Nicholson committed to Charleroi mission
Published:Sunday | August 29, 2021 | 12:05 AMDaniel Wheeler - Staff Reporter
National striker Shamar Nicholson says he has no plans for the moment to leave Belgium club RSC Charleroi as he feels he has unfinished business in the Jupiler League.
Nicholson, 24, managed to get off the mark for the 2021-22 campaign in his team’s 2-2 draw with Zulte Waregem on August 22. Nicholson’s third season in Belgium started late as he missed his team’s July 24 season opener as he was away with the Reggae Boyz at the 2021 Gold Cup.
In a recent interview with Belgian newspaper Le Soir, Nicholson said that there were no plans for him to seek a new challenge this summer as he feels that he still has more to give to the club, with two years left on his current deal.
“Last season wasn’t good enough for me and I want to stay until I reach my goals,” Nicholson said. “I want to do great things in Charleroi before I leave.”
Nicholson joined the club in 2019 and managed to score 10 goals in all competitions in his first two seasons with the club. However, in league play, he has yet to hit double figures as he scored eight in his debut season (2019-20) before COVID-19 brought a sudden end to the season. He improved his tally last year, scoring nine league goals and registering four assists in 33 appearances.
While his first season was highlighted by qualification for the Europa League play-offs and finishing in third place, last year saw them finish 13th after a strong start to the campaign which has fuelled his ambition to continue at the club.
“When I arrived, we had a fantastic season, with a few ups and downs. Last season, the start was very good. We had this momentum very early in the season, but then we couldn’t keep the momentum going. The more we lost, the more our confidence crumbled and we started to panic,” Nicholson said.
He now feels that he can evolve his game more and is looking to step up for the team this year with the departure of teammates Kaveh Rezaei and Lukasz Teodorczyk.
“I know I have to lead by example and become more of a boss of this group than last season.
“I need to be able to stay focused the whole game. I have to learn to stay that way the whole game no matter what happens on the pitch, even when things don’t go the way I want them to. Every once in a while, I’m not into it enough and at that point I can miss out on opportunities. I have to correct this because I have less chance of scoring if my mind is elsewhere,” he said.
Charleroi are currently enjoying an unbeaten to start this season with one win and four draws from their five games. They are in 10th place with seven points, four points adrift from early leaders Eupen. Charleroi host bottom club Beerschot today.