Josh Cullen made his long-awaited return from injury as the Addicks shared a 0-0 draw with promotion-chasing Fulham at The Valley on Wednesday evening.
Having completed 90 minutes, the midfielder spoke to the assembled press about his thoughts on the game, Lee Bowyer’s contract and what it’s like to be back playing in the side.
“It’s been tough, obviously you can train as much as you want," he explained.
"But I’ve only had four sessions training and to go into a match like that, you can’t replicate a good Fulham side who are very good at keeping the ball and confident in possession.
"It’s tough on the body, but I feel good. I got through it okay and I think I’ll benefit from the game, the 90 minutes, getting match sharpness back and getting back to the level that I want to be at and how I felt during the run before the injury.”
“Credit to the lads who stuck at it over Christmas when bodies were thin, but it’s good to have players back."
Just before the game, Charlton announced that Bowyer had signed a new three-year contract as Addicks boss which Cullen says is the right decision for everyone at the club and a great way to reward the manager after everything he’s done.
“As players, you want to be at a stable club," he said.
"And with the new owners coming in, they're rewarding Bow with what he deserves - a long-term contract. Now we can focus on the pitch and look forward to trying to finish off the season in strong fashion.
"When he came in, he got the club in the play-offs, but came up short that year. His second season, he got us out of League One and he’s doing a great job this season as well in the Championship. The work he’s done deserves to be rewarded.”
Cullen was also asked about the possibility of new players coming into the squad and he explained that it will only strengthen what Bowyer already has at his disposal.
“We believe in the squad we’ve got at the minute," said the 23-year-old.
"But if the manager wants to add quality to the squad, then it’s only going to make us stronger and the competition for places will be even harder. That’s a good thing and if we do get a few bodies in, then I’m sure they’ll be coming in to help us out.”
[Article by Ahmed Delshad]
