Charlton Athletic review of the week: Charlie Kelman always confident he would hit goal trail, Ibby Fullah praises brother's help in development and another WSL 2 victory for Karen Hills' side
It’s the final review of the week for 2025.
There won’t be one on December 29 because of Charlton’s game at Portsmouth (which will be fully covered here on South London Sport: Charlton Athletic Edition).
This review includes our chat last week with Ibrahim Fullah, details on another win for the women and loan updates on Micah Mbick, Daniel Kanu and Zach Mitchell.
Charlie Kelman is Charlton’s top-scoring striker after his second goal of the season in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Oxford United/Picture: Keith Gillard
KELMAN: CHARLTON FANS TOLD ME IT WAS GOING TO GO OFF IF I SCORED IN FRONT OF COVERED END
Charlie Kelman never had any doubts he would start hitting the back of the net for Charlton Athletic.
The 24-year-old blanked in his first 14 appearances for the Addicks but got off the mark at the start of November in a 1-1 home draw at The Valley.
A hamstring problem sidelined Kelman until Saturday but he marked his return to the first-team fold by coming on as a second-half sub and scoring the winner against Oxford United.
The former QPR frontman, who was one of the big financial outlays of the summer transfer window for the Addicks, revealed he had told first-team physio Ashar Magoba that he was going to get his second goal for the south Londoners.
“She took the lead on my hamstring rehab,” said Kelman. “There were a lot of hamstring/glute bridges with her on a Saturday. They were fun - leaving at six or seven at night. She’s a top woman and I can’t speak highly enough of her. The whole medical and strength & conditioning team have been fantastic with me.
“I didn’t think it was as bad as it was. It was a 13 centimetre tear in the tendon. It caught me by surprise. It was a big injury but it wasn’t as bad as we first thought.”
Both of Kelman’s goals have come in SE7.
“After the Hull game I got the train home and I spoke to these fans who were having a few bevvies, and they said: ‘When you score at the Covered End it’s going to go off’. I’ve got back-to-back ones at the Covered End, hopefully I’ve made their day,” said the former USA U21 international.
Part of Kelman’s target this season is to win a place in America’s World Cup squad. Patrick Aygemang, arguably a rival for a spot and also playing in the Championship, has five goals for Derby County.
Asked if he felt pressure after waiting nearly three months to net for Charlton, Kelman said: “To be honest it was because of the situation at QPR. You don’t have a pre-season and don’t know where you’re going to be. All of a sudden you’re starting a Championship season at Charlton. It was tough.
“People are defined by how they react to things. I didn’t score but I knew my goals would come. I kept working hard and I’m getting my rewards now.
“I’m very privileged to do what I do. Being injured has allowed me to take a step back and realise that.”
Charlton manager Nathan Jones revealed post-match that Kelman’s problem had initially been misdiagnosed.
Asked about the fact the player had been keen to be involved even sooner than Saturday, the Welshman replied: “He felt really good but it was a tendon injury, so we had to wait for the specialist to say: ‘Yeah, he’s ready to go now’. Even though we were suffering and had two fit strikers. That is tough.
“I’m really happy for him. I knew he was a good character and that he could finish. But he is outstanding around the place. He is a clown, basically. Brilliant. I really want him to have a big impact because if he can have that impact on the pitch that he has off it then it is money well spent.”
Picture: Paul Edwards
Thomas Kaminski recorded a seventh clean sheet this season - a total only surpassed in the division by Coventry City’s Carl Rushworth (eight).
Six of Charlton’s seven wins in all competitions since promotion have been shutouts.
“We’ve been built on clean sheets, we don’t concede much,” said Jones. “Southampton were outstanding on the day (they won 5-1 at The Valley). It’s the best they have played all season. They saved it for us. It’s probably the only time I’ve motivated Southampton.
“The Stoke result, on top of what we’ve been going through (with injuries), two of the goals were sheer flukes. It looks like ‘wow, these lot have gone away [from the fundamentals]’. We conceded the same amount in that four-game block as we did all season, in another 17 games.
“It shows there was something out of kilter. We had to suffer through that. The clean sheet was paramount - it gives us a platform. We always believe we can score a goal and we do, even when we are in poor form. Southampton, for example, we scored a goal.
“When we move away from what we do really well that is when we need to get back on track and we were [back on track] today.
“Once we get more people back we will have more freshness, more aggression, more pace and power - more game-changers. That is what we’re looking forward to.”
Emma Bissell celebrates her late winner/Picture: Keith Gillard
ADDICKS’ WSL 2 FEAT
Charlton have not lost in WSL 2 for the whole of 2025 after a 2-1 home victory against Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
The Addicks do not play again in the competition until January 11 when they head to Ipswich Town.
