Nathan Ashton

Interesting to note that former Charlton youngster Nathan Ashton made his Premiership debut today for Fulham. It was presumably the Les Reed connection that took him to Craven Cottage after he was released by the Addicks.

Like Charlton, Fulham have a temporary left-back crisis with both Paul Konchesky and Carlos Bocanegra suspended. Nonetheless, given that Grant Basey is just 18 and Ashton is 20, the latter would presumably have been starting for us now had he stayed. Then again, based upon my own evidence from the QPR game, and reports from Southampton, perhaps Charlton had higher hopes for Basey despite the age difference.

Of all the players who have been (voluntarily) released by Charlton over the recent years, very few have been proven us wrong with hindsight. Perhaps only Danny Shittu and Linvoy Primus might reasonably have been retained based upon their subsequent form elsewhere at an equivalent, or higher level.