Release date: January 20, 2022
Luke Charman
Luke Charman has signed for Rochdale AFC from Darlington for an undisclosed fee.
The 24-year-old forward has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract at the Crown Oil Arena.
Charman has proven he has an eye for goals this season, scoring 12 goals in 16 National League North games.
Upon joining the club he said: “I’m excited and looking forward to getting started.
“It’s been a little over a week since I had it in my head that I was going [Darlington], and as soon as I got here I really wanted to leave.
“I want to play back in the Football League. Meeting Robbie [Stockdale], talking about what a good dressing room we have, the way we play, it was an easy decision in the end. A lot of things came together and it was a really good option for me.
“He [the manager] said I’m coming to play a role but he also wants me to play my game. I feel like I did pretty well with Darlington for the first half of the season, but it was time for me to take that step and try to challenge myself again and get back into the league of where I want to be. “
Charman joined Newcastle United academy aged 14 and signed a professional contract with the Premier League in 2017.
He spent some time on loan at Accrington Stanley in the 2018/19 season before returning to Newcastle the following season to manage the under-23 side.
In the summer of 2020, Charman joined Darlington and scored six goals in the shortened 2020–21 season.
The former Toon Army man got off to a flying start this season, scoring eight goals in seven straight games in September and October and adding four in as many games in December and January.
He is yet to serve two games of a four-game ban carried over from his time at Darlington, meaning he will not be able to play until Dale travels to Colchester United in early February.
