Whatever happens between now and the end of the season, Charlie Johnson will take his place in Malvern Town history as part of the team that helped the club achieve its highest-ever points haul at Step 4.
The highly-rated defender was left with a decision to make during the summer when his club, Cirencester Town, decided to pull out of the Southern League.
There was plenty of interest in securing his services and in the end he opted for a move to the Hillsiders.
It’s fair to say that he hasn’t looked back since and as well as proving to be a solid and reliable member of the back-line, he has also chipped in with some important goals along the way, including last weekend’s late winner in the 2-1 triumph over Falmouth Town.
That victory made it eight wins and a draw from the last nine games for the Pitching In Southern League Division One South club, leaving them just two points shy of the play-off places going into this weekend’s action.
We asked the 23 year-old whether there was any secret behind the run of form that the club finds itself in and how pleased he was with his summer decision to move to the HDANYWHERE Community Stadium.
“I’m not sure if there is a secret,” he admitted. “We have been building these performances for a while now, along with lots of confidence.
“We have also been able to adapt home and away, which was something we had struggled with at the start of the season. We’ve got our 3G surface at home and then we have to be able to get to grips with whatever conditions we are faced with when we go away, with some better than others!
“This is an amazing club who try to do things the right way on and off the pitch. It didn’t take me long to make up my mind to come here when I spoke to the Gaffers over the summer; the project that they presented to me was an exciting one and I knew that I would fit into it straight away.
“It’s certainly proved that way and it’s been a really positive season up to this point. Coming here and playing centre back instead of left-back means that I am able to get more time on the ball and show my passing ability.
“I’m a big advocate of playing the game the right way, and the philosophy here matches my own.
“I’ve also been able to add a few goals and assists to my name too, which is great, and I owe the coaching staff a lot for the trust that they have placed in me.
“The mentality here is just to take things one game at a time and keep enjoying our football. We know what we are capable of and if that leads us to a place in the play-offs, that would be an amazing achievement for all involved, but we’re not getting too far ahead of ourselves as there is still a lot of football to be played between now and the end of the season.
“To be involved at the top end of the table for the run-in is exciting; as a player you want to be taking part in big games in front of big crowds.
“We have an interesting run of fixtures ahead of us and we’ll definitely go into them full of confidence and belief. If we can maintain the high standards that we have set ourselves and continue doing the right things, who knows where it can take us?
“This is such a competitive League; I hear this said a lot, but the difference this season to previous years is that everyone is capable of beating each other. No-one is really running away with it.
“We’ve beaten some of the top teams but lost to those in the lower reaches of the table, and that’s how it has been across the whole League.”
Saturday sees Malvern Town head to their old Hellenic League sparring partners, Cribbs, in a game which has an impact at both ends of the table.
IMAGE: Nigel Crisp
Most clubs are looking for volunteers. Find out more on the button below:
www.PitchingInVolunteers.co.ukAll the news and results in one place.
REGISTER