Parker's century on solid ground

He is the last one off the training pitch, Scott Parker. Despite the drizzle, his path to the changing rooms is delayed by a gaggle of young fans with the No 7 and his name adorning their shirts. Autographs signed and pictures taken, the Charlton Athletic midfielder sits down.

"I just thought I would do a bit extra, on my finishing and that. I'm just trying to get a bit better," explains the 22-year-old who is, on current form, the outstanding English midfield player in the Premiership. Today he makes his 100th appearance for Charlton – the club he went to at the age of nine, just before Alan Curbishley arrived – at Highbury.

It is a crucial encounter which will provide a measure of Charlton's progress (they have lost 3-0 in their last two matches against the champions) and also brings together the two form sides who have identical records over the past 16 games – 10 wins and four draws. These are astonishing times for the Addicks.

What has also not gone unnoticed is that until Parker returned, having missed the start of the season through injury, Charlton's record was rather different. In October a fourth consecutive home defeat left them one place off the bottom, they had a woeful exit from the Worthington Cup against Oxford United and had not scored in five out of six matches.

"We were a little bit nervy, we were down there at the bottom," says Parker who has been carefully moulded into the central figure in the team and is conspicuous for his classic head-held-high style of play.

"I think that just hurt too many of us. When you are down at the bottom of the League it is clear to see that you do not want to go into the First Division. Here you have a bunch of lads who will fight their hardest to do something about it."

And so Charlton went to Manchester City and "scraped" a 1-0 win and then a victory at Leeds United – where Parker scored the decisive goal – showed "things were getting brighter". "It is pure out-and-out confidence. You win five on the bounce and it does not matter if you play Man United or Arsenal, you go there fully wanting to take the three points," he says.

It helps, Parker adds, that so many players, such as himself, are local and have grown up as Charlton players – indeed have grown up as Curbishley's players. "The manager sets it all up, Curbs has something that gets the best out of players. He is the club's biggest asset," says Parker, who made his debut at 16. What if he left? "I think it would be a massive loss. An absolutely massive loss."

As would Parker, no doubt – although he feels times have changed at Charlton. "I think the foundations are here to go a long way. Four years ago, well, even two years ago, this used to be a selling club and players would see this a stepping stone for their career and want to move on. That's not the case any more. We need to look to that next stage and stop saying we want to stay up. We have to say 'we want to be 10th or ninth' and so on."

For now they are sixth – ninth is their highest ever finish – and Europe beckons. Is it a false position? "No, I think while you are there, the table does not lie," Parker says. "It is not a shock because we have had a good season."

Parker's effervescent form propelled him into the England squad – along with Valley colleague Paul Konchesky – although he was one of only five substitutes who were not used. "I went there on the full understanding that I wanted to learn something," he says. "At the bottom of my heart I was disappointed I did not get on but the experience of being around the players and the coaching staff was brilliant. Mr Eriksson spoke to me a couple of times about how well I've been doing and how well Charlton are doing."

It helped that the training sessions took place at Charlton's Sparrow Lane ground in New Eltham, south-east London. When Parker rejoined his club team-mates there was never any danger of it having gone to his head. "I think Curbs realises I am quite level-headed," he explains. "I am a young boy at 22 but I think he knows what he has got. I'm married and I'm pretty much a 22-year-old going on 52. That is the way a lot of people describe me and that's the way I am."

This is a player who, when just turned 20, went into the manager's office and asked to go out on loan for more experience. "Yes, I suppose it was unusual," Parker says. "But I needed to play first-team football regularly and feel what it was like. I was training Monday to Friday and feeling it was for nothing. I did not know what it was like to wake up on a Saturday and know I was playing at 3pm. It made me realise I had to toughen up."

So he went to Norwich City, played six games and came back. He impressed so much that the central midfield place he craved was his – and Curbishley was eventually willing to let his captain Mark Kinsella go. Such grown-up determination will be needed today although Parker's eyes sparkle at the prospect, brightened no doubt by the reserves' 4-1 win over Arsenal in midweek (Jonatan Johansson hit a hat-trick).

Derby games have not been kind to Charlton this season – the glorious exception being the 4-2 demolition of West Ham which completed a double over their local rivals. Parker scored twice and is still visibly excited when he recalls the experience. "I know how much it meant to our fans," he says. What price that exuberance carrying the day today?