Gassan Ahadme returned to the Charlton Athletic fold with a late FA Cup winner at Southend United – and has now revealed the ordeal he went through after being withdrawn from last month’s defeat at Bristol Rovers.
The Moroccan forward capitalised on a mistake in the Shrimpers defence to fire Charlton through to the second round of the competition after a seven-goal thriller.
But just a month ago 23-year-old forward found himself hospitalised after suffering chest problems during a 3-2 defeat at Bristol Rovers.
“I spent three, four days in hospital,” revealed Ahadme.
“It was not easy. In the middle of the game, I was coughing blood and kind of choking. I couldn’t breathe properly so I went straight to the hospital. Thank God, Charlton and the Charlton staff really helped me through. They stayed with me in the hospital, showed me support and I’m really thankful.
“There were scary moments in the beginning because I had to get tested,” added the former Ipswich Town man, who spent a night in a Bristol hospital before being transferred to a London clinic for a further two nights.
“But the people of the club and my family showed me support and I’m really grateful about that.
“It has been really bad. I went through really bad moments. But football can change really quick. I’m fit again and hope that I can help the team as much as I can.
“I’ve been training in this last week, two or three times with the team. Next week I’ll have the full week so little by little I can get back to 100 per cent.”
Ahadme’s extra-time winner came in the 121st minute with penalties looming at Roots Hall – the goal scored in front of the travelling supporters in the away end.
“It was a nice moment, coming back from injury but most importantly helping the team to win,” he added.
“[The supporters] come here. Their support has been really good. We came here for a tough game but going through was the most important thing today.
“I came here with the mentality of helping the team whenever they needed me. Today I could come on and score and I’m really happy about it.
“I work as hard as I can. I’m new to the club. I brought into the project that the club presented me. I’ve been working, learning. I expect to keep learning and improving more under the manager and with the team and I have a lot more to give.”
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