Kayne Ramsay a class and unruffled presence in Charlton’s defence – Premier League return is defender’s long-term goal

BY RICHARD CAWLEY
richard@slpmedia.co.uk

Kayne Ramsay has looked cool, calm, collected and classy for Charlton Athletic this season.

The 23-year-old has been an ever-present at right wing-back for Addicks manager Nathan Jones as his miserly team have kept three successive League One clean sheets.

Ramsay has been a cut above the attackers he has faced with his almost impudent handling of Aaron Collins on Saturday at The Valley a prime case in point.

The Bolton Wanderers attacker was trying to put pressure on the Charlton defender, who was initially protecting the ball as it looked set to go out of play.

But at the last moment Ramsay shifted it past Collins to keep possession.

There are clear signs that the east Londoner has plied his trade at a higher level even if he was in League Two – at Harrogate Town – when Charlton signed him in February 2024.

Ramsay was on the books of Chelsea’s academy between the ages of eight and 16 with Reece James, Trevor Chalobah, Tariq Lamptey and Callum Hudson-Odoi all coming through the Blues system at the same time.

Ramsay opted to move to Southampton in 2018 – believing there was a better pathway to the first-team squad – and made his Premier League debut, aged 18 years and 81 days, in a 3-1 home loss to Manchester City that December.

His task was to mark Raheem Sterling.

“I grew up at Chelsea and so I was around elite wingers,” said Ramsay, asked about his mindset when facing the England international. “It has enhanced my play and not wanting to get beaten. That is number one for me defensively – being strong one v one.”

Ramsay went on to have loans at Shrewsbury, Crewe and Ross County – featuring 33 times in total.

His only other top-flight appearance for the Saints was a start in a 9-0 drubbing at Manchester United in February 2021 in which Jan Bednarek and Alex Jankewitz were sent off.

“Thinking about it now I know I made mistakes,” said Ramsay. “Not that I regret it, because I have learned from everything I’ve been through. It has kind of made me the player I am today because of certain ways I would go about stuff.

“When I was 18 I would think I was putting it in, but now I know I could have been doing a lot more, on and off the pitch. I wasn’t doing everything I could.”

It took a permanent move to Harrogate in August 2022 to get Ramsay’s career back on track.

He had collected five assists for the Sulphurites last season when Charlton moved for him on deadline day. Ramsay signed a contract until the summer of 2027.

“I’ve gone on loan on deadline day before but that move was crazy,” he said. “I had a funeral to attend and so I couldn’t really be on my phone.

“I kept having to go outside and make phone calls because I didn’t know what I was doing.”

Ramsay played 31 games in his first season at Harrogate. He would have featured more but for suffering horrific facial injuries against Carlisle in February. He fractured his eye socket, cheekbone and jaw as well as breaking his nose.

Amazingly Ramsay returned on April 29 as a late substitute.

He has five metal plates in his cheekbone.

“I went into a tackle and broke everything – it felt horrible,” recalled Ramsay. “I was indoors for three months and ate through a straw. I said to myself: ‘Is my face going to recover from this – because I need it to’. Hopefully I’m alright now.

“Obviously it was on my mind when I first came back to training. I had to have a face mask on.

“It was about practising because if you have a cross coming in from the other side you don’t want the left winger steaming in and clashing heads. So I had to get used to that.”

Charlton have a 100 per cent record in League One and the last time they managed that feat was the team bossed by Chris Powell which won the title in England’s third tier in 2011-12.

Greg Docherty and Matty Godden netted on Saturday as they defeated last season’s play-off finalists Bolton Wanderers 2-0 at The Valley.

Ramsay answers “100 per cent” when asked if his ultimate goal is to reach the Premier League again.

Charlton were relegated from England’s elite division in 2007. Could the good times be back under Nathan Jones?

“Since the gaffer came in we have played 19 games – won seven, drawn 10 and lost two,” said Ramsay. “If we keep going that same way but turn some of those draws into wins then we definitely have a chance.

“We also need to stay level-headed. There are going to be ups and downs. You have got to be able to control the downs but also control the ups as well.”

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