I swear if Matt Tees swallowed a marble he'd look pregnant !! If he was an android he would be made of flight recorder black-box material. He was painfully resilient - he would almost be cut in half but he'd stagger to his feet and carry on.
In those days we rarely got to know our idols. It would be great to hear from this modest and talented guy, even or maybe especially after all these years. We were only a short part of a very productive career, but as I said earlier he might be amazed at the regard in which he is so rightly still held in SE7.
LincsAddick said he saw him about a year ago, fleetingly. 'Lino' came to us from Grimsby; has he retired to that part of the world?
Fossdene - yes, a great game at Arsenal in Jan 69. Although we lost 2-0 the team (and the fans) did themselves great credit that afternoon. That was in a five-week period of fabulous goals : away to Palace FAC3 replay : Wright's punt downfield headed on by Tees and lashed in on the volley by Treacy at full stretch on the edge of the box home to Derby - the ball worked downfield and a superb cross by Curtis met on the volley by Treacy from 20 yards and rocketed into the net. (followed 5 mins later by a gentle header from Tees which softly hit the post and I swear was either blown in by the wind or sucked in by the Covered End). away to Fulham - more or less a repeat of the Palace goal.
If ever I suffer severe memory loss I hope those goals, along with my sons, are stored on the last remaining brain cells.
Glass half full -- your discription of the the 1961/2 Valley was wonderful it brought back memories of my last game I attended with my father. It was the 21st april 1962 v swansea, we stood at the top of the south terrace and I can picture the ground exactly as you discribe I am certain we won 2-0 and my dad was most impressed with Marvin Hinton and a very young wing half called Mike Bailey. Sadly my dad died the next day from a heart attack leaving me to attend on my own through the 60's & 70's until my own kids joined me in the early 80's . My uncle Mick was the first person I heard call Matt Tees lino I wonder who it was who first coined the phrase.
Fossdene - that's a very touching story. It must have been hard to lose yr Dad so early. So often these memories are bittersweet ....
Perhaps these former players - especially the unassuming ones like Matt Tees - don't fully realise that they carry round with them a little piece of so many people's personal histories. Now I'm not suggesting for one minute that Lincs starts stalking MT but if somehow a message could find its waay to the old gentleman to drag his bag of bones down to The Valley at least one more time, he might be astonished at the numbers who would turn up to shake his hand. I for one would fly over from Holland for the privilege. For each and every one of us the clock is ticking, but no-one knows how long we have - chances should be taken while they still can.
I swear if Matt Tees swallowed a marble he'd look pregnant !! If he was an android he would be made of flight recorder black-box material. He was painfully resilient - he would almost be cut in half but he'd stagger to his feet and carry on.
In those days we rarely got to know our idols. It would be great to hear from this modest and talented guy, even or maybe especially after all these years. We were only a short part of a very productive career, but as I said earlier he might be amazed at the regard in which he is so rightly still held in SE7.
LincsAddick said he saw him about a year ago, fleetingly. 'Lino' came to us from Grimsby; has he retired to that part of the world?
He has VF .. and like Clive Mendonca is a Grimsby legend amongst those in the know. I am told that he is a really nice man and always up for a chat or a charitable event. Check his wicki page. He went back to the Mariners in the early 70s and averaged a goal every two games for a couple of years. Both a Addick and Mariners legend
Fossdene - that's a very touching story. It must have been hard to lose yr Dad so early. So often these memories are bittersweet ....
Perhaps these former players - especially the unassuming ones like Matt Tees - don't fully realise that they carry round with them a little piece of so many people's personal histories. Now I'm not suggesting for one minute that Lincs starts stalking MT but if somehow a message could find its waay to the old gentleman to drag his bag of bones down to The Valley at least one more time, he might be astonished at the numbers who would turn up to shake his hand. I for one would fly over from Holland for the privilege. For each and every one of us the clock is ticking, but no-one knows how long we have - chances should be taken while they still can.
