Gassan Ahadme: I don’t care how it went in but I needed my first Charlton Athletic goal

Charlton Athletic forward Gassan Ahadme admits he’s been desperate to get his first Addicks goal – which finally came during the 1-0 win at Shrewsbury.

The striker, picked up from Ipswich Town for an undisclosed fee during the summer, bundled home from Lloyd Jones’ knockdown to earn his side victory at Croud Meadow – just before the defender’s header could cross the line.

Ahadme, 23, had gone five games goalless at the start of the campaign and had squandered a huge opportunity to break his duck against Rotherham at The Valley last weekend.

But his maiden strike, coupled with Charlton’s fourth clean sheet of the campaign, was enough to register the South Londoners’ second away victory this term.

“As you can imagine, I was really waiting for this goal,” explained Ahadme, who scored 11 League One goals in 29 appearances on loan at Cambridge last season.

“It had to go in however, with whatever part of my body. I needed it to get in so I’m happy with that.

“I’m doing the work for the team but at the end everybody is going to look at how I affect the game. Apart from playing well or helping the team play well, I’ve got to score goals because I’m a striker. Strikers are judged by that. Happy to get a goal today and hopefully I can get more.

“It was a bit confusing. I think it was going in. Maybe because I had a defender beside me. The trajectory of the ball was going in, but I got a touch before the line so it’s my goal. I’m happy about that.

“I’m really happy about my first goal but more importantly the win away from home. We kept a clean sheet again. It has been a good day.”

Manager Nathan Jones described Ahadme as a “focal point” and the forward said he was happy to put in the hard yards to try and win headers from long balls forward as well as helping out defensively at set-pieces.

He added: “It’s something that we work on. It’s something that the manager wants to implement in our game, to be direct sometimes. To penetrate. That’s part of my game. If my teammates can keep helping me then I can keep doing it and I’ll help the team.

“I’ve been helping the team as much as I can. I work really hard. I was really waiting for this goal but I’m here to help the team. To do what the manager tells me. I only focus on that.

“[Earning four clean sheets already is] really good. The numbers speak for themselves. It’s a really important aspect of the team. If we keep keeping clean sheets, you are closer to winning the game as you are just one goal away. That’s an important aspect of the team.

“It’s important to start well. The league is really long but the better you start, the better position you put yourselves in a better position to compete for the important things at the end of the season.”

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