Charlie Oatway has a wonderful rapport with Albion fans.

The response was heartwarming when the 30-year-old midfielder revealed he is learning to read and write properly through the club's study skills programme at Withdean.

Even their backing for Oatway's literacy problems, though, was eclipsed by the overwhelming support he received from Cardiff at the outset of his professional career.

Oatway was jailed for actual bodily harm and common assault following an incident outside a London fish and chip shop before joining the Welshmen from non-League Yeading.

He served four months in Pentonville Prison and he has never forgotten the way Cardiff and the people of the Welsh capital stood by him.

"They were my first pro club," he said. "They took me when I was 19 or 20 years of age. I got the prison sentence when I was there, so it was a difficult time at first, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and they were lovely people.

"The support I had over the reading and writing down here was magnificent, but when I had the prison sentence at Cardiff they sent letters to me and my family. When I came out it was virtually red carpet treatment for my first game back."

Oatway returns to Cardiff with Albion on Sunday for the final of the play-offs against Bristol City.

He has been to the Millennium Stadium to see his beloved Queens Park Rangers as a spectator. Now he is going there as a player.

"I went to watch QPR last year against Cardiff," he said. "It just felt as though the place was going to erupt.

"I thought then how lucky those boys were to be running around out there. Now we are all looking forward to the same thing.

"Of course, we don't want to experience the same losing feeling as QPR did. We intend to come home with a win."

Albion will have plenty of support and so will the popular Oatway. "I am doing all right for tickets," he said. "A lot of people I know are Brighton fans and have sorted themselves out anyway.

"My family have taken 30-odd, but I might have to get some more because they are coming out of the woodwork now.

"There are uncles and aunts I didn't even realise I had, not even the same colour as me!"

The crowd will be ten times bigger on Sunday than it was for the second leg of the semi-final against Swindon.

In one respect, however, Oatway is hoping conditions at the Millennium Stadium are just as they were on that dramatic night at Withdean.

"Everyone is looking forward to the day, but I personally hope it lashes down with rain," he said.

"Ask any of the boys, they would rather that than the weather to be sweltering hot.

"Unless you have played the game you would not realise there is nothing worse than playing in heat or the wind.

"If it rains a bit that would be lovely for us. The only problem is they will probably close the roof then, so it will be like a microwave."

The roof will be raised if Albion make it back to the First Division at the first attempt.

Oatway will have something to write about then when he returns to his reading and writing lessons.

"I have done my course to see the sort of levels I am at and I was pleasantly surprised," he said.

"That starts next week again. From now they work on the areas where I am weakest.

"It's an ongoing thing. I'm doing it on a one-to-one basis, so I am fortunate in that respect, but the equipment and staff they have down at Withdean are superb.

"It got to a stage in my life when the kids were asking me to help them with their homework and I knew I had to try to do something.

"The reading side of things isn't too bad but I find spelling really difficult, so if the kids asked me things I would send them to their mum, which was horrible for me and them.

"A few people quite high up in the club knew about my situation and they said it might be time to do something about it. They put me on to Alan Sanders, the principal of education for the club. I was being pushed by what was going on at home to see him, but they gave me the little bit of courage I needed."