Nice sentiments GHF. Firstly, keeping the brain and system tuned up and active with good memories is very important to keep up your health, strength and morale. Secondly, I WILL try and find out more about MT's current status etc. Problem is I have misplaced the phone number of Matt's mate .. my brain was and remains a bit 'fuzzy' after the stroke .. but we will see. About 'Lino' .. he spent so much time on the floor!!! .. perhaps 'magic carpet Matt' would be more appropriate.
great thread chaps ,great memories of Matt,i think our other signings about that time were Paul Hince (i think from Bury),Theo Foley(Northampton) and Rodney Green also from Grimsby ....all bargain basement buys. MT was by far the best
i always thought Matt was called Lino as it was just an alternative name for something that was laid on the floor ...i was only 8 at the time so I didnt get the nuance MT used to Hang in the air ,truly a great pro of his era ..hed have at least 30 scottish caps in the modern day
Unless the memory is playing tricks on me, I think there was a very good article in an early VOV on Matt Tees entitled " Cream Tees " ( unfortunately, it will be stashed up in the loft somewhere In one of my many unlabelled programme boxes ). As others have said, he was a magnificent header of a ball and had an uncanny ability to hover in the air.
I just love this thread. I can't possibly match GHE's brilliant stories but I do recall an Easter game at the valley against Cardiff. 11am kick off on the Good Friday. Cardiff had a very young, highly rated striker playing by the name of John Toshack - who went on to great things of course. But it was Matt Tees who stood out that day. He scored a majestic header at the covered end in a brilliant 4-1 win. Not sure now when that was but I would guess about 1967?
It was Easter 1969. Four up at half time and Toshack scored a consolation right at the end. I was only 8 but am sure all the goals were up the other (South) end. Think we beat Boro 2-0 the next day at home.
It was Easter 1969. Four up at half time and Toshack scored a consolation right at the end. I was only 8 but am sure all the goals were up the other (South) end. Think we beat Boro 2-0 the next day at home.
Thanks mate. Could have sworn it was the Covered end but I bow to your better memory. I was there for the Boro match too. Tees scored again and then Ray Crawford scored a real scuffer. We finished 3rd that season, when only the top 2 went up - Brian Clough's Derby were top and Palace 2nd. If I recall correctly, Cardiff finished 4th or 5th so the 4-1 win was pretty special.
I've just looked up Colin Cameron's summary of Harry Gregory's four-and-a-bit seasons with us in the late 1960s, and am rather surprised that he gets such a glowing report. I vividly recall being on that odd bit of terracing at the south end of the west side and Harry making a hash of a move in front of us. The blokes all around me gave him the bird, and as he trotted off towards the half-way line, Harry flicked us a V-sign behind his back. As a shy young schoolboy at the time, I was rather impressed by the vulgarity of this public gesture!
Great days viewfinder Harry was another 60's hero of mine and a bit of a dark horse who like Matt Tees was quite tough and had some nice touches and was not adverse to handing out some retribution behind the refs back. As for the V sign I can remember Mark Aizlewood repeating this around 1983 in a late season game against Shrewsbury - we then stopped giveing him stick!
Great days viewfinder Harry was another 60's hero of mine and a bit of a dark horse who like Matt Tees was quite tough and had some nice touches and was not adverse to handing out some retribution behind the refs back. As for the V sign I can remember Mark Aizlewood repeating this around 1983 in a late season game against Shrewsbury - we then stopped giveing him stick!
Funny you should mention Mark Aizlewood's V-sign, fossdeneboy, because in 'The Valiant 500', Colin Cameron notes that Aizlewood was stripped of the captaincy at Leeds United and sidelined for 14 days in 1988-89 "after making a rude gesture to the Elland Road crowd". It seems he made a habit of it!
Back to Harry Gregory, I was just a few years too young to really appreciate him as a player. My general impression of him is as a slightly petulant character, perhaps a bit impatient, and yet rather aloof - a "dark horse", as you succinctly put it. Cameron records that in a match against Swindon at The Valley in 1969, David Sheppard, then the Bishop of Woolwich, was a guest at the game, and "he was surprised along with the near-15,000 crowd when Gregory, angry at being withdrawn by manager Eddie Firmani, stripped off his shirt and threw it at the dug-out for Charlie Hall to retrieve." Cameron also notes that after his League days with Aston Villa and Hereford, Gregory "landed himself in trouble with the Essex FA because of his poor disciplinary record. After being sent off while playing for a Sunday club, Bolingbroke and Wenley, he received a 56-day ban, a £15 fine, and a final caution."!
Great days viewfinder Harry was another 60's hero of mine and a bit of a dark horse who like Matt Tees was quite tough and had some nice touches and was not adverse to handing out some retribution behind the refs back. As for the V sign I can remember Mark Aizlewood repeating this around 1983 in a late season game against Shrewsbury - we then stopped giveing him stick!
