The rapid rise of Alfie Doughty continues.
On September 7th he made his National League debut in a 2-1 win for Bromley.
On November 23rd he made his Championship debut as a late substitute in our 2-2 draw with Cardiff.
On November 30th he made his first Championship start against Sheffield Wednesday.
And then on Thursday, Boxing Day, the academy graduate scored an 82nd minute winning goal as the Addicks came from 2-1 down to beat promotion contenders Bristol City 3-2 at The Valley.
Speaking after his goal the 20-year-old couldn’t stop grinning.
“It was very special,” he explained.
“I’ll take it, it was a little tap in at the back post but it’s my first goal and I’m absolutely buzzing to be honest.
“As soon as I saw the keeper not picking it up I thought ‘I need to get there’ and sprinted really quickly and managed to get there in the end. The defender did get a touch and then it fell to me and luckily I was there. It was really good.”
For Doughty it has been a hectic few weeks in which he has gone from a relative unheard of amongst the Charlton fans, to a fan favourite.
He said: “I’m grateful to have this opportunity and I’m just trying to take it with both hands and just do the best I can and today just topped it off, with a win. After a few tough weeks, to get a win on Boxing Day, you just can’t beat it really.”
Doughty has been in the Addicks' academy, supported by Valley Gold, since U9s. Click here to join Valley Gold. He has been pleased his success has been alongside long-time teammate and fellow academy graduate Albie Morgan.
Morgan, like Doughty, was playing National League football only a few months ago and like Doughty received a standing ovation when he was substituted in Thursday’s win.
The 19-year-old said: “It’s a bit weird. I don’t think when we were eight of nine years old you would have thought this was going to happen. To be playing on the pitch with Alfie is obviously positive. For him to score his first goal is unbelievable. I’m buzzing for him. We’ve got to take this opportunity while we’ve got it and I think we will continue to do that.”
It was a crucial three points for the Addicks after going 11 games without a win. Morgan added: “Bristol City are a good team, we did a lot of work on them, we know they’ve got some decent players. We knew it was going to be a tough test. The boys we had out there, they all battled together. That’s what we are, we stick together, we fight to the end. We’ve been unfortunate recently but I think that win is fully deserved.”
Watch the full interview on Valley Pass below.
