Im feeling a bit rough this morning and all this emotion is doing me in...
we are avery special club indeed.... and for all the challenges of the last years, we will come out of it and be stronger for it and it will make the good times so much better because of the adversity.....
Was living in Buckinghamshire at the time although my dad had gone to the Valley with his dad during the 1940's and 50's. Dad had moved the family away from London when I was two, so had never been to the Valley, and in my formative years I supported a red team from Manchester. I started to become a lot more interested in Charlton when my grandad died, mainly for sentimental reasons, but also because at the time they looked like they were going to go bust.
Although we lived a two hour drive away, dad, me and my wife to be, started watching the lads at Selhurst, and kind of got the bug. I started living everything Charlton, and was an avid collector, and sometimes contributor to the Voice of the Valley. (Lost all my copies during a house move years later...gutted)The whole drawn out affair of the move back to the Valley became a bit of a soap opera, I was working as a Policeman at the time, and the station noticeboard started to be covered with cuttings about the imminent return. On the day of the decision to finally go back, my wife picked me up from work at ten in the evening with a bottle of champagne. Lovely touch, I wonder where she is now!
I managed to get a ticket for the big day, cos I raised some money for the club by doing a half marathon. In return they gave me a chance to buy one. I offered it to my Dad but he did not want to go, if it was to be on his own. Of the day itself I have fantastic memories, driving to London early, meeting all the London based family at my Uncle and Aunts flat in Beacham Close, and soaking in the amazing atmosphere at the walk to the ground. Always been a sentimental fool, cried when they ran out, cried when they scored, cried when the final whistle went. I knew my grandad was with me that day, and it is a day I will never forget as long as I live.
Didn't manage to get tickets for this so me and a mate managed to scramble down SAS style from the heights to behind the wall in the South East corner an hour before kick off. Plotted up there until 10 minutes before kick off when a Policeman spotted us and kicked us out. Ended up milling about with about 50 others in Landsdowne Mews drinking cans of lager and soaking up the atmosphere during the game.
At the time was more footloose and fancy free (i.e. no domestic responsibilities), and would very very often divert to the Valley on my journey home from work (Falconwood to Lee), park up and gaze at the ongoing development of our beloved ground, usually there would be some fellow fans, from a handful to a few dozen, doing the same, looking and looking, and willing the work to defy the rain and finish early.
Having been a Valley Party campaigner, and an occasional contributor to VOTV, and a supporters club activist at the time, I felt like it was my personal duty to help where I could, to the extent of pitching up and (delightedly) helping to paint railings and the like as the big day approached.
On the Friday in the rain went home via the Valley, completely unable to contain my excitement, bought the programme for the next day, took it home, immediately read every word from cover to cover and cried my eyes out for an hour or so...my wife to be declared me mad.
The next morning I woke about 4.30 am to the dawning of 'that' sunshine, and immediately got up and drove to the Valley, parked up and watched the last minute preparations....it was like a dream, I wandered about, and then took the bus home for some breakfast....and to get ready, I remember nothing of that, I simply knew I had to get to Woolwich for the walk...the walk back from Woolwich was eerily quiet because most of us marchers couldn't hear a thing because of the thundering of our individual heartbeats.
Around the ground was brilliant, the TV, the Jazz band, the Bus, the fancy dress, the people, you could eat the atmosphere with a spoon. I felt some kind of silly desire to meet some Portsmouth supporters, perhaps because their detatchment would help me to realise it was all true, found some in the Anti, and they were great, friendly, and sensitive to our moment, totally gracious (I wonder if one of them was a person who later wrote in a Pompey fanzine 'if you are gonna see your team lose, this was one occasion where it felt OK to do so').
Eventually got in, crying again...I think I followed Ben Tegg along that metal walkway, brushing the back of my hand against my lips because moments before, as I went through the turnstyles, I kissed the ground we had returned to.
