Gallagher joined Chelsea at the age of eight and played his part in FA Youth Cup and Under-18 league title successes during his time in our Academy. On the international stage, he won the Under-17 World Cup with England in 2017 and was handed our Academy Player of the Year award following an impressive season last term with our development squad and Under-19s.

In the summer, it was announced he would be embarking on his first loan spell, with the Valley selected as his home for the 2019/20 campaign. The 19-year-old has featured in all 11 Championship games as Lee Bowyer’s newly-promoted side settled quickly into life in the second tier, with Gallagher netting four times to date. The Addicks won four of their opening seven league games and currently sit 10th in the table.

Last night, Gallagher made his England Under-21 debut, coming on midway through the second-half of a 2-2 draw away in Slovenia.



Firstly Conor, how have you found life in the Championship so far?

It’s obviously a big step up but having a good season last year really helped me be ready to join a team in the Championship, both physically and with my confidence. I felt I was ready for the season and have got off to a good start so hopefully I can carry that on.



What are the big differences you’ve noticed already between Under-23s football and the second tier of the senior English game?

At Chelsea, we’re used to having the ball most of the game but at Charlton it’s not like that as much. There is a lot more work off the ball so it’s tougher during games. In the majority of matches, the opposition has more of the ball than us so a lot of my work is off the ball. When I get on it I have to make sure I look after it and do something with it. The Charlton team have players that are really good at that which is why we’ve done so well in the first 11 games.

The big thing that’s a lot different to last season is the games come so thick and fast and every game is a tough game in the Championship. You have to fight your way through every single match. We had three games in a week recently which were Leeds, Swansea and Fulham, which is really difficult, but that’s what it’s all about. I just want to play as many games as possible for my development.