Back to Harry Gregory, I was just a few years too young to really appreciate him as a player. My general impression of him is as a slightly petulant character, perhaps a bit impatient, and yet rather aloof - a "dark horse", as you succinctly put it. Cameron records that in a match against Swindon at The Valley in 1969, David Sheppard, then the Bishop of Woolwich, was a guest at the game, and "he was surprised along with the near-15,000 crowd when Gregory, angry at being withdrawn by manager Eddie Firmani, stripped off his shirt and threw it at the dug-out for Charlie Hall to retrieve." Cameron also notes that after his League days with Aston Villa and Hereford, Gregory "landed himself in trouble with the Essex FA because of his poor disciplinary record. After being sent off while playing for a Sunday club, Bolingbroke and Wenley, he received a 56-day ban, a £15 fine, and a final caution."!
Can't remember all the details but I do remember Harry Gregory giving some verbals to a visiting keeper which then turned physical. He was a big fella and Harry had the worst of it and quickly got pinned in a wrestling contest. Can't remember either getting sent off (though they might have been) but they would have been off before you could say "petulant" these days.
Harry could be petulant at times - I remember him having some verbals with one or two opponents too. On the subject of V signs, you can add 'keeper Ken Jones to that list.
Harry was the original Jurgen Klinnsman, winning us numerous penalties, albeit with some appalling dives. He had that 'mod' look about him which was quite fashionable, and went down well with the generation at the time.
Not particularly gifted as a player, but could get stuck in if needed.
A player who rarely seems to merit a mention but played a major part in keeping us up in 65/66 .... Cliff Holton. A big guy who made a big impact but was with us less than four months.
Harry was the original Jurgen Klinnsman, winning us numerous penalties, albeit with some appalling dives. He had that 'mod' look about him which was quite fashionable, and went down well with the generation at the time.
Not particularly gifted as a player, but could get stuck in if needed.
Nice sketch there, Milletts. As a youngster I remember seeing Killer Hales deliberately trip himself up in the box with the defender a good yard away; the ref blew for a pen and the defender, not surprisingly, was outraged. I thought at the time that Killer had invented this marvellous deceit, but it's nice to hear that Harry was there before him!
A player who rarely seems to merit a mention but played a major part in keeping us up in 65/66 .... Cliff Holton. A big guy who made a big impact but was with us less than four months.
Holton's brief stint with us was in the season before I began watching - I hadn't realised until just now, looking up the Oracle (Cameron again), what a fantastic career he had: 295 goals in 571 League games. Going off at a tangent (this particular thread is good for that!), do you remember Gordon Bolland? A striker, only a few games in the late 60s. We were 4-0 down at The Valley against Norwich with Kevin Keelan their stalwart keeper. We roused ourselves for a storming last half-hour, got back to 4-3, and Bolland almost, almost nodded the equaliser in the last minute....
Harry Gregory was in crossbars a few times last season before the game. He played in the first game I saw in March 1969, I don't remember too much about it except missing our goal in the first minute as I was still outside queuing up!
A player who rarely seems to merit a mention but played a major part in keeping us up in 65/66 .... Cliff Holton. A big guy who made a big impact but was with us less than four months.
Had a shot like a Howitzer too. Can't remember where we bought him from, I know he was with the Gooners. Think he was brought in to do that job that season.
I believe he also had another business on the go and only trained part-time.
The enduring Cliff Holton performance for me was when he seemingly single handedly beat Preston 5-2 which was a massive step to safety that season.
A definite contender for our most influential impact player in my opinion (Hans Jeppson might be ahead of him) and I've posted about him elsewhere on the forum.
A player who rarely seems to merit a mention but played a major part in keeping us up in 65/66 .... Cliff Holton. A big guy who made a big impact but was with us less than four months.
Had a shot like a Howitzer too. Can't remember where we bought him from, I know he was with the Gooners. Think he was brought in to do that job that season.
I believe he also had another business on the go and only trained part-time.
I happen to have the Bible at my fingertips, Milletts. Holton came to us from Watford in Feb 66, having previously played for the Gooners, Northampton, and a certain team in SE25. Cameron notes that during his first stint at Watford, Holton became the first player in living memory to score hat-tricks on consecutive days: 15 and 16 April 1960, against Chester and Gateshead respectively. Holton scored another hat-trick on his debut for Northampton in 1961 - against Palace. Hurrah!