I remember the atmosphere in the south stand as brilliant, there was one moment when a player was being treated where we were all up and singing and Garry Nelson simply stood and stared at us, and he was enjoying it. I also love it that Steve Gritt played, the link with the previous spell at the Valley, there was no way we were going to lose with him in the side. Before the game everybody said they didn't care if we lost 6-0 because being back was all that mattered, but when we kicked off winning was the only thing.
We won, my god we won that day.
Walked from my Parents in Castlewood Drive, Eltham to The Valley with my mate from Portsmouth who was fortunate enough to get a ticket. We sat in one of the back corners of the Jimmy Seed because, I think, my mates dad got confused about the stands (we were East Terracians before we left).
I cried when the teams came out, the only time since was when we beat Liverpool at Anfield. Even now, writing this, it makes me feel emotional and proud of everyone involved in the fight to get back. I only sold and scanned a few photos for VOTV but to see the players walking out, a dream had been realised.
As for the evening, well my memory is now so bad I will have to ask my mate from Pompey.
Couldnt get a ticket which pissed me off royally seeing as i had gone to shithurst and to upton park but that will teach me for blowing my money on beer and draw,
Had sneaked in a couple of days earlier to watch the training session on the pitch me and a pal called Mark hoping that someone will give us a couple of freebies sat watching unoticed until a fella from sky came over and asked us to say a few words for their news show got about 15seconds of coverage that night at 10 pm but no tickets.
Had worked out our route to the back of the East terrace where we would be able to see 85% of the pitch that would have to do.
Got there bloddy earlier than we had planned due to so many people scouting ways in the night before and our route in involved a fair bit of breaking and entering into back gardens and over walls .
Seeing as we had planned our routye so well all went into place pretty damned well only for some OB to try to move folks on i wernt going to go quetly that was for sure i was a gobby teenager who was not happy at not getting a ticket and No One was going to stop me watching it from where i had found my viewpoint, about 50 or so others had crammed into the gaps along that Terrace and i dont think the OB wanted anyy part of trying to get us out we were left alone as long as the copper left there with us had our word we would not go any further along the crumbling terrace or into other poples property and that none of us peed up the fences or climbed onto the fences to see more.
Deal done the best bit was the only goal we couldnt see was the south stand
the rest of the game passed by pretty quickly the copper showed us an easier way out no harm done game watched journey complete
thats why i enjoyed the ride we went on from that day on so much as did most others the footballing path to the return to the valley was harder than any path that we find ourselves in today and proberly one of the reasons i will never boo any charlton team that runs out there, they are ours the ground is ours the history is ours and what a great part in that history we have all played.
If you got a ticket well blooming done if you were with me on the East Tearrace well done because that was just as difficult.
Lack of atmosphere yep it was pretty quiete i thought but proberly because men cant do 2 things at once and singing whilst crying just happens to be one of those things.
i think the bloody bell man from pompey was there though
My first reaction to the weekends reading was, bloody hell 17 years ago!!!!
Bigfatpete and I were sat in the Northstand lower before ko on sat, neither of us could believe that it was 17 byears ago that he had a bloody ticket and I didnt!!
Chris and I have been going and in the main season ticket holders since then. Neither of us did anything like as much as others in the years leading up to the return.
I do remember getting off the 89 going up shooters hill because it was "quicker to walk"!! gtreta fun jumping back on when it caught you up......
All things considered its still the case that the one game will live in the memories of so many people, so many other people will have plenty of other memories which may well eclipse that game.
The bloke on the video who said "its broke my heart when we left" probably sums up many thousands of peoples thoughts at the time, many of those people may not be with us now. Wembley cup winning final most be foremost in many memories, I have my grandads ticket, he is no longer here, he witnessed somthing I didnt Chris my mate witnessed something that I didnt first hand.
We helped Nick sell playoff final tickets,the club sold um!!!!!!!!! we had to go and plead with Peter Varney (think it was him) to help us, he fund a few and all were happy...I guess the whole point of Charlton Athletic Football Club is to give happy memories, at least Walshy dragged himself out of the crooklog to latch on to Darrens pass.......incidentally both bigfatpete and I always forgave Darren for THE MEMORIES!!!!!!! soz if I bored any of u....
