CHRIS POWELL is nowhere near contemplating retirement as he moves to within weeks of his 36th birthday.

Charlton’s effervescent left-back, who made immense contributions in the club’s opening Premiership fixtures since returning from West Ham, has vowed to carry on playing until he can no longer do himself justice.

But for the woodwork, Powell would have given Charlton the lead against Wigan with a header before going on to finish the match as strong, if not stronger, than some of the younger players around him.

He said: "I treasure every game I play because as you get older you want to play for as long as you can because everyone tells you how much you’ll miss it when you stop.

"It’s great to be back at Charlton and as long as I am doing myself justice then I will endeavour to play as much as I can."

And in a remarkable admission, he confessed to recommending former team-mate Paul Konchesky to West Ham.

It was Konchesky who replaced Powell at Upton Park in a £2million deal which lead to Powell’s swift return to The Valley.

He said: "I knew West Ham needed a younger left-back, so I said 'if you can get him, get him'.

"I’ve been in football long enough to know I was not going to be able to play for the whole season, like I did in the Championship.

"I was happy with Paul going there – though my own contract did not work out, which was a shame."

Powell believes he can assist in the development of 22-year-old Jerome Thomas, who plays on the left flank and whom he insists is destined for a big season.

"Jerome is a wonderful talent, as he showed last season," said Powell.

"You want him to have the ball as much as he can and do his damage because he can destroy teams. I’m predicting a big season for him."