Neil McCafferty: hero of Irthlingborough

Purchasers of the programme for Tuesday night's clash between Rushden and Diamonds and Bury at Nene Park were informed that five of them would win a limited edition signed print of Charlton loan player Neil McCafferty. I wasn't one of the lucky winners, but I was able to read the accompanying profile of the midfielder who was the Addicks' reserve team captain.

McCafferty is currently commuting to Irthlingborough from his home on the outskirts of London. He revealed, 'One of my good friends at Charlton is Jon Fortune and we chill out a lot.'

The Derry born player made a solid contribution to the Team in White's 3-0 demolition of Bury. His passing was always neat and he positioned himself well, also advising other players on their positioning. He did miss one golden opportunity to score, putting the ball just past the post. His main problem that he was hustled off the ball too easily: he is of medium height and build (1.70 metres, 71kg).

Afterwards Neil joined us in the bar and signed the double page photo in the programme. He is very pleasant and we had a good chat about Charlton. His loan spell at Rushden ends with Saturday's home fixture against Mansfield, but could well be extended, helping him to build the experience he needs to achieve his goal of breaking into the Charlton first team.