Following his Player of the Match winning performance against Bolton Wanderers last weekend, Conor Coventry spoke about how much he is relishing playing for Charlton at the moment.
“Everything’s going well at the moment and I’m really enjoying my role,” he said. “Personally I’m not really too bothered about saying what my best game would be. I just think as a team we seem to be growing a lot and growing every week - I’m enjoying being a part of that. I’m thankful for the fans for voting for me.
“I heard them singing my name as well which went loads to me. It made me proud on the pitch. My dad heard that and I know he was happy about that as well. So it was a nice moment for me.”
Part of that, of course, is down to how well the team as a whole have begun the season. “You can feel the difference even on the pitch,” said Coventry. “The way we’re playing, the intent going into games, you can feel the difference. Even though we were improving last year I think there’s been another step up again.
“The gaffer spoke about it a lot - our pre-season was strong and we managed to do a lot of work as a group then. You can feel the expectation is different, the feeling around the ground, around the training ground, it’s different. Everyone’s really excited at the moment.”
But it is early days, and the squad are keeping their feet firmly on the ground: “You know how the manager is, he won’t let us get carried away with anything. We’ve got quite a good group as well, where everyone’s feet are on the ground and everyone wants to work hard every day. We’re training hard.
“The gaffer’s highlighted it, that’s why we’ve had such a great start - the way we train. Of course I understand everyone’s getting excited and it’s easy to do that, but there’s still a long way to go.
“There’s no letting up. It doesn’t matter if you played well two weeks ago - this week maybe you don’t. There’s competition all over the place. The whole squad is in a position now where you’ve got depth.
“In training everyone’s going up against each other and making each other better.”
The good feeling has, of course, extended among the fanbase, and Coventry is enjoying playing in front of thousands of them every week.
“Personally, I love playing at The Valley. Especially this season - we’ve probably given the fans a bit more to cheer about,” said the midfielder.
“It’s probably my favourite stadium I’ve played at, really. The fans, of course they’ve been massive. It’s going to be a long season, there’s going to be times when we need them more than others.”
Coventry dreams of one day playing for his country, but at the moment his sights are firmly set on the task at hand.
“Individual performances are obviously very important to me but at the same if I have not the best game and we win, that’s the most important thing,” he said.
“The most important thing is the team and us winning. That’s the main goal of everyone here and definitely me – to play as many games as I can at the highest level, for us to get promoted and, well, win the league really. That’s the aim.
“Of course that’s my big dream as well - to play for Ireland - but at the moment I’m just so focused on playing here and trying to get three points every week.”
It's time. Be there. Click here to purchase your 2024/25 season ticket and join the journey.
