We lost either 2-1 or 2-0.......typical...after a big build up. I also remember going to the 2.15 kick offs prior to lights also I think there were some evening games that kicked off at 6.15.
A picture I had of Mike Flanagan scoring a goal in the mid - late70's. I think it was against Sheff Utd . It was a picture taken from the Kentish Times which I got hold of at the time. Looks like Steve Gritt and Hugh McAuley as the other CAFC players in the picture ?
What memories....used to stand at the back of this near corner and then run round to the covered end for second half (even in those days they mostly played into the covered end second half). Back of the car park you can see refreshment bar...and to the left of that the gents, basically a wall to pee up against. The floods went in in 1962 I think and the first game was against Rotherham (without looking up)....stand corrected.
When I call it a refreshment bar.......I think it served Bovril and another brown liquid called tea, and if you were lucky....a Kit Kat!
Then, as now, it was hard to discern what the hot drink was actually meant to be.
Floodlights first used in September 1961 vs Rotherham.
Excellent thread. What a superb picture of The Valley in the snow.
Result ?
As said, 0-2. Att: 9986
From Home and Away : Charlton switched on their new floodlights for the first time and the occasion was witnessed by a below-average crowd; the club's poor form and bad weather being the major contributory factors.
It's a wonderful picture that above all captures how open and light The Valley was. The downside to that of course was that in wintry weather it was like standing in an outpost of the Arctic! As well as the amphitheatre of the stadium itself there were also the peripheral open spaces, one of which, shown in the picture, was the flat area with a goal post behind the Grandstand side. Imagine what it was like then - these days you're nailed down to a specific seat but back then you could walk all round the whole site. The only place inaccessible was the Grandstand itself, for which there was a separate entrance. This complete openness allowed a leisurely stroll around the ground, and many people chose different places from match to match from where to watch the game. For young 'uns the Covered End was always a magnet but I also liked the vantage point of the top of the East. And then there the mass migrations of those who changed ends at half-time.
The picture also clearly shows the effect of the weather. There are puddles around the pitch which suggest that there had been plenty of rain, confirmed by the numerous brollies - people had come prepared and hadn't been caught out by an unexpected shower. I have written before about games where the weather played its own special part in the atmosphere created in these unique acres, especially Jan 62 Derby (heavy mist), Mar 63 Plymouth (monsoon) and Oct 63 Cardiff (golden Autumn afternoon). In modern times I can think only of the poor souls in Jan 98 (Forest FA Cup) left exposed in a cloudburst in a temporarily open section of the partially-built West Stand extension.
Pictures like this readily bring forward many reminiscences simply because The Valley really was unlike any other ground. The memories become particularly poignant when we've just had a monumental discussion about The Takeover Dat Never Wuz: I was astonished just how many people (myself included) were prepared to contemplate a new life in glamorous SE10 if that's what selling out to Uncle Sam would have come to. Well, as we know, in the end Bomber Harris didn't pay out, he just cleared out, but it left me with the uneasy feeling that somehow we had suddenly become so desperate for a dollar bill that we were ready to write off so much history, which is absolutely not what we are about.
Well, maybe the answer is we are talking about two Valleys. There is the modern stadium of which we are so proud: it's our showpiece, and looking across to The Heights and Lansdowne Mews which in distant years gone by were ugly wasteland but now have mature trees and greenery to give the ground a beautiful backdrop, it is now almost elegant (no, I've not been at the Christmas sherry). It's perfectly serviceable and would do a decent job for any new owner pending developments over the road. And - it's our tribal homeland.
But .... it's not the Old Valley, the days of towering terraces and Peanuts Tanner a Bag Peanuts, and a football trade which is rapidly becoming more and more remote from the modern "game". That's what we remember, and it's different, very different. From the mid-thirties, when the Glikstens surfed the success of Jimmy Seed's team to dramatically expand The Valley's capacity, the ensuing half-century saw precious few changes. In 61 the floodlights came, in 68 the top of the South Terrace was shaved off when the flats were built, and in the late seventies the unusual cantilevers of the Grandstand roof were replaced by a unappealing flat hat, and the seated Jimmy Seed covered what was left of the South. Before these modest changes the ground was in its vintage form. In 1974 The Valley was about to enter its twilight years, culminating in 1985 with its closure, the whole place a sorry sight and with the majestic East, by now festooned with rusty fencing, already shut down to the public.
