New Boro signing optimistic ahead of new season

NEW Boro signing Darius Charles believes his new team has what it takes to challenge for promotion when they kick-off their first season in League Two in August.

The defender knows what it takes to play in the Football League after playing more than 30 games for Brentford in both League One and Two earlier in his career.

Last season Charles played in the Blue Square Premier with Ebbsfleet United but believes he saw enough in his new Stevenage teammates to encourage him that their first season playing league football could end in success.

“I don’t believe there is much of a difference between the Conference and League Two football,” Charles, who has signed a two-year deal, told The Comet.

“A lot of teams that have gone up have established themselves there and quite a few have gone and challenged for promotion in their first season in League Two.

“The big differences between simply cementing a place in the league and challenging for the top positions are organisation and competence, and I have seen both in Stevenage.

“In my opinion I believe they can definitely cement their place in League Two and I would not be surprised if next season we pushed on.

“It’s just my opinion but I believe we could actually go straight up to League One if everything went our way.”

Charles could have been playing his football in the Blue Square South next year following relegation with Ebbsfleet United where he was one of their key players in the last campaign making 39 appearances.

Charles, who can play either left-back or centre back, made his debut for Ebbsfleet against Stevenage Borough while on loan for the Kent club in 2008 before he signed permanently for Liam Daish’s side in January 2009.

He was an �80,000 transfer target for York City along with teammate Michael Gash last season but although Gash opted for the move Charles decided to stay at Stonebridge Road before signing on for Boro’s upcoming League adventure just three weeks ago.

“I’m over the moon with signing for Boro,” said Charles.

“I dropped out of the Football League two years ago and my goal has always been to get back into it and Stevenage have given me the chance to do that.

“The transfer happened so quickly, everything moved really fast. A week before I signed I knew Stevenage were interested and I had a meeting with Graham.

“We sat down and went through a few things about what I wanted and what Graham wanted for Stevenage and what he plans to do with the club and it didn’t take much persuading.”

When Charles joins up with the Boro squad in less than three weeks for pre-season training he will, as part of his initiation, be asked to sing a song in front of his teammates to help break the ice.

Asked if he had a singing voice, the new signing said: “I’m not one to toot my own trumpet but I’ve not got a bad singing voice and it’s been compared to Usher.”

Boro will be hoping he remains in fine tune once the new season begins on August 7.