Charlton Athletic winger Charlie Kirk on mission to seal permanent Blackpool deal

The winger made his first start for the Seasiders in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Cardiff City.

The 24-year-old, who is on loan from Charlton Athletic, capped it off with an assist for Marvin Ekpiteta’s early opener.

Kirk’s loan is with a view to a permanent transfer, something the former Crewe Alexandra man is keen to get over the line.

He told The Gazette: “I was buzzing to get the move. It’s not often you see a player who isn’t playing that much in League One get a move to the Championship, so I was very grateful to the gaffer (Neil Critchley) and his backroom staff for bringing me here.

“Now I just want to play as often as I can and then hopefully I can make a permanent move here, but that’s obviously out of my hands.

“I’m a Charlton player at the end of the day, but I’m sure they just want me to play as many games as I can.

“All I can do is try to keep performing on the pitch.”

Kirk made a positive first impression at the Cardiff City Stadium, although he did fade a little in the second half before being replaced by CJ Hamilton.

“I really enjoyed it,” Kirk said. “It was a shame we didn’t get the three points but I enjoyed my first start and I’m obviously made up with the assist.

“In the first half, me and Reece (James) were getting a lot of the ball down the left but in the second half not as much. We had to defend a bit more but it is what it is.”

Kirk has had to bide his time for opportunities at Blackpool, having only made two appearances since joining at the end of last month.

He previously featured as a second-half substitute in the win at Bristol City.

“We have a very good squad. We have a good shape to us, which you need in the Championship, and we’ve got a lot of talent in the team.

“The gaffer was obviously a big reason for me coming here. He’s shown faith in me and hopefully I can keep repaying him.

“I think it’s good to have competition in the team because you don’t want to get too comfortable, thinking you’re going to play every week.

“The competition we’ve got, especially in the wide areas, is really good.”

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