Sorry to put a downer on this, but would someone please do the decent thing and edit the title at the top so that it reads properly - it's doing my nut in.
Thanks
[cite]Posted By: Shag[/cite]Page 13 of the Goals section
got it - like you say, good lad - Minto and Gordon Watson joined my sunday side the season i left it when we were about 15 (i couldn't get in the side any more having been there since 9 years old). They weren't the best two players in the team but Minto had an excellent attitude and Watson was hungry. Mark Tivey also played for us - he was a great player but only made a few sub appearances for Charlton. Damian Matthews also joined that year. The rest were at Arsenal and places like that - none of them made it unfortunately even though a few were also in the England schoolboy teams. Just goes to show that playing for England and being great as a youngster doesn't guarantee anything. I genuinely think that if the whole of our side had stayed together it could have competed as a professional team - (wouldn't happen now as academies would see the side broken up way before then) and in reality wouldn't have happened then coz that's not the way it works but we were a great side and won everything, including the London cup several times.
[cite]Posted By: BDL[/cite]BUMP - Happy back to the Valley day everyone!!!!
Just thinking its a pity that the new owners couldn't have been announced today. The 5th December is an iconic date in CAFC's history!
Happy Back to the Valley day one and all!
I missed the game,doubt I would have got a ticket anyway but I would have liked to be there or thereabouts.I had moved to Scotland that summer and was having all sorts of bother with the arsehole of a gaffer and couldn't get any time off even though I was only training at the time.Didn't get to the Valley until the March/April time.Vague memories of this as had been on the sauce all day!
Had a season ticket and sat in the South stand about 4 rows from the front near what is now the scoreboard. Had joined the walk from Woolwich and got there in plenty of time. I remember little piles of sawdust around the basins of the toilets behind the East Terrace where the workers had only just finished getting the ground ready and hadn't even had time to clear up. I was trying my best to take it all in because i was aware that it really was a defining moment. I remember being really thrilled that I'd be able to hop on a couple of buses straight to the ground from where I lived in Belvedere, instead of doing all that driving to Sellhurst and Upton. That was until on the way home the trains were up the spout and the 99 bus broke down on Bostall Hill. Got home about 8pm and drove to the Valley every time since!
I was there, I was a VIP member and a student at the time (bought the minimum amount of shares, was it GBP 50?). I was eligible to get two tickets, but somehow ended up with four (not of my doing). This was good because my eldest brother was over from Australia, a genuine Charlton fan but he hadn't been to may games in the 10 years or so before the game on account of the distance! So me, my two brothers, and mate of said brother were there, two of us in the temporary West "stand" and two in the Jimmy Seed (I think this was shared with the Portsmouth?).
I always love the build up and sense of anticipation before a game and on the way to the game, but this was special.
Has to be in my top five of Charlton days, the Greatest Game probably tops it. I think the games you see when you are younger have more impact.
Covered End, bottom West Corner. For some strange reason I took 2 mates who were Palace (no idea how I got my hands on 3 tickets). I obviously realised the error of my ways though as I outed them to everyone in The Horse & Groom before the game, much to my amusement but not theirs.
Comments
we are avery special club indeed.... and for all the challenges of the last years, we will come out of it and be stronger for it and it will make the good times so much better because of the adversity.....
CHARLTON ATHLETIC FOOTBALL CLUB
Although we lived a two hour drive away, dad, me and my wife to be, started watching the lads at Selhurst, and kind of got the bug. I started living everything Charlton, and was an avid collector, and sometimes contributor to the Voice of the Valley. (Lost all my copies during a house move years later...gutted)The whole drawn out affair of the move back to the Valley became a bit of a soap opera, I was working as a Policeman at the time, and the station noticeboard started to be covered with cuttings about the imminent return. On the day of the decision to finally go back, my wife picked me up from work at ten in the evening with a bottle of champagne. Lovely touch, I wonder where she is now!
