Nick Pope

So, when I signed for Charlton, I knew I'd be going on a lot of loan spells, and I started in the Ryman Premier, so I was like...

you know, good three levels below League Two.

So I thought that was, you know, quite a realistic aim, if you like, and something that I thought was possible with Charlton.

You know, my parents had been a League One club at the time and then a Championship club.

It was something that, you know, I really, really aspired to do, really, and something that, yeah, was a definite massive goal of mine.

Yeah, as far as I've got released at 16 from Ipswich, I was obviously off to find a new club, which I didn't do.

So I didn't do a scholarship anywhere, as I think 99% of professional footballers would do.

So I went off to do a college and study in England.

I was really lucky that the college I went to had a really good football scheme and something where we trained nearly every day and there was loads of games as well and great coaches as well.

I didn't fall into it, but it's something that in hindsight worked out unbelievably well for myself and fitted me to the team.

Harrow Borough was my first kind of loan.

What did you learn there at Harrow?

Um...

I don't know.

I was really lucky at Harrah, actually.

I went to a club, Dave Anderson was manager and he was the goalkeeper and really understood my situation and what I wanted to be.

So he helped me loads and encouraged me to be confident and not worry about mistakes, even though playing as a 19-year-old with everyone else is an adult, really, mid-20s, 30s.

So I kind of brush it off and move on.

He's really good at giving me confidence.

I remember I played my first game for him and I think we lost 1-0 to Met Police away.