Charlton captain Greg Docherty is ready for the Sky Bet League One play-offs which begin for the Addicks on Sunday with a trip to Wycombe Wanderers.
The midfielder joined Nathan Jones' side in the summer and has made 40 league appearances for the Addicks, scoring four goals.
Charlton have played Wycombe twice this season, winning both games, and Docherty feels his teammates can take confidence from those results.
"I think we’ll reflect on those games," he said on Tuesday. "I’m sure we’ll watch clips of those games back, when we’re doing analysis and having the most recent Wycombe game a couple of weeks ago. You have to take confidence from that, of course you do. The play-offs are a different ball game. I feel like we all know that as well. The form goes out the window.
“We're in a good place, and I think mentally to think we’ve beaten that team twice this year and we’ll go into these games with full confidence and I think regardless of who we’re playing we would have, but maybe it gives you that extra bit and again having the game so recently we can reflect on that match in particular."
The Addicks will be backed by a sold out away end on Sunday before returning to The Valley for the second leg on Thursday where a sold out home end is expected.
Speaking on the atmosphere at The Valley, the 28-year-old said: “It’s made such a difference. From the middle of December onwards, I think it’s been the catalyst for us. There have been some massive games, some great crowds, a lot of noise. They’ve helped us go over the line so many times.
"We, as players, thrive on it. You can see how passionate the manager is when he is on the sideline, and he talks about being at home, and this is what it means to us to play for Charlton. He drums that into us, and every player has bought into that."
Docherty has worn the captain's armband with pride this season and is expected to be wearing it again on Sunday.
When asked about becoming the Addicks' skipper, he explained: "I didn’t expect it, and we spoke on and off during the summer. I came down to the training ground, and the manager was keen to get things sorted before we went on a pre-season trip, and I came to the training ground trying to be discrete.
"We had a good chat, and again, I spoke to him a couple of times previously, and we shook hands, and he just went, 'so is this the new captain of Charlton Athletic then?'
"For him to put that trust in me - we’d spoken several times before that, but I know he’s the type of guy who does his homework. He’d obviously done his homework on me and with the characteristics that I have, and we’re aligned in that sense and in what he wants.
"I left the training ground, and was like, 'when can we do this?' Becoming captain wasn’t the selling point, but I wanted to be a part of the journey anyway, from how passionate he was about the place and the project being built."
Join fellow fans at The Valley on Sunday for the screening of the first leg. Click here for more information.
(Transcription by Lloyd Hassell)
