Charley Side

*Indicates unconfirmed information. Figures in brackets after English team names indicate all appearances made and goals scored in competitive matches for Football League clubs from 1888 onwards. For Scottish League clubs the figures show details of all competitive appearances and goals scored from 1946/47 onwards.

Charley Side

Appearances: 25+6 Goals: 10

Date / Year of birth: 11th February 1981

Position: Striker

Season of first appearance: 2007/08

Season of last appearance: 2007/08

Also played for: Welling United, Ashford Town, Bromley, Dulwich Hamlet, Erith & Belvedere, Kingstonian, Croydon Athletic, Carshalton Athletic, Beckenham Town and Hastings United

London-born striker who started his career with Conference club Welling. Charley progressed through the Wings' youth ranks and made his first team debut as a teenager during the 1998/99 campaign. He was often used as a substitute by Welling during 1999/00 and at the end of that season the club were relegated to the Southern League Premier Division.

Charley was loaned to Southern League outfit Ashford for the start of the 2000/01 campaign but returned to Welling in September 2000 and on 19.9.00 he came on at half-time as the Wings lost 5-0 at Margate.

In December 2000 he was loaned to Isthmian League Division 1 club Bromley and Charley scored four goals from nine league outings (five as sub) there before going back to Park View Road in February 2001.

Having been released by Welling Charley joined Bromley on a permanent basis in the summer of 2001 and he scored twice from eight Isthmian League appearances during the early part of the 2001/02 campaign.

In October 2001 he moved on to Dulwich of the Isthmian League Division 1 and Charley scored 15 goals before the end of season. During the 2002/03 campaign he managed eight goals and Charley then found the net five times during 2003/04 before briefly linking up with Southern League Eastern Division club Erith & Belvedere in April 2004 on a dual-registration basis.

He was back at Champion Hill by the start of May 2004 and on 3.5.04 Charley got his sixth goal of the season as Dulwich drew 2-2 with visitors Wealdstone in the Division 1 South play-off for promotion to the Isthmian League Premier Division. The Stones won 5-4 on penalties.

The 2004/05 campaign was an excellent one for Charley as he scored 17 times for Dulwich. His tally included four goals in a 6-0 home win over Corinthian Casuals in the Isthmian League Cup on 26.10.04. He then scored six times during the 2005/06 season before signing for Kingstonian in February 2006.

Charley managed five goals for the K's in the Isthmian League Division 1 during the remainder of the campaign and his tally included a hat-trick in a 4-0 home win over Walton Casuals on 17.4.06.

He started the 2006/07 season with Croydon Athletic and Charley's team-mates there included former Margate midfielder Gareth Graham. Charley scored four Isthmian League Division 1 goals and two more in cup ties before joining Premier Division Carshalton in November 2006.

He found the net five times in 28 appearances (13 as sub) in all competitions for the Robins before leaving Carshalton at the end of the campaign.

In July 2007 Charley signed a one-year contract with Margate and player-manager Robin Trott told the Isle of Thanet Gazette "Charlie gets in behind defenders, runs and runs and will always give 100 per cent."

On the eve of the 2007/08 season Robin Trott again spoke to the Isle of Thanet Gazette about Charley and described him as "Very nimble, very quick...he chases lost causes." Trott also said Charley was "Always in the right place at the right times to get goals, he gives 100 per cent and is a pleasure to have down at the club."

Charley made his debut as a substitute as Margate drew 1-1 with Chelmsford in an Isthmian League Premier Division game at Hartsdown Park on 18.8.07 and he also featured as a sub in a 2-0 defeat at East Thurrock three days later. Charley broke his nose in that match but carried on playing and after making one more sub appearance he started for the first time as Margate took on Horsham at Hartsdown Park on 27.8.07. Charley got a goal in a 2-0 win and the Thanet Times said his finish after being played through "was exactly the sort of chance Danny Hockton would have taken, scored by the man brought in to replace him"

Charley kept his place as Margate entertained Tonbridge on 1.9.07 and remarkably he scored a hat-trick inside the first ten minutes of the game, finding the net in the second, seventh and ninth minutes. It was one of the fastest hat-tricks in the club's history and probably the quickest ever from kick-off. Margate eventually won the match 3-1.

