‘He just wasn’t selected’ – Charlton boss explains why winger an absentee from his squad

Charlton Athletic manager Ben Garner opted not to name Charlie Kirk in his matchday 18 for last night’s 1-1 draw against Forest Green Rovers.

The 24-year-old winger had started all but one of their League One matches before Tuesday evening’s fixture.

But Garner dropped Kirk completely out, one of six changes from the Addicks team which lost 3-1 to Bolton last time out.

“He just wasn’t selected tonight,” the Charlton manager told the South London Press. “He trained this afternoon with Terell [Thomas] and Mandela [Egbo]. All three did really well and trained hard.

“But the squad tonight was based on the training over the past seven to 10 days – performance in training. Charlie now comes back into the reckoning for Saturday.

“He’s got wonderful talent and he’s shown that at the start of the season. There are areas of the game he needs to add to. What I want to see from Charlie is a real consistency and determination to make the most of his talent, because I think he is really talented lad, who can do great things in the game.”

PICTURE: PAUL EDWARDS