Fans who watch Jason Euell’s Under-23 side will be aware of 19-year-old, Alfie Doughty.

Doughty’s two screamers against Burnley at The Valley last month, earned him a place on the bench at Gillingham on Saturday.

Lee Bowyer watched the Burnley game and ‘rewarded’ Doughty with that bench spot at the Priestfield, as he explained after Saturday’s game:

“I’ve been watching Under-23 games of late and Alfie scored two against Burnley the other week and I thought he was outstanding.

“I thought ‘Do you know what, I’m going to reward him’. I spoke to Jason Euell (Under-23s manager) and said ‘Who do you think deserves it more?’ and he said Alfie has deserved his chance to be in amongst it.”

Doughty was involved with the first team’s pre-season preparations, and made his senior bow for the Addicks as an 18-year-old in the Carabao Cup in August.

He was a 68th minute replacement for Anfernee Dijksteel in the 3-0 defeat at MK Dons.

Doughty continued his development with a three month loan spell at Kingstonian earlier in the season.

Academy Director, Steve Avory, talked about Doughty’s progress:

‎”Lee acknowledges – I think he did before he became manager –  that there are some good players in our set-up here.

“Having come through the system himself at this football club, he’s always had recognition of the youth programme. He’s keen to have a look at what we have and is always been interested in what we have.

“For me, the first evidence of that was last pre-season, Lee’s first full season when he took on Albie Morgan, Alfie Doughty, George Lapslie.

“Circumstances forced it on him to some degree, but it just showed that he was prepared to look at them, and put them in if they were good enough. Alfie, in fact was part of those pre-season preparations, so Lee was immediately aware of him.

‎”Any young player’s season can have ups and downs and Alfie’s pathway this season has not been all straightforward.

“He didn’t stay in the first team squad, but we felt it would be good for him to have a loan experience, which was a success with three months at Kingstonian.

“He proved himself in senior football, we saw that he could manage that. He then came back here after Christmas and he once again proved that he might be good enough to catch Lee Bowyer’s eye.

“It was great to see him play against Burnley (in an Under-23 game)  at the Valley and score two goals, and look a real threat, and show a really strong work ethic, which caught Lee’s eye.”

Doughty is the latest in a long line of academy products – which includes Bowyer himself – to make it to the club’s senior squad.

 

He will be looking to really push on next season.