SCOTT Wagstaff believes competition for places and the quality within Charlton’s squad goes a long way to explaining why they are top of League One.
The winger opened the scoring on his birthday as the Addicks saw off Leyton Orient 2-0 on Saturday to cap a memorable day for the 22-year-old.
Wagstaff has played second fiddle to Danny Green for a big chunk of this season but he has started the last four games and, having scored his 20th Charlton goal at the weekend, is determined to keep his place in the first team.
“We have a quality squad with a lot of options and we have got competition for places but that is definitely a good thing,” said Wagstaff.
“The quality in the team is different class and the boys have been playing well together.
“Danny Green has been playing out on the right and the team has been winning and I understand Chris Powell can’t change a winning team.
“He has done excellently in the middle of the season but now I have got my place I want to keep it and stay in the team and train hard to show Chris I want to be playing.”
Wagstaff also paid tribute to the togetherness and spirit at The Valley despite many of the players having only arrived in SE7 last summer.
He said: “The boys have been excellent all season.
“At the start of the season we brought about 20 players and managed to gel together as a team, so hopefully we can keep it up and our main aim is to get promotion.
“There are a few games left but we have got to keep going until we are mathematically up.
“It is a long season and we are going to get a few poor results along the way, but it is how we bounce back from that and we have managed to on a few occasions.
“Hopefully now we can kick on and get promoted as quickly as we can.”
Wagstaff also believes he can still improve and is desperate to add to his goals tally after scoring his fifth goal of the season against Leyton Orient.
He said: “I want to be getting in the box and scoring a lot of goals and I want to be bringing assists to my game as well, which hopefully I have done this season.
“I was pleased to get a goal and the three points. That is all we really wanted.
“The boys have been saying it was an own goal but I knew it was definitely my goal!
“It was great play by Rhoys Wiggins and I just managed to get in the right place at the right time to knock it in.
“I was speaking to Yann at the time and didn’t realise.
“I saw Rhoys running and thought I might as well get in the box and see if I can get a goal.
“It was difficult because Leyton Orient played five in midfield, which hurt us a little bit, but we managed to stay strong and get the three points at the end of the day.”
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