has been something of a learning curve for Jackson on a personal level. Aged 35 and by no means as quick as he once was, Charlton’s iconic captain has moved into coaching while remaining part of the first team squad - a transition that will end with Jackson becoming a full-time coach from next season.

What has been your biggest challenge as a player-coach?

"I’ve enjoyed it. The biggest challenge is juggling the two really; having to switch from player mode to coach mode and back again sometimes - being on the touchline, coaching and trying to manage the game with the gaffer and talking about decisions, and then all of a sudden he turns around and says ‘get your stuff off, you’re going on’. And then you’ve got to get back into player mode. It’s the same with training - I train every day and you feel good so you want to be involved. But I haven’t been involved as much as I’d like and that can be difficult because you’ve still got that ‘player’s head’ on. I try not to get too frustrated like I would have done before when I was just a player - I have found that really difficult in the past - because obviously with the dual role you’ve got other responsibilities even when you’re not playing. It softens the blow a little bit, but there’s still that part of you where you’re a player and you train all week and you want to play because that’s all you know - especially when you feel like you can still do it. That’s the most difficult side of it; marrying the two up and being OK when I’m not playing."

And this will be your final season as a player?

"Yeah I’m only coaching next year. If I decided I want to go on playing I think I’d have to leave to get the game-time - if I stay I think I’ll struggle. Hopefully we’ll go up and progress, and I’m not going to get much of a game in the Championship. But I don’t want to leave; I want to crack on with the coaching and I’ve got an opportunity here so I’m throwing myself into the other side of it really. It will be difficult to stop playing but you can’t go on forever. It’s bittersweet because I love playing but I understand. This season I’ve been limited and I think that will only be more so the older I get. I’ve got a good opportunity for coaching and I can’t turn it down."

Jackson will hang up his boots next summer as something of a Charlton legend. Although the Addicks may have enjoyed more illustrious years in the top flight, Jackson has been the unrelenting hero of Charlton’s triumphs and tribulations back in the Football League; ever-present since 2010, the driving force behind promotion to the Championship in 2011-12, the club captain, the scorer of countless crucial goals, a rare beacon of true Addicks identity throughout the dreaded Duchatelet era of anonymous signings from abroad and someone who always has time for the supporters. Jackson has 55 goals, 23 assists and 275 appearances for Charlton to look back on, not to mention what he might accomplish between now and the end of the season should the Addicks make it to Wembley.

What’s your proudest moment in a Charlton shirt?

"I think captaining the side to the League One title. The day we got promoted up at Carlisle was pretty special, I’ll remember that forever, but more the day of just getting the trophy. When you’re a player - whatever level you’re at - you want to win things and you dream of lifting trophies as a kid. The opportunity to do it as a captain was unbelievable so I’ll cherish that forever - lifting the trophy on the final day, Hartlepool at home, in front of a packed Valley. That will probably be the one when I finally pack in that I look back on as my proudest moment."

And I hear you’re a bit of a guitarist - what guitars do you own and what was the last song you played?

"I own two Gibsons - a Gibson acoustic and a Les Paul electric. I don’t often play the electric, I tend to play the acoustic a lot more. I’ve been working on Broken by Jake Bugg recently, that’s my project at the moment because it’s quite a tricky one. The strumming part of it, the chord pattern and the vocals all at the same time is quite tricky."

Do you sing as well then?

"Yeah - not for anyone, only when I’m on my own! But I give it a good go, I record some of it on my phone to listen back and see how I’m doing. But I don’t think I’d ever have the nerve to do it in front of people. It must be the most nerve-wracking thing. I know I play football in front of whole crowds but that must be a doddle compared to getting in front of an audience and actually singing. I would find that really difficult. But I love it, I really enjoy it - takes your mind off things - I find it really relaxing. So, it’s what I do a couple of evenings a week when the kids have gone to bed, it helps me relax really."

To watch you play for the last eight years and to interview you, it’s been an absolute pleasure Johnnie. I’m just glad I managed to get my words out this time.