In the Spotlight
In the spotlight RIteesh MISHRA, CAWFC MANAGER Under the guidance of manager Riteesh Mishra, Charlton Athletic Women who are sponsored by the BiKBBI, are enjoying a thoroughly successful debut season in the FA Women's Championship. Mishra has helped steer the ‘Addicks’ to the upper echelons of the table with just six league fixtures remaining.
Riteesh Mishra CAWFC Manager
So, with the season reaching its climax, we sat down with the ‘gaffer’ to get a unique insight of what it’s like to be involved in professional sport and how he came to be working with the South East London club. He began by telling us about his earliest memories of the sport:
“I grew up living in a house with three uncles, my Granddad, and my Father, who all loved sport, so I wasn’t exposed to just football but a lot of sports from a young age. When nine, I attended an open trial for Notts County who at the time, had a really good reputation for its centre of excellence and so as my trial proved successful, I signed for them. I stayed with the club for three years but in truth, I didn't enjoy the last year there. I couldn't put my finger on why, but I seem to have lost the fun factor, and it showed in my performances, subsequently, Notts County released me that season. I then spent a full season playing for my school and local side and we had a great team who won everything that year, and it was exactly what I needed as it was a season to enjoy playing again. I ended up getting a lot of attention from the local clubs once more, but it was Nottingham Forest who showed the most interest and at 14 I decided to join them, where I stayed for nearly seven seasons.” Following a valuable 7 year development period with Forest, Mishra opted to move north of the border to Scotland showing his desire to keep maturing in the sport. “I had some great years at Forest, probably my most important as it’s where I learnt my values and benefitted from some of the best possible coaching; however, I also discovered how ruthless it can be at the elite level. I was suddenly surplus to requirements, and subsequently I trialled at a whole host of clubs.
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