Pritchard, who can play across the midfield, hit 14 goals for Hayes & Yeading United in the Blue Square Bet Premier last term, helping to seal survival for his club in the top tier of non-League football.
Zimbabwe-born Pritchard, who impressed manager Chris Powell during a trial at the club towards the end of last season, joined United from Tamworth last summer and made 47 appearances for the club.

He had previously played for Nuneaton Borough before joining the Lambs in 2008, and the 25-year-old has agreed a one-year deal, with the option of a further 12 months.
Powell said: “Bradley is a player we watched quite a bit in the second half of last season. He scored a number of goals from midfield, which is always a good sign, and he came in and spent some time training with the squad and played in a reserve game.

“He’s a good midfielder with a good use of the ball, but what I like about him is that he is very energetic and technically aware. Also he has that knack, which doesn’t happen a lot with players, of arriving in the box unnoticed, and that’s why he got into double figures last year from midfield.

“People may say it was at Conference level, but in my eyes that’s the fifth league. So he’s jumped up a couple of levels and we feel he has the right attitude to progress and to carry on learning his trade with us.”

A graduate of Loughborough University, Pritchard won promotion to the Blue Square Premier with Tamworth in his first season at the club, and hit seven goals in 2009/10 before sealing a switch to Church Road.

He was named as the club’s player of the season, and his four goals in successive games against Wrexham, Mansfield, Darlington and Gateshead in April went a long way to helping Hayes & Yeading maintain their place in the league.

Added Pritchard: “I’m really excited. Charlton is a huge club, and one I never really thought I’d be a part of.
“It was a whirlwind in terms of how quick things moved. A month before the season finished at Hayes & Yeading, all I’d heard was interest from other non-League teams, but my good performances continued and I carried on scoring goals and then I heard from Charlton.

“They asked me to come in and train, and I played one reserve game and spoke to the gaffer after and he said he would like to keep me on. I’m used to playing in front of 500 people at the most at Church Road and now I’m looking at playing in front of thousands of people with high expectations.

“To be associated with Charlton Athletic is incredible. It’s a fantastic opportunity for me and one I want to take.” – Charlton Athletic

You Might Also Like

Comments