A selection panel, which includes England coach Hope Powell, picked Jo for her excellent form during the month and forging her way into the England side for the 4-1 World Cup Qualifying victory in Austria.

Jo said: "I was very surprised when I heard the news. It's been a dream start for me with Charlton and it was great how well the team has gelled from the first game onwards.

"On a personal level to get the award is great and I'm over the moon, but I wouldn't have got it without my team mates, who have been brilliant.

"It's all coming at once for me since I've been with Charlton. Obviously I was gutted to miss out on the Euros and was completely shocked to get in the 20-player party for Austria.

"Perhaps being at Charlton has offered me a new challenge while before I was just playing week-in, week-out. This new start has given me a new lease of life.

"Around the same time that we were being told that Birmingham had financial problems and could be folding, Charlton's boss Keith Boanas had rung up and said how much he would love to have me at the club.

"It sounded like a great club and Keith was completely honest and up front with me and I knew he had made enquiries about me before.

"Leeds also approached me and I suppose it would have been easy for me to just move to a club that was closer to home. But they are another mid-table club and Charlton was a massive move for me.

"Keith has said that the title is his main objective this year. We have a great squad here and I think we have a good chance of doing it."

Jo will be presented with a specially commissioned magnum of champagne by Nationwide ahead of a forthcoming Charlton Athletic first team fixture.

Nationwide's Chris Hull commented: "We would like to congratulate Jo on a fantastic month which has included a successful start to life at Charlton, her England performance and the Nationwide Player of the Month Award."