Mandela Egbo backing Charlton Athletic to be in the promotion mix – and looking to play to his strengths

Mandela Egbo is confident that Charlton Athletic will mount a promotion push this season.

The Addicks finished mid-table in the 2021-22 League One campaign but are under new management with Ben Garner replacing Johnnie Jackson.

Garner has raided his former club Swindon for two players – Egbo and goalkeeper Jojo Wollacott – as well as Scott Marshall, who was one of his assistant coaches.

Asked if promotion had to be the goal, former Crystal Palace full-back Egbo told the South London Press: “One hundred per cent. A club as big as we are, that would have to be the main aim.

“We’ll all push to win as many games as we can this season, play as well as we can this season and score as many goals as we can this season. If you do all of those things then you should be right up there.

“We can talk about it all we like, but it’s about getting out on the pitch and putting in those performances. Then, no doubt, we will be where we want to be.

“There’s a long six-and-a-half weeks of pre-season, so we’ve got a lot of grind before then [the first match of the season]. I’m sure as those weeks go on we’ll see where we are and it’s all building up for that first game and to hit the ground running.”

So how would Egbo describe his playing style?

“I definitely say I’m an attack-minded full-back,” he said. “I love getting crosses in the box and trying to assist as much as possible.

“My pace is a strength, my quality going forward – but more so knowing that a defender’s first job is to defend and not taking that lightly.

“I try to be as all-rounded as I can but definitely the thing that I like to think sets me apart would be my attacking qualities.”

Egbo came through the youth ranks at Palace and faced his new club as a junior.

“They are probably the team I played against most, growing up – there would be friendlies in pre-season and then you’d play them again in the season,” said Egbo. “I’ve played here [Charlton’s Sparrows Lane training ground] countless times.

“We used to play at Copers Cope [Road, Palace’s training ground] as well.

“A lot of my boys around the South London catchment area played for Charlton and came through there. A lot of the boys I played with in the England teams came through at Charlton – Joe Gomez and Karlan Grant – they’ve only got good things to say about the club.

“Ryan Inniss really took me under his wing when I was a young lad at Palace, he was closer to the first team and had always trained up. So when I got in and around it – the U23s and the first team – he helped me. I played right next to him, him being a centre-back and me being a right-back.

“I know Sean Clare because he was at Charlton as a kid, so we played against each other. He’s also from Hackney, my borough; we played together and did athletics together – I sprinted, I did 100m and 200m.”

Egbo joined Swindon in January, initially just training with them before injuries saw him sign a short-term contract in March.

Town lost to Port Vale in the League Two play-offs.

“Everyone there did a great job,” said Egbo. “I absolutely loved the club. I wasn’t there for long but I grew a love for the club, the fanbase and all the team-mates and staff. It was a pleasure. If we ever get a weekend off and they’re playing then I’ll definitely be over there to watch.”