Former Brighton and Swansea midfielder Darren Pratley will be a hit with Charlton Athletic fans

BY RICHARD CAWLEY

Lee Bowyer reckons Darren Pratley’s 45-minute shift against Brighton tonight showed exactly what the summer signing is all about.

The 33-year-old penned a deal with the Addicks until the summer of 2020 after leaving Bolton Wanderers.

And Pratley played the opening 45 minutes in tonight’s 1-1 draw against the Seagulls.

“I think the fans will love him,” said caretaker boss Bowyer. “It is something we definitely didn’t have last season.

“I can see his experience, will-to-win and fight. Look at the amount of balls he wins for us in that 45 minutes against a Premier League side who move the ball quicker.

“When he comes up against League One sides who have to take another touch he will win a lot more balls. He’ll be a good asset to the squad, but we knew what he was.”

Trialists Elliott Ward, Simon Dawkins and Rohan Ince all featured tonight.

“Dawkins has been with us for a while – we know we need to make a decision regarding him,” said Bowyer. “We’ll have to do it before the Sunderland game, for sure either way.

“Ward, that’s a difficult situation. I’ve spoken to him about it but I thought he was outstanding tonight. His experience, he was always in the right place. Does he have the pace he had 10 years ago? He seems to get in the right area and is very good in possession. He’s a man.

“Ince, it’s difficult for him. He has only been in for a week and hasn’t kicked a ball before us all summer. He looked a bit off in this game. He’ll be with us at least another couple of weeks.”

IMAGE BY KYLE ANDREWS