CHARLTON ATHLETIC MANAGER Lee Bowyer was thrilled with the contribution of Aiden McGeady to his side’s hugely important win at Hull City on Saturday.
The 1-0 win moved the Addicks out of the Championship relegation zone with eight games remaining in a campaign that had been paused since March due to Covid-19.
The only goal of the game arrived on 19 minutes when Jason Pearce forced home a corner taken by Josh Cullen.
Midfielder Cullen was one of two Republic of Ireland internationals on the pitch for Charlton, who started with Aiden McGeady on the right wing.
Having joined the London side on loan from Sunderland just before the January transfer deadline, Saturday’s game was only his fourth for Charlton as a result of the pandemic.
When the 34-year-old made his debut as a substitute against Nottingham Forest on 11 February, he hadn’t played in 11 weeks after falling out of favour at his parent club.
However, Bowyer has been satisfied by what the veteran winger has produced since his move to Charlton, who have succeeded in extending his loan until the rescheduled season ends on 22 July.
“So much fitter than the player we got in January,” the Charlton boss told the South London Press when asked about McGeady. “And he looked good. He’s a threat. Whenever you get the ball in and around the 18 [yard box], he could cause something.”
McGeady remains contracted to Sunderland until next summer but he doesn’t appear to have a future with the League One club, despite finishing last season as their Player of the Year.
In December, Black Cats boss Phil Parkinson told him he’d be free to leave in January amid reports that he was involved in a training ground incident.
McGeady was subsequently banished from the first-team squad and forced to train with the club’s U23 side. He hasn’t played for Sunderland since scoring in a 2-1 defeat to Burton Albion on 26 November.
“McGeady is a great player,” Bowyer said after signing the former Celtic, Spartak Moscow and Everton player. “Whatever has gone on in the past is gone and it’s nothing to do with me. My job now is to get him back to where we know he can be.”
McGeady has won 93 senior caps for Ireland but hasn’t featured since the World Cup play-off defeat to Denmark in November 2017.
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