Defender Ryan Inniss determined to earn contract extension at Charlton Athletic

BY LOUIS MENDEZ

Charlton defender Ryan Inniss hopes he can do enough during the rest of the season to earn an extension to his contract at The Valley.

The big centre-half’s initial two-year deal with the Addicks will expire at the end of this campaign but the club do have an option to extend it for a further year.

Inniss, 26, crossed South London to join Charlton from rivals Crystal Palace in the summer of 2020 but has made just 20 competitive starts in all competitions following a succession of long-term injury problems.

A quad issue saw Inniss miss five months of last season, before a thigh problem meant he was absent from the end of August until just before Christmas during this campaign.

But the Penge-born defender impressed as he played 70 minutes of Charlton’s narrow FA Cup exit against Norwich City yesterday.

He said: “I’ve got goals, I’ve set goals for this year. I absolutely love it here, I’m not just saying that. The club have looked after me so it’s all just about getting appearances and setting a benchmark for myself and hopefully earning the extension that the club have got on my contract.

“Speak to my agent, but I know the club have got an option. If they were to take that up, I’d be over the moon. I’ve got to give myself a platform for whatever the future holds but I want it to be here. If I can stay fit and play games, it gives myself a real chance wherever it may be. But I hope it is here.

“I want to be out there as much as I can. I want to thank the staff, especially the physios, for giving me everything I need. I want to be out there as much as I can. It’s frustrating. I think at times people forget that no one wants to be injured. I want to be out there giving everything I’ve got but it’s not about me. It’s about the team – they’ve given me the platform to come in and they’ve been playing well.

“I want to test myself.  I want to play anywhere, whether it’s in the middle, on the right or out on the left. The boys have done terrifically well but it so happens today that Akin [Famewo] couldn’t be selected against his parent club. However, the opportunity comes around, you need to take it. I wanted to do myself justice today for however long I was out there and I hope I did that.”

PHOTOS: KYLE ANDREWS