So perhaps this is where the ambivalence lies. We treasure the classic Valley, but we must face things as they stand today. We want the old and new both, but maybe the timeline is fractured. We live in the here-and-now and we must move forward or otherwise suffer again as we did in all those years of stagnation, but we must also never fail to honour our heritage and our tradition. Recent events have been a little reminder, certainly to me - many thanks for posting this great picture - instant nostalgia!
Great post, thanks.
And after reading that, War and Peace will be a doddle.
I was very lucky, I'd only been to a couple of Millwall games with my father, as he grew up a fan living in Peckham and all my school mates were Palace as I went to school in Sydenham. I just happened to see a billboard on a bus shelter for the excursion bus, decided to go, it turned out to be the 7-6 game with Huddersfield.
There's a line in an Ian Dury song for people like you:
It's a wonderful picture that above all captures how open and light The Valley was. The downside to that of course was that in wintry weather it was like standing in an outpost of the Arctic! As well as the amphitheatre of the stadium itself there were also the peripheral open spaces, one of which, shown in the picture, was the flat area with a goal post behind the Grandstand side. Imagine what it was like then - these days you're nailed down to a specific seat but back then you could walk all round the whole site. The only place inaccessible was the Grandstand itself, for which there was a separate entrance. This complete openness allowed a leisurely stroll around the ground, and many people chose different places from match to match from where to watch the game. For young 'uns the Covered End was always a magnet but I also liked the vantage point of the top of the East. And then there the mass migrations of those who changed ends at half-time.
The picture also clearly shows the effect of the weather. There are puddles around the pitch which suggest that there had been plenty of rain, confirmed by the numerous brollies - people had come prepared and hadn't been caught out by an unexpected shower. I have written before about games where the weather played its own special part in the atmosphere created in these unique acres, especially Jan 62 Derby (heavy mist), Mar 63 Plymouth (monsoon) and Oct 63 Cardiff (golden Autumn afternoon). In modern times I can think only of the poor souls in Jan 98 (Forest FA Cup) left exposed in a cloudburst in a temporarily open section of the partially-built West Stand extension.
Pictures like this readily bring forward many reminiscences simply because The Valley really was unlike any other ground. The memories become particularly poignant when we've just had a monumental discussion about The Takeover Dat Never Wuz: I was astonished just how many people (myself included) were prepared to contemplate a new life in glamorous SE10 if that's what selling out to Uncle Sam would have come to. Well, as we know, in the end Bomber Harris didn't pay out, he just cleared out, but it left me with the uneasy feeling that somehow we had suddenly become so desperate for a dollar bill that we were ready to write off so much history, which is absolutely not what we are about.
Well, maybe the answer is we are talking about two Valleys. There is the modern stadium of which we are so proud: it's our showpiece, and looking across to The Heights and Lansdowne Mews which in distant years gone by were ugly wasteland but now have mature trees and greenery to give the ground a beautiful backdrop, it is now almost elegant (no, I've not been at the Christmas sherry). It's perfectly serviceable and would do a decent job for any new owner pending developments over the road. And - it's our tribal homeland.
But .... it's not the Old Valley, the days of towering terraces and Peanuts Tanner a Bag Peanuts, and a football trade which is rapidly becoming more and more remote from the modern "game". That's what we remember, and it's different, very different. From the mid-thirties, when the Glikstens surfed the success of Jimmy Seed's team to dramatically expand The Valley's capacity, the ensuing half-century saw precious few changes. In 61 the floodlights came, in 68 the top of the South Terrace was shaved off when the flats were built, and in the late seventies the unusual cantilevers of the Grandstand roof were replaced by a unappealing flat hat, and the seated Jimmy Seed covered what was left of the South. Before these modest changes the ground was in its vintage form. In 1974 The Valley was about to enter its twilight years, culminating in 1985 with its closure, the whole place a sorry sight and with the majestic East, by now festooned with rusty fencing, already shut down to the public.
So perhaps this is where the ambivalence lies. We treasure the classic Valley, but we must face things as they stand today. We want the old and new both, but maybe the timeline is fractured. We live in the here-and-now and we must move forward or otherwise suffer again as we did in all those years of stagnation, but we must also never fail to honour our heritage and our tradition. Recent events have been a little reminder, certainly to me - many thanks for posting this great picture - instant nostalgia!
Great post, thanks.
And after reading that, War and Peace will be a doddle.
Soz - guess I did get carried away a bit. But - big ground, big subject !!
