Zimbabwean soccer ace scores for Charlton Athletic

ENGLAND-BASED Zimbabwean soccer player Bradley Pritchard scored his first goal for his English League One side Charlton Athletic at the weekend.

Pritchard (26) scored in the 90th minute for Charlton in the FA Cup knockout stage against FC Halifax as The Addicks won 4-0.

According to Charlton Athletic's official website, Bradley found the net on his return from injury in the FA Cup on Sunday - but later admitted that he should have been creating rather than scoring goals.

The hard working midfielder, who entered the fray at The Shay for the closing few minutes of the first round tie against Halifax, scored his first goal for the club just before the final whistle. He reacted well to control a cross from striker Michael Smith - who was making his first-team debut - from the right and calmly tucked the ball under the goalkeeper Simon Eastwood from eight yards.

Pritchard could not hide his excitement after getting on the scoresheet for his new club for the first time in his English football career.

In fact, it was more than a consolation for the Zimbabwean, signed out of non-league himself in the summer, whose smile lit up the drizzly Shay Stadium in the final seconds.

Pritchard's goal, Charlton's fourth, was the icing on the cake of a professional away display at The Shay, as The Addicks clinched their place in the second round of English football's premier knockout competition.

Despite his injury, Pritchard, who joined Charlton from non-League side Hayes & Yeading United over the summer, has now featured six times for his new side this season, and is enjoying getting the opportunity to make a mark in SE7.

Pritchard was among a gaggle of Addicks who watched the FA Cup second round draw in the Halifax tunnel after the final whistle on Sunday, and said he was pleased to get a home tie.

Fellow English League One club Carlisle United will be Charlton's opponents in the second phase of the competition on December 3 - but with just two balls left in the hat, a long trip to Cumbria has been on the cards.

Pritchard, born on December 19 1985, previously played for Nuneaton Borough, Tamworth, and Hayes & Yeading United in England.

He first joined Conference North side Nuneaton Borough in 2006, but left the club following their liquidation at the end of the 2007/08 season.

Pritchard then joined local rivals Tamworth. After finding the net four times and scoring some important goals for the club, he won the Conference North Player of the Month award for October 2008.

The Zimbabwean player then opted to join Conference National rivals, Hayes & Yeading United for the 2010-11 season.

Following a short trial with the club, Pritchard signed for Charlton Athletic on May 25 this year along with Danny Hollands. Pritchard signed a one-year contract with the option of a further 12 months.

His first appearance for The Addicks came in a pre-season friendly against Cardiff City at Estadio Guadalquivir del Coria CF in Spain. The Bluebirds won the game 1-0.

Pritchard made his league debut in the 2011-12 season opener against Bournemouth as a 86th minute substitute for Scott Wagstaff. The game finished as a 3-0 win. And that was before he suffered a foot injury in September, which sidelined him for almost two months before returning to action against Halifax in Sunday's FA Cup first round tie.