Mark Marshall is excited to be back in a Charlton shirt after a ‘devastating’ spell on the sidelines not long after joining the Addicks in the summer.
After signing for the club from Bradford City, Marshall injured his knee in July during a pre-season friendly against Stevenage.
Looking back now, the Jamaican reflected on the set-back but is now looking forward. Marshall said: “Coming to a new club, you want to get off to a flyer but unfortunately I had that injury.
“It has been a long setback so it’s just good to be back out there.
“It was devastating, I was only two weeks into pre-season when it happened but fortunately we’ve got a good medical team here, they’ve helped me all the way through and I’m back now.”
Marshall made his competitive debut for Charlton when coming on for the vast majority of the second half in the 3-1 victory at Fleetwood Town last Saturday.
The 30-year-old was surprised, and pleased, to help contribute towards a first victory in four league games.
He said: “It felt great, to be honest - I didn’t expect to come on for 40 minutes.
“I had to come on and do a job, and I just tried to keep it simple.
“I tried to do my job for the team because, ultimately, no individual is as important as the team - it’s about working in an overall structure.”
That win was powered by a perfect hat-trick from Tariqe Fosu, and Marshall’s return potentially creates a dilemma for manager Karl Robinson in the attacking spots.
Marshall said: “We’ve got some good players in my position so I know it’s going to be a battle to get in the team.
“It’s about focusing on the future, and competition is good because it only pushes you on.”
The winger added: “We’ve got good attacking players and we need to work together for the team.
“We all know where we want to be at the end of the season and we’re all here to push each other on.”
Marshall was speaking after scoring a brace in a friendly behind closed doors against Ipswich Town on Tuesday.
Understandably, the wideman was pleased to contribute, and is now looking forward to transferring that into a first competitive goal for the Addicks sometime soon.
He said: “I feel good, games like that are important for building up my fitness.
“It’s nice to get on the scoresheet, it can only boost my confidence, and hopefully I can now transfer that to the first-team.”
Supporters can watch Marshall's interview in full on Valley Pass