Mark Marshall put in extra training after his exclusion from Charlton’s matchday squad against Scunthorpe.

The Addicks winger, 30, trained by himself on the morning of the Scunthorpe clash two weeks ago before going to the Valley to support his team-mates.

That hard work and desire has clearly impressed caretaker manager Lee Bowyer, who has started Marshall in two of the last three games since leaving him out of the 18-man squad.

The former Bradford star told News Shopper: “I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs in my life - and the only way I’ve come back from the downs is by working hard.

“I truly believe that if I sit down and sulk, I won’t get anywhere. Even when I was left out of the squad, I went to training by myself, I didn’t have to go in.

“I went in by myself and I was just practising, practising, practising. I got the fitness coach down, did a few drills and stuff like that - and then I came to the game. At the end of the day, you can’t sit down and sulk. You’ve got to create your own luck.

“On the Saturday when I was left out, if I was sulking, didn't come to the game, didn't want to do anything, that wouldn't really put me in a better position.

“Whether or not he [Bowyer] played me, I would still have that in the back of my mind and he would still have that in the back of his mind. He could've thought, ‘can I really call on this person when our backs are against the wall?’

“So listen, it’s not only in my profession, it’s in every profession. You have ups and downs and it just depends on your attitude towards it. I’m going to face more downs, this is not the end of them.

“But it’s about that bounce back ability and that’s what separates a lot of people in life in terms of where they end up.

“Everyone goes through downs - there’s no one in this [press] room that could tell me ‘life has been rosy and plain sailing’. Everyone has faced challenges.

“But the reason everyone’s sitting in here is because when all those challenges came along, you decided to push back, and ultimately you're here.”

Marshall played the full 90 minutes of Charlton’s 1-0 win over Blackburn on Saturday.

He put in one of his best performances in an Addicks shirt since signing from Bradford last summer.

It was an emotional day with the club paying tribute to retiring Charlton legend Johnnie Jackson.

Jackson, who is assisting Bowyer in the dugout, could feature as a player at the Valley in a few weeks’ time if the fifth-placed Addicks make the play-offs.

Marshall said: “I played against him two or three times before joining Charlton. Being in the football world, you always hear about other players.

“He’s been a loyal servant to Charlton, a good player, good man and good to be around. He’s always trying to help the young lads, and always stays behind with me whether it’s to work on my crossing, shooting, stuff like that.

“He’s trying to help me and I’m not even young anymore! So that shows his commitment.

“It was great to send him off with a victory, but hopefully Blackburn is not the last home game of the season.

“I take my hat off to the man, what a guy, what a player he's been for the club. I was going to say ‘all the best in your new venture’ but he’s obviously coaching us and hopefully he can have a long and successful coaching and management career.”

Click here to like our Charlton Facebook page