I managed to get a ticket for the big day, cos I raised some money for the club by doing a half marathon. In return they gave me a chance to buy one. I offered it to my Dad but he did not want to go, if it was to be on his own. Of the day itself I have fantastic memories, driving to London early, meeting all the London based family at my Uncle and Aunts flat in Beacham Close, and soaking in the amazing atmosphere at the walk to the ground. Always been a sentimental fool, cried when they ran out, cried when they scored, cried when the final whistle went. I knew my grandad was with me that day, and it is a day I will never forget as long as I live.
Having been a Valley Party campaigner, and an occasional contributor to VOTV, and a supporters club activist at the time, I felt like it was my personal duty to help where I could, to the extent of pitching up and (delightedly) helping to paint railings and the like as the big day approached.
On the Friday in the rain went home via the Valley, completely unable to contain my excitement, bought the programme for the next day, took it home, immediately read every word from cover to cover and cried my eyes out for an hour or so...my wife to be declared me mad.
The next morning I woke about 4.30 am to the dawning of 'that' sunshine, and immediately got up and drove to the Valley, parked up and watched the last minute preparations....it was like a dream, I wandered about, and then took the bus home for some breakfast....and to get ready, I remember nothing of that, I simply knew I had to get to Woolwich for the walk...the walk back from Woolwich was eerily quiet because most of us marchers couldn't hear a thing because of the thundering of our individual heartbeats.
Around the ground was brilliant, the TV, the Jazz band, the Bus, the fancy dress, the people, you could eat the atmosphere with a spoon. I felt some kind of silly desire to meet some Portsmouth supporters, perhaps because their detatchment would help me to realise it was all true, found some in the Anti, and they were great, friendly, and sensitive to our moment, totally gracious (I wonder if one of them was a person who later wrote in a Pompey fanzine 'if you are gonna see your team lose, this was one occasion where it felt OK to do so').
Eventually got in, crying again...I think I followed Ben Tegg along that metal walkway, brushing the back of my hand against my lips because moments before, as I went through the turnstyles, I kissed the ground we had returned to.
I remember the atmosphere in the south stand as brilliant, there was one moment when a player was being treated where we were all up and singing and Garry Nelson simply stood and stared at us, and he was enjoying it. I also love it that Steve Gritt played, the link with the previous spell at the Valley, there was no way we were going to lose with him in the side. Before the game everybody said they didn't care if we lost 6-0 because being back was all that mattered, but when we kicked off winning was the only thing.
We won, my god we won that day.
I cried when the teams came out, the only time since was when we beat Liverpool at Anfield.
Even now, writing this, it makes me feel emotional and proud of everyone involved in the fight to get back.
I only sold and scanned a few photos for VOTV but to see the players walking out, a dream had been realised.
As for the evening, well my memory is now so bad I will have to ask my mate from Pompey.
I was 3 days old at the time, so no recollection of what I was doing at the time!!
Had sneaked in a couple of days earlier to watch the training session on the pitch me and a pal called Mark hoping that someone will give us a couple of freebies sat watching unoticed until a fella from sky came over and asked us to say a few words for their news show got about 15seconds of coverage that night at 10 pm but no tickets.
Had worked out our route to the back of the East terrace where we would be able to see 85% of the pitch that would have to do.
Got there bloddy earlier than we had planned due to so many people scouting ways in the night before and our route in involved a fair bit of breaking and entering into back gardens and over walls .
Seeing as we had planned our routye so well all went into place pretty damned well only for some OB to try to move folks on i wernt going to go quetly that was for sure i was a gobby teenager who was not happy at not getting a ticket and No One was going to stop me watching it from where i had found my viewpoint, about 50 or so others had crammed into the gaps along that Terrace and i dont think the OB wanted anyy part of trying to get us out we were left alone as long as the copper left there with us had our word we would not go any further along the crumbling terrace or into other poples property and that none of us peed up the fences or climbed onto the fences to see more.
