'I knew if it didn't go well for me there that my career would be done'

Charlton Athletic defender Kayne Ramsay on risky transfer paying off, ego backfiring in Millwall derby and why his instinctive defending is here to stay

Kayne Ramsay has been a key part of Charlton Athletic’s miserly defence

Picture: Paul Edwards

When a player makes a permanent switch from the Premier League to League Two, it looks a bold move.

Plenty of top-flight footballers tend to be sniffy about dropping down the English pyramid - even if that is just on loan - for fear that if you fail at that level then it affects your future career prospects.

Kayne Ramsay was 21 when he transferred from Southampton to Harrogate Town in August 2022. Ramsay still had another 12 months to run on the two-year contract extension he had penned with Saints in February 2021.

The Sulphurites were promoted to the EFL for the first time in their history after a 2020 National League play-off final win over Notts County and produced finishes of 17th and 19th in their first two campaigns in England’s fourth tier.

Ramsay made the drop. A big drop. A drop with real risk. That gamble, along with faith in his own ability, paid off as his performances for the North Yorkshire club brought Charlton Athletic to the negotiating table in February 2024.

So how did Hackney-born Ramsay find himself making the 250-mile relocation from the capital to Harrogate?