Alex Gilbert spent the second part of the season on loan with Charlton from Middlesbrough.
Alex Gilbert reflected on his ‘roller coaster’ trip at Charlton Athletic, which culminated in a fairytale Wembley win to clinch promotion to the Championship.
Gilbert joined the Addicks on loan from Boro in January and had a mixed experience with the League One team. After making a name for himself as a’super sub’ on Teesside, he struggled to break into Nathan Jones’ starting lineup at Charlton, but he did provide four assists in 14 league games.
After making it to the play-offs, Jones trusted Gilbert to start both the vital semi-final second leg and the Wembley final. Gilbert played for over an hour on Saturday as Charlton defeated Leyton Orient 1-0 to secure promotion to the Championship. Gilbert took to Instagram to praise the club after the Wembley victory marked the end of his time at the Valley.
The Boro prospect commented, “What a sensation! I’m delighted to have been promoted to this elite group. It’s been a roller coaster, but I’ve loved every minute of it. A great thank you to all of the players and staff for making me feel so welcome, and an even bigger thank you to all of the supporters for their support. “See you next season!”
At this point, the parting’see you next season’ phrase is said to solely refer to the fact that Charlton will be moving to the Championship alongside Boro, where Gilbert hopes to play more frequently next season. However, the 23-year-old’s future on Teesside is far from assured.
While Gilbert will return to Rockliffe at the end of next month to begin pre-season with the hopes of impressing and earning more playing time than he has so far, he will be aware that competition for spots is tough, and there are already plans to reinforce in the forward areas.
Desperate to play regular football to help his own development, he has two years left on his Boro contract, and it is unclear whether Boro will consider permanent offers or seek another loan move for the attacker. Alternatively, he might use pre-season and summer friendlies to impress and gain more opportunities in the upcoming season.
Marcus Browne, a former Boro player, was also victorious at Wembley over the bank holiday weekend. A year after assisting Oxford United in gaining promotion through the play-offs, he repeated the feat with AFC Wimbledon, who defeated Walsall 1-0 in the League Two final.
Browne stated, “2 In 2…signed for this club in January with one mission in mind…” Mission achieved! Donations are increasing, Ole Ole Ole! You Dons! Your help was fantastic!”
Leave a Reply