Mark Marshall is hoping to make it fourth time lucky in this season’s League One play-off games.

The Charlton winger has suffered promotion heartache against Millwall with Swindon and Bradford.


The Lions piped Swindon to the Championship in 2010, ended Bradford’s promotion hopes in the 2016 play-off semi-finals and beat them in the final a year later.

But Marshall is determined to become a Championship player for the first time in his career with Charlton.

He said: “I’ve had three play-off disappointments against the same team. It’s strange. It was one of the best days of my life in terms of being out there on the Wembley pitch, it’s every kid’s dream.

“But that losing feeling, you can’t even explain it, especially when you have people [Millwall fans] running and jumping in your face and you can’t even do anything.

“You can only look at them. But no, hopefully it’s fourth time lucky. I’ve been in the play-offs three times and lost all three. So hopefully we can get in there and this will be the year for me and the team.”

Charlton’s play-off place will be all but guaranteed tomorrow if Scunthorpe beat Plymouth, who have an inferior goal difference to both teams.

Marshall, 30, added: “If the game’s on TV I’ll watch it, but I’ll definitely be looking out for the score.

“Obviously we want a Scunthorpe win because that will all but guarantee us in the play-offs. But you never know what will happen.

“Plymouth played Rotherham on Saturday and beat them. Scunthorpe and Plymouth are fighting for something, so they’ll both be at it and hopefully Scunthorpe win. I’m just being honest.”

Charlton’s season looked over before Bowyer took temporary charge last month.

He has won six of his first nine games to lift the Addicks to fifth place with one game to go. His side travel to relegation-threatened Rochdale on the final day of the season.

Marshall said: “You have to stay focused because you want the prize [of promotion], it makes you want to stay focused.

“We know there’s Wembley, hopefully, and the promotion. Everyone wants progression. If you're fighting for progression, you're always going to want to work hard.

“I don’t want to be in League One all my life, I’m trying to progress. If I’m searching for progression then it’s going to give me extra motivation because I know where I want to go.

“Everyone is showing the same desire as me. We know there’s a big prize at the end of it and we’ve just got to keep working hard.

“We know we've got to go to Rochdale and get something depending on Tuesday’s result. It’s in our hands. We've got to go there, work our socks off and our quality will shine through.”

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