Sunday 18th August 1991. Upton Park. Att: 9,320
Charlton Athletic 2 (0) (Lee 62, Leaburn 71) Newcastle United 1 (0) (Carr 81)
Charlton: Bolder, Pitcher, Minto, Peake, Gritt, Gatting, Lee, Bumstead, Leaburn, Nelson, Walsh. Unused subs: Brown, Salako.
Newcastle: Srnicek, S Watson (Robinson 65), Elliot, O'Brien, Scott, Bradshaw, Clark, Peacock, Quinn, Carr, Brock (Roche 23).
Referee:B Hill (Kettering)
Unusual Hat-trick: Lee, who had scored the last goal at The Valley and the first 'home goal' at Selhurst Park, duly obliged with the first 'home goal' at Upton Park.
Meanwhile Leaburn scored his first 'home goal' of his four year senior career.
The season 1991-92 saw many changes for Charlton. The departure of Lennie Lawrence and the introduction of Msrs Gritt and Curbishley as 'Joint first team coaches' was met by many with raised eyebrows.
With the move back to the Valley being deferred, the club played it's home games at Upton Park. With an average home gate of only 6,786, it was becoming obvious that Charlton could only survive if they secured the move back home to The Valley.
The trading year posted a loss of £1,013,000.
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Comments
Steven Allen's red n white army !
Those trading figures show the miracle Curbs and Murray worked.
When Leaburn headed the second goal at full stretch everyone went nuts and I knew it
was going to be a great season.....Of course after Carr scored we all had to chew our nails for
the last 9 minutes didn't we ??
It topped a great weekend for me. On the Friday my front tooth cap fell off, on Saturday I was stung on the mouth by a wasp and spent Sunday evening in casualty!
It topped a great weekend for me. On the Friday my front tooth cap fell off, on Saturday I was stung on the mouth by a wasp and spent Sunday evening in casualty! '
Bloody hell Dave ..... that just made me really laugh
It only came about because I was in the right place at the right time; the week before the start of the season I was in the club shop and Jackie Moynihan (the old Junior Reds secretary) got talking to my dad and asked whether I fancied being mascot the following week because the club hadn't sorted it out yet!
My (now vague) memories of the day are Ossie Ardiles shutting the door in our face when we went to get autographs, Carl Leaburn being a top bloke (why did I need tie-ups though? ), and warming up with Colin Walsh and Steve Brown before the game. Also I had the worst side-parting ever and I can't look beyond that when I see the photos today.
Things have changed somewhat - now we have six or seven kids leading the team out whose families (I think) pay top dollar and they only warm up with each other and the mascots....
Great win that day though! Scary without Lennie, looking back on the start of that year, but the dawn of a new era that was also exciting. 90/91 was truly a dismal season, & our performances in 91/92 went against all preconceptions that we would struggle more than we would the previous year, & that 'dual managers' couldn't work.
Robert Lee was great that year. Leaburn getting into double figures!!!Unbeleivable!!:-) The rise of Simon Webster & the continual growth of youngsters like Minto & Pitcher(quite a decent year filling the shirt of the sadly departed Johnny H.) & the battling of the old stalwarts, such as Bumstead, Nelson & Gatting.
The best thing about that season was finally getting away from Selhurschwitz. Even though it was further away to travel(being a Streatham based Addick back than) it was such a good feeling that we were getting closer to getting back to the Valley.(Though 2 months swiftly became 16)
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JohnnyH2 is spot on. Webbo did not play day. Pitcher and Gatting at centre half.Gritt at right back. Webbo was back in the team a week later at Wolves in a 1-1 draw with Robert Lee scoring a blinder of a goal.
I , too, thought the board had sacked the wrong manager of the two and that Webster played , tho' he definetely did a little later with his last minute wondergoal against (i think) Bristol City.
A longer journey to Upton Park beckoned for most of us,but i remember everyone looking happier than they had been for years at Selhurst; it was like starting from the beginning. A new Dawn !!