Having bagged four goals from his first two full appearances Charley then enjoyed a good run in the side wearing the number ten shirt and he was on target again as Margate won 3-0 at Chatham in an FA Cup tie on 15.9.07. On 29.9.07 Charley bagged a brace in a dramatic 4-3 win over Fisher in an FA Cup tie played at Dulwich and that took his goal tally to seven from his first eight starts for Margate.

After playing in a 0-0 draw at Ashford (Middlesex) on 6.10.07 Charley found himself dropped to the bench for Margate's trip to his old club Carshalton on 9.10.07 but he came on as the Robins won 3-0. Charley then enjoyed another run of starts but found himself playing on the right-hand side of midfield as Rob Haworth and James Pinnock struck up a good striking partnership. Despite playing in midfield Charley managed to score twice in a 3-1 home win over Aylesbury in the FA Trophy on 23.10.07 although his second goal came from the penalty spot. Over the next few weeks Charley made four more appearances wearing the number four shirt but a few days after a 2-1 defeat against Harrow at Hartsdown Park on 10.11.07 he had an operation on his nose which had been troubling him since he broke it at East Thurrock some three months earlier.

Charley missed nine matches as he recuperated from his surgery before making a comeback as a substitute in a 1-0 defeat at Horsham on 29.12.07. He then made his first start for almost two months when he played in midfield as Margate beat visitors Ashford (Middlesex) 2-1 on 5.1.08 and the Thanet Times said Charley was "a real bundle of energy" on the right.

In Margate's next game on 19.1.08 - a home match against Carshalton - he scored his tenth goal of the season in a 4-2 win over his former employers and Charley played twice more in midfield before being handed a rare start up front in a 3-2 defeat at Tonbridge on 9.2.08. He then missed four games due to injury before returning once more as a substitute in a 1-0 win over Billericay at Hartsdown Park on 8.3.08.

On 15.3.08 Charley wore the number ten shirt in a 2-0 defeat at AFC Hornchurch before dropping back into midfield once more as Margate drew 3-3 with visitors Wealdstone on 22.3.08. He then played on the right again in a 1-0 defeat at Ramsgate on 24.3.08 but that turned out to be Charley's last appearance for Margate.

A few days later he rejoined Carshalton and Robin Trott told the Thanet Times he'd wanted Charley to stay. He explained "Carshalton came in for him till the end of the season and we're looking to reduce the budget. I didn't want to get rid, I made it known to him that I didn't want to get rid. Charley spoke to Carshalton and they offered him unbelievable money. He's gone, it's got the budget down and it was the same with Mark Goodfellow, although he wasn't playing to his full potential." Charley had scored ten goals from 31 outings (six as sub) for Margate before his departure.

Carshalton manager Hayden Bird told his club's website "I was disappointed when Charlie left the club in July - he was a favourite both on the terraces and in the dressing room. However Charlie has a great affinity with the club and has ripped up his Football Association contract with Margate in order to return to Colston Avenue."

Charley scored twice from five appearances for Carshalton before the end of 2007/08 and he stayed with the Robins for the start of the 2008/09 campaign too but didn't play for the first team before surprisingly moving to Kent League outfit Beckenham a few weeks into the new season.

Charley scored eight goals for Beckenham before signing for Isthmian League Premier Division club Hastings in March 2009.

He made nine league appearances without scoring for the Sussex club and at the end of the 2008/09 campaign Charley was released.

He then retired from football aged just 28 and in 2012 Charley was working as a coach. By then he had a son who was also called Charley.

SEASON (CLUB)

FULL (MAX)

SUB

GLS

FAC

FAT

ILC

KSC

 

2007/08 (MFC)

25 (53)

6

10

ISTHMIAN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION (9TH OF 22)

3QR

2QR

2R

SF