How many remember exiting from behind that goal where the newspaper guy used to call out "All your 3.30 winners and your half times!" Proper Charlton and proper football - those were the days!
I recall standing behind that goal when we played Portsmouth one Tuesday night, weather - pissing down, 13 games in and we were in our usual bottom third position (Eddie Firmani was manager). Pompey were undefeated and had a really lanky guy up front called Ray Hiron I think. Anyway we were soon 1-0 down but turned the game round and ran out 4-1 winners. Fantastic performance. I think the headlines in the old Sun newspaper the next day ran something along the lines of "Firmani's Furies tame Pompey" but it was a long time ago and the old grey matter ain't what it used to be but I'm sure there are enough 'anoraks' out there who will put me right!
How many remember exiting from behind that goal where the newspaper guy used to call out "All your 3.30 winners and your half times!" Proper Charlton and proper football - those were the days!
I recall standing behind that goal when we played Portsmouth one Tuesday night, weather - pissing down, 13 games in and we were in our usual bottom third position (Eddie Firmani was manager). Pompey were undefeated and had a really lanky guy up front called Ray Hiron I think. Anyway we were soon 1-0 down but turned the game round and ran out 4-1 winners. Fantastic performance. I think the headlines in the old Sun newspaper the next day ran something along the lines of "Firmani's Furies tame Pompey" but it was a long time ago and the old grey matter ain't what it used to be but I'm sure there are enough 'anoraks' out there who will put me right!
I remember it vividly. "Firmani's Fighting Furies" comes to mind. Eddie Firmani's first game, I'm pretty sure, and off to a bad start, after which Charlton just tore the much-fancied Pompey apart.
3 Oct 67 - the 10th match of the season (match 8 on 27 Sep 67 Portsmouth 4-0 CAFC)
CAFC 4-1 Portsmouth att 13759 Gregory 37' Campbell 49' Tees 54' Campbell 71' - Hiron 35' Wright Curtis Kinsey Moore King Went Peacock Tees Gregory Campbell Glover (this team the mainstay of the great 68/69 side) Firmani was appointed Acting Team Manager on 11 Sep, Bob Stokoe having been fired after a 3-0 defeat by Palace.
Happy days.Was at the game with my Dad and his mates on the East Terrace.Seem to remember going to the game with loads of Pompey on the train from Waterloo East .Think it was one of Len Glovers last games for us before he went to Leicester.Apart from the missing Peter Reeves and the late great Ray Treacy that would be the team for 68/69 season and what might have happened had we gone up instead of the Nigel's!
Comments
A picture I had of Mike Flanagan scoring a goal in the mid - late70's. I think it was against Sheff Utd . It was a picture taken from the Kentish Times which I got hold of at the time. Looks like Steve Gritt and Hugh McAuley as the other CAFC players in the picture ?
"All purpose brown drinking fluid" sums it up.
From Home and Away : Charlton switched on their new floodlights for the first time and the occasion was witnessed by a below-average crowd; the club's poor form and bad weather being the major contributory factors.
And after reading that, War and Peace will be a doddle.
Lucky bleeders, lucky bleeders
Unable to rotate, sorry.
A picture I took around October 1992.
Any old photos or items would be welcomed to the museum.
I recall standing behind that goal when we played Portsmouth one Tuesday night, weather - pissing down, 13 games in and we were in our usual bottom third position (Eddie Firmani was manager). Pompey were undefeated and had a really lanky guy up front called Ray Hiron I think. Anyway we were soon 1-0 down but turned the game round and ran out 4-1 winners. Fantastic performance. I think the headlines in the old Sun newspaper the next day ran something along the lines of "Firmani's Furies tame Pompey" but it was a long time ago and the old grey matter ain't what it used to be but I'm sure there are enough 'anoraks' out there who will put me right!
Blimey where did all the years go.
Goes without saying all Addicks
I will check with Home and Away.
3 Oct 67 - the 10th match of the season (match 8 on 27 Sep 67 Portsmouth 4-0 CAFC)
CAFC 4-1 Portsmouth att 13759
Gregory 37' Campbell 49' Tees 54' Campbell 71' - Hiron 35'
Wright Curtis Kinsey Moore King Went Peacock Tees Gregory Campbell Glover (this team the mainstay of the great 68/69 side)
Firmani was appointed Acting Team Manager on 11 Sep, Bob Stokoe having been fired after a 3-0 defeat by Palace.