Deal done the best bit was the only goal we couldnt see was the south stand
the rest of the game passed by pretty quickly the copper showed us an easier way out no harm done game watched journey complete
thats why i enjoyed the ride we went on from that day on so much as did most others the footballing path to the return to the valley was harder than any path that we find ourselves in today and proberly one of the reasons i will never boo any charlton team that runs out there, they are ours the ground is ours the history is ours and what a great part in that history we have all played.
If you got a ticket well blooming done if you were with me on the East Tearrace well done because that was just as difficult.
Lack of atmosphere yep it was pretty quiete i thought but proberly because men cant do 2 things at once and singing whilst crying just happens to be one of those things.
i think the bloody bell man from pompey was there though
Bigfatpete and I were sat in the Northstand lower before ko on sat, neither of us could believe that it was 17 byears ago that he had a bloody ticket and I didnt!!
Chris and I have been going and in the main season ticket holders since then. Neither of us did anything like as much as others in the years leading up to the return.
I do remember getting off the 89 going up shooters hill because it was "quicker to walk"!! gtreta fun jumping back on when it caught you up......
All things considered its still the case that the one game will live in the memories of so many people, so many other people will have plenty of other memories which may well eclipse that game.
The bloke on the video who said "its broke my heart when we left" probably sums up many thousands of peoples thoughts at the time, many of those people may not be with us now. Wembley cup winning final most be foremost in many memories, I have my grandads ticket, he is no longer here, he witnessed somthing I didnt Chris my mate witnessed something that I didnt first hand.
We helped Nick sell playoff final tickets,the club sold um!!!!!!!!! we had to go and plead with Peter Varney (think it was him) to help us, he fund a few and all were happy...I guess the whole point of Charlton Athletic Football Club is to give happy memories, at least Walshy dragged himself out of the crooklog to latch on to Darrens pass.......incidentally both bigfatpete and I always forgave Darren for THE MEMORIES!!!!!!! soz if I bored any of u....
Programme is framed and in my hallway alongside the 1998 playoff one.
Thanks
(Clearly not AFKA - he is probably still scratching his head trying to work out what was wrong with the original!)
What page?
got it - like you say, good lad - Minto and Gordon Watson joined my sunday side the season i left it when we were about 15 (i couldn't get in the side any more having been there since 9 years old). They weren't the best two players in the team but Minto had an excellent attitude and Watson was hungry. Mark Tivey also played for us - he was a great player but only made a few sub appearances for Charlton. Damian Matthews also joined that year. The rest were at Arsenal and places like that - none of them made it unfortunately even though a few were also in the England schoolboy teams. Just goes to show that playing for England and being great as a youngster doesn't guarantee anything. I genuinely think that if the whole of our side had stayed together it could have competed as a professional team - (wouldn't happen now as academies would see the side broken up way before then) and in reality wouldn't have happened then coz that's not the way it works but we were a great side and won everything, including the London cup several times.
Just thinking its a pity that the new owners couldn't have been announced today. The 5th December is an iconic date in CAFC's history!
Happy Back to the Valley day one and all!
Win or defeat i was so proud to walk in to the Valley again where we belong.
I've always wondered why the ticket holder never turned up. Anyone want to explain?
I was eligible to get two tickets, but somehow ended up with four (not of my doing). This was good because my eldest brother was over from Australia, a genuine Charlton fan but he hadn't been to may games in the 10 years or so before the game on account of the distance! So me, my two brothers, and mate of said brother were there, two of us in the temporary West "stand" and two in the Jimmy Seed (I think this was shared with the Portsmouth?).
I always love the build up and sense of anticipation before a game and on the way to the game, but this was special.
Has to be in my top five of Charlton days, the Greatest Game probably tops it. I think the games you see when you are younger have more impact.