Richard O’Donnell can assist Charlton Athletic’s young players in making the transition to the first-team roster by drawing on his knowledge of youth football.
That is the opinion of 38-year-old’s employer, Addicks head coach Michael Appleton, who hired him as a coach last month.
O’Donnell and Appleton collaborated at Blackpool and Lincoln City, respectively. After an injury put an end to his playing career at age 21, he obtained his UEFA A license.
Appleton told the South London Press, “I’ve known Rich for a while. “I worked with him many years ago when I got my B license. He did it very, very young, as I have at least ten years on him.
“We stayed in touch and then there was an opportunity to bring a coach into Lincoln – it was to almost be a bridge between the first-team and the academy.
“Rich spent all of his career up to that point working at academies and various levels, from the tots right up to the U23s. It was a no-brainer at the time.
“We have got so much potential in this group and the academy has been fantastic over the years, I knew Richard would be excellent in that role for me.
“Yes, he is working predominantly with the first team on a day to day basis but he is certainly qualified and got the nous and communication skills to to keep that bridge nice and smooth between the academy and the first team.”
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