Addicks fans have rarely seen the best of Mark Marshall. The form that earned him the 2016/17 Bradford Player of the Year award has only be seen in patches at The Valley.
Marshall had a difficult start to his Charlton career. Crocked at Stevenage in pre-season ahead of the 2017/18 campaign, he did not make his first appearance for the club until the end of September, when he came on as a substitute in the 1-1 draw at Fleetwood.
He failed to sparkle in his new surroundings, and it is thought the club were willing to listen to offers for him in the summer.
But Lee Bowyer blocked his exit, the player was in his plans for the new campaign. However, Bowyer has opted to play a diamond shape in midfield, a system that is not suited to out-and-out wingers.
Marshall has even been used as a right-back in the odd cup game this season. But recently he has been making a real impact, normally coming off the banch in the latter stages of a game.
He has been more direct, and has been supplying quality balls into the box on a regular basis. On Saturday, he notched the decisive second goal that sealed the win over Wimbledon.
So what has brought about the recent upsurge in form? Marshall gives the credit to his manager:
”I’m a firm believer if you keep working hard, more times than not something positive will happen.
“Now I want to get back on the training ground and continue to work hard, I’m not going to rest on this, I want to get more goals and to provide assists for my team-mates.
“I will be honest with you when the ball came to me, I was thinking of checking back on my left foot but recently in training, he’s (Bowyer’s) been encouraging me to let the ball to run across me and shoot across the goal.”
“You are never too old to learn, obviously he (Bowyer) played at the top for a long time, so he is a good person to take information from,” said Marshall.
Marshall could have a vital role to play in the second-half of the season if he maintains his current form.
TAGS: Charlton Athletic