Greg Docherty spoke of his pride at scoring his first goal for the club, as the Addicks claimed an impressive 2-0 victory over Bolton Wanderers on Saturday afternoon.
“That was a really special feeling when it hit the back of the net,” he smiled. “The noise – it’s up there with my favourite goals already. Being captain of this club and what it means to me. To lead this club is fantastic. That’s something I want to do more. It’s a drug when you score a goal like that, and I want more of it. That’s why I’m here and that’s what the manager wants from me, so hopefully it can continue.”
His early strike and a late header from Matty Godden sandwiched a game in which the Addicks had to work hard to nullify an excellent Bolton side, but for Docherty, the graft made the win even sweeter.
“It was a tiring shift, a proper shift, a proper Charlton win. I loved it, loved every minute from minute one to the end,” he said.
“Today typifies everything that, when I first spoke to the manager way back in May, Charlton is all about. The passion comes from the sideline, from him. It comes from him every day in training. It comes from the staff, and as players we’ve all bought into it.”
Both goals came from the Addicks winning the ball high up the pitch, and the skipper was pleased that the hard work on the training ground was paying off.
“For our coaches it’s satisfying for them and for us as players to know that you work on things during the week and then they come off on Saturday and you go home with a smile on your face,” he said.
After such an impressive start, Docherty is keen that the squad keep their feet on the ground.
“This feeling right now is great, but it’s three games in,” he explained. “Obviously it’s a fantastic start for us – nine points, no goals conceded yet – but we need to keep working and doing what we’re doing. It’s a long, long season, we’re going to need everyone, and you can see the impact when the subs came on. Obviously Godders and Chuks combine – there’s some unbelievable quality coming off our bench at the minute.
“It was a really great group of boys to come in [to]. The fact that I got in early was massive for me – that’s something I wanted as well,” he continued. “Since Kaheim signed yesterday I was the last signing, so we’ve been together for a long time. The squad know each other now, ins and outs. We spend a lot of time with each other.”
Finally, the Scot took a moment to thank the fans. “It’s so, so valuable for us as a squad. They get us over the line,” he said.
“When that goal went in, you see their faces, you hear them – they get us up the pitch and they get us going.”
