Alan Curbishley: Has turned Charlton into a force to be reckoned with this campaign (MikeFinn-Kelcey/Allsport)

It has been clear for a while that the Addicks were not going to be in any danger this season - thanks in large part to the goals of Jonatan Johansson and the midfield drive of skipper Mark Kinsella.

The fact that Alan Curbishley has had to do without the services of his two most impressive players for the past month makes his side's achievement all the more impressive.

Johansson, the club's top scorer, was forced out for a month after surgery, and Kinsella has also struggled since the turn of the year.

Although many, myself included, expected Charlton to avoid the drop, few would have predicted the magical figure of 40 points being reached with 11 games remaining.

It was a triple celebration for the boss on Sunday. In condemning Newcastle to their 24th game without a win in London, Curbs marked his 500th game in charge at the Valley in perfect style. Only Sir Alex Ferguson has been boss of a club for longer.

Ironically, it was against Newcastle that Curbishley first took charge of the club when he shared the managerial responsibilities with Steve Gritt.

Few could have imagined that, in the big bucks climate that has now engulfed the Premiership, Charlton would be sitting seventh in the League - just five points off a Champions League spot.

In truth, many have admired Curbishley's managerial skills for some time, but it was only when his partnership with Gritt was dissolved in 1995 that he truly came to everyone's attention.

After leading the club into the Premiership in 1998, he almost kept them up at the first attempt. Now he has brought Charlton back as a much stronger unit.

His purchases have been astute, and the youth system has brought a number of first class youngsters through the ranks.

Scott Parker is probably the cream of the young talent on show at the Valley - a tenacious tackler who is good on the ball and skillful to boot.

Striker Kevin Lisbie looks a great prospect, but perhaps the most promising player was Jermaine Defoe.

Defoe was with the Addicks as a schoolboy and was then allegedly poached by West Ham in the summer. This season he equalled the League record by scoring in ten consecutive games on loan to Bournemouth - amazingly his first ten games.

It was no surprise to hear that Curbishley had been approached to join the England coaching team along with Peter Taylor and Steve McClaren a few months ago.

At 43 years old, he is one of the young bosses heading the list of possible successors to Sven Goran Eriksson in five years time. Few can argue with his achievements to date.

The seminal moment in Charlton's season came on Boxing Day. Curbs took his side down the road to West Ham and saw them stuffed 5-0.

The boss then had no hesitation in calling his squad in for training over the festive period, and made wholesale changes for the trip to Manchester City four days later.

It certainly worked, as the Addicks went to Maine Road and stormed to a 4-1 win.

Since that desperate day at Upton Park, Charlton have been unbeaten in the Premiership - and instead of battling against relegation, Curbs could be forgiven for contemplating an assault on Europe next season.

'At the start of the season we would have accepted getting 40 points and just staying up, but our aspirations are higher than that now,' he said. 'Europe is probably a step too far, but a mid-table finish would be a great achievement.

Stuart Pearce lives up to his 'Pyscho' nickname against Charlton at Upton Park. (PhilCole/Allsport)

'The club are on the up and it's a huge complement to everybody here that people are talking about us in this way rather than as relegation candidates.'

Charlton won't make Europe next season. The likes of Leeds, Liverpool and Arsenal are now starting to get into full flow and should fill the spaces behind Manchester United.

But Shaun Bartlett, Mark Fish, Claus Jensen and Radostin Kishishev have settled in at the Valley superbly, and that is certainly one of the main reasons why Charlton have performed so well.

Bartlett, in particular, has popped up with some vital goals since arriving on loan from FC Zurich.

He has already earned points against West Ham and Manchester United, and was excellent against Newcastle at the weekend.

But with Kinsella and Johansson back in the fold to complement the current work ethic at the club, the fans can continue to bask in the glory of life among the stars.