Charlie Carter has completed his return to his hometown at the age of 29, signing for Sutton United following his departure from Dorking Wanderers earlier this month.
Here’s everything you need to know about the midfielder and his story so far…
Name: Charlie Carter
Age: 29
Position: Midfielder
Former Clubs: Fulham (youth), Woking, Chipstead (loan), Chesterfield, Stevenage, Eastleigh, Dorking Wanderers
A Local Boy
Charlie Carter was born in Sutton on 25th October, 1996 and lived in Worcester Park whilst attending Cheam High School until Year 11, when he joined Woking’s academy after spending eight years at Fulham.
He even remained living there until his departure for Chesterfield in 2018, spending the first 22 years of his life in the borough, and in all has been based in Surrey for his entire life, barring the five-year spell spent at Chesterfield, Stevenage and Eastleigh, and currently resides on Gander Green Lane, the home of Sutton United Football Club.
Success in Surrey
Fulham were the first club to spot Carter’s talent at an early age with the midfielder joining the youth ranks at Craven Cottage at the age of eight, and allowed him to train at Motspur Park in New Malden, a mere two-and-a-half miles from his hometown.
Almost a decade with the Whites was followed by a move to Woking, where he established his leadership ability early on, captaining the Cardinals at various youth levels including the Under-18s and the Under-23s, before making the jump into the first team after two years in the academy setup.
He initially gained his first taste of senior football whilst on loan at Isthmian League side Chipstead, scoring ten goals for the club including a hat-trick in a 6-1 win away at Sittingbourne, and his resulting emergence at Woking was one of the few plusses to come out of the Cards’ disappointing start to the 2016/17 Vanarama National League campaign, taking his opportunities to establish himself as a real prospect for the future.
The midfielder had signed professional terms for the first time earlier that summer and featured in several pre-season friendlies, before making his competitive debut in a 2-2 draw away at Solihull Moors, the first of 36 appearances in all competitions as Alan Dowson’s side finished 18th.
He later signed a contract extension in June 2017 ahead of a breakthrough season in terms of his attacking output, displaying the knack for getting on the scoresheet from midfield that he would show throughout his career, and ended the campaign as Woking’s top scorer despite their relegation to the National League South, notching 12 goals in 46 games.
Moves to Chesterfield, Stevenage and Eastleigh completed his rise into the EFL and as a reliable National League figure, before returning to Surrey after five years away ahead of perhaps the most successful period of his career, joining Marc White and Dorking Wanderers in 2023.
Three years at Meadowbank saw him rack up more appearances than at any other club, completing a century of games in the Wanderers’ 2-0 defeat against Horsham and departing with 101 to his name, one of a host of milestones during his time with the club. Despite beginning the 2023/24 campaign with a broken wrist which sidelined him for two months, he eventually made his debut against former club Woking and ended up scoring eight goals in 26 games, an impressive tally amidst Dorking’s struggles in the league which saw them relegated to the National League South after two seasons in the fifth tier.
However, Carter opted to remain with White, who appointed him as club captain ahead of 2024/25, and saw him lead the club to two successive top seven finishes as they aimed to mount a comeback into the National League. Carter fired home his best goalscoring tally of his career with 15 in 41 appearances, including his second hat-trick for the club and the fastest in National League South history, completing his treble in just six-and-a-half minutes against Hampton & Richmond Borough, having previously scored three against Chelmsford City in November 2024.
He was also named in the division’s Team of the Season as well as scooping up several End of Season awards, including the Managers’ Player of the Season and the Bunch of Amateurs Player of the Season, with his form during the campaign proving to be a key contribution to the Wanderers reaching the play-off eliminator round. However, they were defeated in dramatic fashion as a stoppage time goal from Boreham Wood’s Femi Ilesanmi completed a remarkable turnaround at Meadow Park to knock Dorking out, despite leading in the 90th minute.
Despite this heartbreak, Carter again stayed at the club and played another 29 times in the league last term, scoring 11 goals, as they again secured a play-off spot, though this came following a late fall from the summit of the division, and they were eventually knocked out at the semi-final stage by Torquay United after beating Maidenhead United in the eliminator round, marking the end of Carter’s stay at Meadowbank, who leaves as a cult hero and one of the most sought-after players in non-league.
Photo Credit: Dorking Wanderers Football Club
Back With The Boss
After establishing himself as a hot prospect during his time at Woking and Chesterfield, it seemed inevitable that league football would soon come calling, and this came in the form of a move to Stevenage in 2019.
Initially being signed by Dino Maamria, Carter joined the club during a fairly turbulent period, with the Boro going through three different managers in Graham Westley and Alex Revell, before finishing his debut season 23rd in the division, ten points behind Morecambe in 22nd, and only escaping relegation due to a reprieve as a result of Macclesfield Town’s financial issues, joint with the COVID-19 pandemic curtailing the campaign.
Despite this, Carter had enjoyed an individually successful season, top scoring with six goals, and the club enjoyed a steadier 2020/21 campaign under Revell, finishing 14th, before the former striker’s departure in November 2021 led to the introduction of Agutter at Broadhall Way, who had previously joined the club as an Under-18s and Under-21s Coach. The former Hastings United boss later served an Interim First Team Assistant Manager, overseeing two games alongside Robbie O’Keefe, sealing four points against Colchester United and Rochdale.
While Carter was unable to feature during this spell due to injury, it gave him a brief insight into the Sutton Head Coach, together with current Sutton midfielder Jake Taylor, who was also at Stevenage at the time, establishing an additional, current connection to the club.
Additionally, he played with Andy Little, Sutton’s former Sutton Goalkeeper Coach, during his time at Woking, and with current wing-back Liam Vincent, who joined Dorking on loan towards the backend of the 2025/26 campaign.
Photo Credit: Stevenage Football Club
Goalscoring Midfielder
Carter is an intelligent goalscoring attacking midfielder renowned for his leadership, high work rate, and composed finishing, acting as a key playmaker who excels at drifting into pockets of space and driving forward with the ball.
He is highly effective at arriving in the danger zone at the right moment to exploit space and convert scoring opportunities, whilst also looking to get on the ball, drive past defenders, and make things happen offensively. He has also displayed versatility, often operating in the number 8 or number 10 role, and boasts impressive passing vision and can dictate the tempo of the game in the final third.
Furthermore, with Agutter previously making it clear how important leadership and experience is for his side, Carter ticks the boxes perfectly, having taken the armband as early as his days in the Woking academy. He has more recently served as Dorking’s club captain across the last two seasons, as well as occasionally taking the captaincy at Eastleigh.
The 29-year-old has most notably established himself as someone who times late runs into the penalty area, and has produced an incredible highlight reel of goals during his time at Dorking. His six-and-a-half minute hat-trick at home to Hampton & Richmond is a testament to this, with Josh Taylor’s long throw-in floating over Max Merrick and landing at the feet of the Wanderers’ skipper, who helped to trickle it over the line, before pouncing on a Jason Prior knockdown with just 90 seconds on the clock, cutting inside and drilling a strike into the bottom corner, moments before completing his treble with arguably the pick of the bunch, firing home a superbly struck half-volley.
In all, Carter is not only a long-shot specialist, scoring headers, poacher’s finishes, and team-play goals too, producing a range of different goals, including sharp movement and finishing off slick, attacking moves, displaying composure and consistency to produce an impressive showreel.
Photo Credit: Eastleigh Football Club
