Boss Pleased With Friendlies

Seven goals and two clean sheets. It was an ideal start for Charlton manager Alan Pardew as the club’s pre-season campaign got going on Wednesday night.

The Addicks split down to two sides for the friendlies at Welling United and Tooting & Mitcham. Pardew took charge of a side containing new faces at Park View Road and assistant boss Phil Parkinson took a more experienced squad to Imperial Fields.

Five strikers hit the target during 180 minutes on Wednesday, and it all added up to a promising start to 2007/08.

After watching Luke Varney and Chris Dickson score one each, to see off Welling 2-0, a satisfied Pardew said: ‘I thought for the first game there were more positives than negatives, and overall I was pleased with the clean sheet and two goals.”

Shortly after there was good news from Surrey – as Parkinson’s side had won 5-0 with Chris Iwelumo (2), Marcus Bent, Andy Reid and James Walker on the score sheet.

‘I suppose that makes him a better manager than me’, joked Pards.

‘It’s been a good night for us with seven goals and two clean sheets spread across two difficult teams to play against.”

‘There were players finding their feet. You don’t want to get a serious injury that keeps someone out for a length of time and that was our first priority.

‘The second priority was that the team worked hard, and the subs as well, and I thought a few young players showed their stuff.”

Pardew was also delighted with French youngster Yassin Moutaouakil, the summer signing from Chatearoux slotting in seamlessly at right-back and impressing defensively.

Alan added: ‘Yassin is feeling his way in to the right-back role and I thought he did particularly well and together with Souleymane [Diawara] was probably the highlight of the team. Luke Varney also looked very sharp.

‘It’s always tough to play against non-League sides who are raring to go. I thought Neil’s (Smith’s) team acquitted themselves well and in all honesty perhaps should have scored prior to our second goal, but we got a bit of luck there.”

The nest pre season match is today at Chelsea’s training ground as Pard’s boys take on the reserve side in a behind doors friendly.

Alan Pardew was talking to the clubs official website www.cafc.co.uk