Exclusive: Josh Davison relishing pressure of being Dons’ number nine – and opens up on Charlton Athletic exit

BY RICHARD CAWLEY
richard@slpmedia.co.uk

Josh Davison is happy to take on the responsibility of being AFC Wimbledon’s new number nine.

The 22-year-old signed for the Dons on Monday after an undisclosed fee was agreed with Charlton Athletic.

And Davison was quick to ask for the squad number that was previously worn by Ollie Palmer, before his £300,000 transfer to Wrexham in the January transfer window.

The fact Davison was given it underlined that he is set to be a regular starter for the Dons.

“When a club accepts a bid for you then it means they are happy for you to go,” Davison, who scored nine goals in 21 matches on loan at Swindon in the second half of last season, told the South London Press.

“Now I want to go and make a name for myself. When I went to Swindon I started every game. That’s what I needed – a run of matches to find my feet and start scoring.

“It’s about going somewhere where you feel you’re going to be the main man and getting the number nine shirt is the confidence boost you want.

“That number was available and there are not many strikers who would turn that one down. As a striker you want that responsibility.

“I’m 100 per cent [happy to accept the pressure that comes with it]. You’re going to be getting stick if you’re not scoring, you’ve got to trust you are going to be scoring goals.”

Charlton took up a 12-month contract extension option in Davison’s deal in May. The SE7 outfit partly did that to ensure they could get a fee for the forward, if he was not part of the new manager’s plans.

At that stage Ben Garner, who worked with Davison at Swindon, was still around a month away from being appointed boss.

Charlton rejected Wimbledon’s first couple of offers but were prepared to sell once the structure of the deal suited them.

“The situation was out of my hands,” said Davison. “I had to have a conversation with the club [Charlton] about what their intentions were – whether I was likely to play and whether it was right for me.

“I sat down with the gaffer [Garner] and we had an honest conversation about me – who was going to play out of me, Jayden [Stockley] and Chuks [Aneke]. Jayden was really good last season, he scored something like 20 goals. I knew it was going to be tough.”

Wimbledon manager Johnnie Jackson knew all about Davison’s attitude and attributes, having worked with the former Enfield Town striker after he arrived at Charlton in October 2019.

“I was 18 or 19 when I first went there and he was one of my first proper managers,” said Davison. “He was assistant at the time [and then succeeded Nigel Adkins to become boss]. I’ve been around him for ages and I know how he wants to play and how he does things.

“He’s shown how much he wants to bring me in and rates me as a player. I want to go and do well, for him and for me.

“Every player sets targets. Last season in all competitions I scored 14 goals. I’d like to get past 20.”

Charlton offered Davison a path back into the professional game after he was released by Peterborough.

“It will always be a club that holds a place in my heart,” he said. “I went into non-league and having the dream of being a professional footballer looked a bit slim.

“Charlton gave me that opportunity. Lee Bowyer gave me my debut two or three weeks later at West Brom. I got my first start against Swansea, on TV, with my family watching. My first ever goal was at The Valley. A lot of the firsts in my career, I did them at Charlton.”

Davison always seemed to give his all, prepared to chase every ball pumped over the opposition’s backline.

“That’s kind of credit for where I’ve come from,” he said. “Not just playing non-league but also the area I grew up in – Enfield, north London. I’ve had mates who played football who were really good and they didn’t get the opportunity other people have got to get into the game.

“So when you do get that chance you’ve got to do your best, the minimum you can give is always hard work.”

Davison had worked his way into Nigel Adkins’ starting plans at the start of last season and scored in back to back matches against Portsmouth and Bolton.

But he denies his confidence waned before he was sent to Swindon.