Academy graduate Zach Mitchell says he is loving life under Nathan Jones after scoring his first senior goal for Charlton last weekend.
The 19-year-old, who signed a new long-term contract with the club last month, towered above his marker to head home in the Addicks' 4-3 Emirates FA Cup win at Southend United.
“I’m really pleased to have sorted out the contract to extend my time here," Mitchell said. "Scoring the other day, it's always nice, but more importantly we’re into the next round of the FA Cup which was our main goal.
“We’ve got some nice momentum to carry forward from here.”
Nathan Jones has voiced his praise for the promising defender on numerous occasions this season.
“I appreciate the faith that he's put in me so far," Mitchell said. "There's lots of learning still to be had by staying around the first-team and getting opportunities. I'll keep learning as much as possible.
“I think it's only a positive thing to be as versatile as possible. It’s always important to add more strings to your bow, in this case playing in different positions. At the moment, if I end up at right-back I'm keen to try there as well.”
Football is ingrained in the DNA of the Mitchell family, with Zach's older brother Billy playing for Millwall.
“I’ve got a good support network around me," he explained. "My family are all into football and with my brother experiencing a similar path to me, I can always learn and go to him for advice. Everyone is there to keep me grounded and that's a nice thing to have. It's really important as well. There's always that healthy rivalry between us, but at the same time we're always there for each other.
“My main goal is to play as regularly as I can in the first-team, contributing as much as I can to the team - wherever that lies and whatever position that is.”
