Charlton Athletic U18s goalkeeper Joe Watkins spoke to Valley Gold for Academy Notes after the recent 1-0 defeat at Watford.
The 17-year-old, who has been at Charlton Athletic since 2017 and has played grassroots football since the age of 6 told Valley Gold:
“After a big win in the FA Youth Cup on Tuesday night, the boys were hoping to carry on in a similar fashion although a slow start to the season in the league will make this game pivotal for our title hopes. Watford, who are always in and around our position in the league, managed a 1-1 draw against us last season.
“We had a strong start to the game which saw Jeremy Santos’ left foot effort hit the post and Kai Garande’s dangerous cross finding Terrell Agyemang at the back post, but both chances were not to be. For the rest of the half, possession was being turned over far too much for both teams liking, creating a tight game in which no team looked to be on top.
“The second half got underway and we looked to be lacking in quality and guile to break down the Watford defence apart from one ball that fell to Mason Burstow, but the opportunity went begging. A goal eventually came towards the latter end of the game in the 87th minute where the earlier warning signs turned into reality. Watford won the ball in midfield, took it past our centre half and neatly slotted it in the bottom right corner where our goalkeeper couldn’t get down quickly enough to stop it — A disappointing performance but a result we deserved.
“We’re back on the road in a couple of weeks in the Welsh Capital where we’ll be determined to bounce back from this rough patch.”
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