Charlton star has message: No time for egos as we look to hit play-off target

By Richard Cawley

richard@slpmedia.co.uk

Mark Marshall has told his Charlton Athletic team-mates that it is all about doing the best for the team as their League One play-off prospects go under the microscope – warning: “This is no time for egos.”

The 31-year-old winger suffered Wembley heartache at the hands of Millwall in May while on Bradford’s books but his current South London paymasters still have quite a bit to do even to snare a top-six finish.

“I need to make an impact – whether that is cheering my team-mates on or however long I am on the pitch,” said Marshall. “It is about everyone knowing their role and fighting for the same thing together as a team.

“Everyone should drop their egos. If we accomplish something then everyone reaps the rewards – whatever is beneficial to you. That can be money, getting a promotion medal or getting up to the Championship. We’re all going to get something from it.

“I came here because I want to get promoted and I thought it was the best club to do it at – close to home and a massive club. We can still do it.”

Marshall was a leading light for the Bantams last season and won their Player of the Year award.

He netted six times in the campaign and chipped in with 10 assists.

But Marshall suffered a knee injury in July in a friendly at Stevenage which saw him play just 38 minutes of League One football before returning properly in mid-November.

His sole Charlton goal was the winner at Bury in January.

“My talent hasn’t gone anywhere,” he said. “I know what I’m capable of. I’ve shown lots of glimpses of it. It’s finding that consistency.

“This is football, sometimes it goes exactly how you want it to go and sometimes you’ve got to work a little bit harder for it. I’m at a stage where I’ve got to work a little bit harder for it.

“My season has been average. The injury kept me out for four months. I’ve had okay games. It is a process. But the positive about it is that the season is not finished – we’re still in a great position to get to where we want to go.

“I want to help with that. It doesn’t mean I have to be the best flair player every week. That is giving effort – running that extra mile might help the team get the point or win they need.

“When I was younger I probably wanted to go out there more and show off my talent and skills. As I get older I realise that it’s also about getting back into shape and covering for someone.

“I want to do more attacking-wise but sometimes the ball doesn’t come to you. That’s just life, so am I going to sulk, stay high up the pitch and mess it up for everyone else? Me not moving three yards could impact.

“I want to finish a game and know I can look a fan in the eye and say I gave it my all.”

Deptford-raised Marshall has revealed he has his own mini-checklist that he runs through.

“When things go wrong I look at my part in it – I don’t like to point the finger elsewhere,” he explained. “It helps to combat my feelings.

“Did I prepare right? Did I have enough sleep? Was I mentally focused? When I do that self-assessment and see the part I played in my performance then I’m able to make an honest judgement and see where I need to improve.

“We beat ourselves up a lot of the time but don’t really look at what caused the problem. When you look at why is happened then you go a bit easier on yourself because you can rectify it.

“If I start thinking negatively before I go out on the pitch it is going to go from my brain to my muscles. If I don’t feel confident about something then I’ll doubt myself mentally when the ball comes to me and physically the likelihood is that the pass is going to go wayward.”

Marshall had a nomadic existence, starting in the non-league game with Carshalton Athletic before a jump into the Football League with Swindon in 2008.

He served a two-year ban from the sport after he was found to have a stimulant in his system following a routine drug test in 2011.

During that period he worked on his skills in Lavender Park and first spotted the talent of Joe Aribo, who was signed by Staines Town before signing for Charlton three years ago.

Another youngster impressing in the cage down there was Callum Hudson-Odoi, who joined Chelsea’s youth system in 2007.

“This little boy’s skills were frightening – second to none,” recalled Marshall. “He is on the bench for Chelsea now at the age of 17, that is some achievement.

“It shows that to have a career in football you have got to be dedicated, not just talent on the pitch. Attitude is what makes you a professional and your mental state of mind.

“It is a challenging job and talent alone won’t make you maintain a lifespan in football. One minute you can be up and the next minute you can be down. I’m a prime example of that.

“But every player is kind of an example of that too. You win a game and everyone is happy but then can lose on the Tuesday and it feels like the world is about to end.

“It gets easier as you gain experience to manage your emotions – but not massively so. Because you love something means you get a lot of emotional attachment – you can’t switch that off when you have so much passion for it.”