Karen Hills’ side are top of the table with a five-point advantage over Birmingham City.
Aimee Claypole put Forest into the lead early in the second half but Karin Muya finished Emma Bissell’s cross in the 70th minute.
The provider had only been on the pitch two minutes after being subbed into the action. Bissell won it for the home team in the eighth minute of added time.
Karin Muya equalises/Picture: Keith Gillard
CAGE FOOTBALL HELPED TOUGHEN UP FULLAH
Ibby Fullah has talked about how much he owes to his older brother for helping him develop skills needed for the professional game.
The 18-year-old has made eight appearances this season including Championship starts at Wrexham and Birmingham.
Fullah also scored in EFL Cup ties against Stevenage and Cambridge United.
The teenager had a spell at Crystal Palace’s development centre before signing for the Addicks at U10 level after a six-week trial.
Fullah regularly played in the football cages in Mountsfield Park, Catford.
“My brother definitely knew what he was doing taking me there,” he told South London Sport: Charlton Athletic Edition. “Every time I was playing against people three or four years older than me.
Ibby Fullah scores his first senior goal against Stevenage in the EFL Cup/Picture: Paul Edwards
“You are playing in small spaces and you need ball manipulation. It really toughens you up because they didn’t care about my age - any time they went into a challenge they wouldn’t shy away from it. It was character development.
“Ronaldo was my idol in football but outside of that it is my brother. He is 26. I’ve always looked up to how he was. When I was younger he always told me just to have fun every time I played.”
Fullah has played nine matches at senior level for Charlton.
Asked if he was happy with his progression, he responded: “Definitely. I’m in a good place and I’m willing to keep going the way I have been going. My targets for this season are just to make sure I play well whenever I play. I want to take any opportunities with both hands.
“When I scored my first goal it was a crazy feeling.”
HIBS FINALLY START MITCHELL
Zach Mitchell made his senior debut for Hibernian on Saturday - more than three months after joining the Scottish club on loan.
The Charlton defender’s performance in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Dundee United was described as “impressive” by Hibs’ X account.
“It has been a frustrating period coming on loan and not being able to get the minutes that I would like but I’m very grateful to have the opportunity to get on today and make my debut,” said Mitchell.
“Probably the aim of a loan is to get as many minutes as possible, but I think the learning can be done in other ways – on the training pitch, the manager and the staff have been brilliant and I have learned in many other ways.
“Perhaps that has not necessarily been on the pitch, but hopefully that can come from now and I will always be ready for these opportunities. It is always about being ready at any point, like today you never know what can happen, when you need to be called upon.”
WALSALL AND COLCHESTER BOSSES ON STRIKER LOAN RECALL PROSPECTS
The bosses at Walsall and Colchester United have talked about the possibility of losing loan strikers Daniel Kanu and Micah Mbick next month.
The Charlton strikers are on loan in League Two.
Addicks boss Nathan Jones confirmed previously that they are able to call back any of their players in the January transfer window.
Kanu has scored 11 goals in 20 matches for Walsall and their manager Mat Sadler told BBC Radio WM: “We’re not in control of everything but we’re doing a good job by the parent club at the moment and hopefully that continues.
“We give everything to loan players when they come to the club. We’re a good destination for people to bring their loan players to.
“We want to be a place where strikers and attackers will come because they know we’re going to play a certain way and they’re going to get loads of chances.”
Mbick, 19, has scored eight times in 18 appearances for Colchester United. He also won his first England U20 cap at the start of November.
Mbick collected a goal and an assist in Colchester’s 4-1 win over Colchester United on Saturday.
“I know January 1 is not too many days away but in football terms, it’s still a million miles away because we have so many games between now and then and so much changes,” U’s boss Danny Cowley told the Colchester Gazette.
“The lines of communication have always been really open with Nathan Jones, with Jim Rodwell and the powers that be and Dave Huzzey, who used to work here and is the transition coach at Charlton where he works with young players who are between U21s and the first team.
“We’ve got a really good relationship with all those guys so we’ll keep communicating and see how it unfolds.”
GLOBAL FOOTBALL HOLDINGS ROLE FOR ABBOTT
Charlton’s former club doctor Will Abbott has taken on a new job with Global Football Holdings.
Andy Scott, who was sacked by the Addicks in February, is the technical director, also the title he held while employed by the club, for GFH.
Abbott spent two years as director of performance services at Charlton before departing recently.
He has set up his own company - Strategic Performance Solutions - which provides consultancy services to sporting organisations in Europe and the States.
GFH is a US-based group which includes David Blitzer, a co-owner in Crystal Palace. They have part ownership of a number of clubs including FC Augsburg, Brondby, Estoril Praia and SK Beveren.