Charlton Athletic top-scorer Alfie May: I’m grateful for Small helping hand against Cheltenham

Charlton Athletic top scorer Alfie May has been quick to thank Thierry Small for helping him end his wait for a goal from open play.

The 30-year-old striker moved on to 22 goals for the campaign by wrapping up the scoring in the 3-1 win at his former club Cheltenham Town on Tuesday night.

Only three of May’s tally have come in 2024 and his close-range conversion against the Robins was his first in open play since the 2-1 loss to Peterborough at The Valley on January 13.

May has 18 goals in League One, moving him ahead of Barnsley’s Devante Cole and Stevenage’s Jamie Reid, both on 17.

“Cor, I needed that goal didn’t I?,” said May. “I don’t know what’s up with me at the minute. When Thierry passed me the ball I just thanked him so many times in there (the dressing room). It was just nice to put it into an empty net and probably another day I walk off the pitch with four or five goals.

“With Thierry you see what he does. He gets down that line and whips balls in. He brings assists to the game.

“We were 2-1 up, he could have run to the corner flag but, credit to him, he’s got my goal tonight. I’m absolutely delighted. I just needed something like that to have a kick start. I don’t know if I’m chasing that goal. I know the pressure is on me to score. That’s probably up there with one of my best goals.

“Honestly I wouldn’t care how it goes in off me.

“I’ve played the game long enough. I’m in and around the top goalscorers, I think I’ve gone top tonight, so I know that I score goals but when you are on a goal drought and nothing lands for you, you just need something to hit you and a prime example tonight, when you get a tap in to an open goal.

“I took a touch because straight away I was thinking ‘I could put this over from two yards out’. It’s lucky I got the goal and we’ve got the points. Take the goals away – we all want to win, we know we’re fighting and it’s a massive three points.”

May joined Charlton from Cheltenham in the summer.

And he made sure to not be animated after hitting the back of the net.

“I was never celebrating anyway,” said May. “You have to show respect to a team that set a platform for me and let me thrive at a club like this. It’s a brilliant place – so I had to give that respect.”

PICTURE: KYLE ANDREWS