GOAL-hungry Kevin Lisbie is confident that the more games he starts, the better his goal tally will be.The Hackney-born striker has three goals to his name so far this season after being named in the starting line-up seven times and the former Charlton striker is convinced that is how he will be best judged.

Derek Davis

GOAL-hungry Kevin Lisbie is confident that the more games he starts, the better his goal tally will be.

The Hackney-born striker has three goals to his name so far this season after being named in the starting line-up seven times and the former Charlton striker is convinced that is how he will be best judged.

Lisbie said: “I just need to play two to three games in a row. I prefer to judge myself on the games I start rather than when I come on.

“He (Jim Magilton) has three strikers and he is using them all and it is working because we are five games unbeaten. I can't really complain, the time for that maybe if we start losing then I will have a word.

“Any striker needs games because one (a goal) can come off a heel or whatever. Look at Jon Stead's goal against Barnsley when the keeper has kicked it right at him, whereas if you come on as a sub that wouldn't happen.”

It is almost the 18th football law that a former player will go back to his old club and score and Lisbie did that with three goals for Colchester last season in the two games against Charlton.

Two came at the Valley in the 2-1 win and the other at Layer Road when the U's were two-up before the game ended 2-2.

That has not sated his appetite for goals against the club he spent 12 years with.

Lisbie said: “I'm still very hungry. It is nothing personal as they have a very good manager there and I have a lot of respect for Alan Pardew.

“It is never personal. It is a club I used to play for so scoring goals should be something I enjoy doing at any time.”

Lisbie went on loan to five different clubs, but eventually realised he needed to leave the Valley and London and joined the U's as a free agent.

He said: “The club never released me, the manager told me there was a contract there but I felt the club was getting fed up with me and I was getting fed because it seemed I was not playing and when I did I was getting injured so I felt I just had to leave.

“I was on a free and felt it was the right time for a change.

“It was for the best because even now I feel if I waked into Charlton's training ground I would twist my ankle or something.

“I was getting silly injuries plus I felt I needed to leave London.

“I needed to leave that scene and it has helped because you can concentrate on your football so much more.

“When you are in London you seem to get so many distractions and I felt I needed a change.

“It is such a quick place and I needed to get away and relax more away from football.”

Lisbie made less than 100 starts netting 19 goals, including a hat-trick against Liverpool, over a 12-year period for the Addicks, not the greatest return, but even so current Charlton boss Pardew would have kept him.

Pardew said: “Since he has gone he must have played every game and trained every day, which is sod's law I guess.

“He is a great lad and I really like him and his family. I hope he doesn't hurt us on Saturday."

Lisbie, who will be 30 on the Friday before the Swansea game in a fortnight, has won 10 caps for Jamaica, but doesn't see himself playing for the Reggae Boyz again.

He said: “John Barnes has taken over and he has not called me so I get on with it. To be honest I'm just so happy to be playing without any injury and not have to travel nine hours for a home game.”

Charlton: Weaver, Elliott, Semedo, Cranie, Hudson, Basey, Moutaouakil, Youga, Ambrose, Sam, Bouazza, Bailey, Zhi, Holland, Todorov, Gray, Varney, Dickinson.

Ipswich Town: R Wright, Supple, D Wright, Volz, Bruce, Peters, Naylor, McAuley, Campo, Shumulikoski, Garvan, Miller, Haynes, Walters, Quinn, Counago, Stead, Lisbie.