“The league’s going to be in a bit of trouble” – Conor Washington has message for Charlton’s rivals

Conor Washington is confident of a decent scoring haul this season – and grins when asked about Lee Bowyer’s claim that Charlton have not got a 20-goal-a-season striker in their ranks.

The 28-year-old is already up to five for the current campaign after his double in Tuesday’s 3-2 victory over Fleetwood Town.

Washington said: “I saw the quotes [from Bowyer]. The last time I was at this level I had 15 just after the turn of the year [for Peterborough].

“I’ve not played fully through the middle under the manager but I’d like to, obviously. I like getting in those positions.

“I feel I’m at an age where I’m very comfortable in my own skin – I know what I’m good at. I know I can score goals at this level and I have done before.

“I’d like to think it was kidology [from Bowyer] but the other thing is he’s going to rotate us, we’ve seen that. If we can get one of us to 20 then fantastic – hopefully that will be me.”

Charlton are one of the pacesetters at the top of League One and Washington reckons that is ominous for their rivals after they extended their unbeaten run to seven matches.

“We’ve suffered a little bit of an injury crisis since the start of the season but the players who have come in are just ridiculous quality for this level,” he said. “I don’t think the strength of the squad can be forgotten about.

“It’s amazing. We can lose Akin [Famewo] but Ryan [Inniss] comes back from suspension and Prats [Darren Pratley] just slots in there and it’s as good a back four as any.

“Once everyone is fit and firing the only way is up for us really. The competition is only going to get more intense.

“If we can keep everyone fit the league’s going to be in a bit of trouble.”

Washington was paired with Omar Bogle against Fleetwood with Bowyer opting for a 4-4-2 formation. The Northern Ireland international covered some serious ground – both in an attacking and defensive sense.

“At Portsmouth I ran about 11k and the high intensity was 1,100 metres,” said Washington. “I’ve always been a big fan of the sports science side of it. A lot of my better performances have come with those sort of numbers as well.

“I worked really hard over lockdown to get fit and I’m starting to get the fruits of my labour. Being able to run as much as I can makes me relatively versatile and gets me played in a few positions.”

Washington converted Charlton’s first penalty of the 2020-21 campaign to seal victory over the Cod Army.

He said: “I think Boges [Omar Bogle] did want it but Jacko [Johnnie Jackson] decided before the game who is taking them. We’ve got to stick with the status quo.”

PICTURES: KEITH GILLARD