A player who rarely seems to merit a mention but played a major part in keeping us up in 65/66 .... Cliff Holton. A big guy who made a big impact but was with us less than four months.
Holton's brief stint with us was in the season before I began watching - I hadn't realised until just now, looking up the Oracle (Cameron again), what a fantastic career he had: 295 goals in 571 League games. Going off at a tangent (this particular thread is good for that!), do you remember Gordon Bolland? A striker, only a few games in the late 60s. We were 4-0 down at The Valley against Norwich with Kevin Keelan their stalwart keeper. We roused ourselves for a storming last half-hour, got back to 4-3, and Bolland almost, almost nodded the equaliser in the last minute....
A player who rarely seems to merit a mention but played a major part in keeping us up in 65/66 .... Cliff Holton. A big guy who made a big impact but was with us less than four months.
Holton's brief stint with us was in the season before I began watching - I hadn't realised until just now, looking up the Oracle (Cameron again), what a fantastic career he had: 295 goals in 571 League games. Going off at a tangent (this particular thread is good for that!), do you remember Gordon Bolland? A striker, only a few games in the late 60s. We were 4-0 down at The Valley against Norwich with Kevin Keelan their stalwart keeper. We roused ourselves for a storming last half-hour, got back to 4-3, and Bolland almost, almost nodded the equaliser in the last minute....
I remember Bolland ex Norwich and Millwall.
I used to get him confused with Gordon Riddick.
Yes indeed, LenGlover, Bolland came to us from Norwich: tall, blond, a bit awkward - he may well have scored in that 3-4 battle against Kevin Keelan. Now I see why that game had a particular intensity. Going back to Cliff Holton: he left us for Orient in 66, with Harry Gregory coming the other way. Gordon Riddick, whom you mention (I remember him only very vaguely - a winger?) left us for Orient in 1970 on the same day that Harry went to Villa....
I did not see many games in '61-62, and sadly for the purposes of your book (which I hope goes well, btw) my most vivid memory of that season is a home 4th round Cup match against Derby. It might give you some insight about The Valley itself, however.
The stadium was largely undeveloped, as pictures of the era will show. It was basically a bowl made from an old sand pit excavated out of the slope which runs up from the floor of the Thames flood-plain. The Romans would have loved it - The Valley is really an amphitheatre. The ground was dominated by the open East Terrace and the South Terrace which was almost as high. The view from the top was right across industrial South-East London and northwards to the Royal Docks on the other side of the river. The players appeared far below almost as matchstick figures.
There was a small Grandstand halfway along the west touchline, and the terrace behind the north goal had a roof and was known as The Covered End. The whole ground was accessible apart from the Grandstand, for which you had to buy a separate ticket. There was ample open flattish space behind the Stand, so the whole place felt free and unrestricted. The players' entrance was just a doorway, and only some years into football's more violent era was a cage-like structure erected around the back of the Grandstand.
This meant that anyone could stand or move anywhere. Mass migrations took place at half-time when those who liked to stand behind the goal changed ends, and also when rain sent thousands scuttling off the towering East to find shelter under The Covered End.
On the day of the Derby match Charlton had London almost to itself, and a wholly-unexpected 34000 attended a pulsating game which ended 2-1 to the hosts, thanks in no small part to a wonderful display by our magician of a centre-forward Stuart Leary.
The match, at the end of January, took place under floodlights, which were still very much of a novelty. They had only been introduced that season. Because the ground was so open the weather often played a significant part. On this particular afternoon the prevailing mist was very thick, and the houses in Charlton Church Lane silhouetted against the sky to the south and west were soon lost to view. The floodlights took over, and like any night match brought that special feeling of theatre. The surrounding gloom was held at bay as the large crowd was treated to a marvellous match, the bright green of what grass remained on the pitch deep into the winter being the stage on which the black and white of Derby met the vivid scarlet of Charlton. It was brilliant !!
That's why The Valley captivated so many and why the memories are so strong. That's why we had to come back. Nothing much to do with Liverpool, of course, but, well, you did ask ....
Comments
away to Palace FAC3 replay : Wright's punt downfield headed on by Tees and lashed in on the volley by Treacy at full stretch on the edge of the box
home to Derby - the ball worked downfield and a superb cross by Curtis met on the volley by Treacy from 20 yards and rocketed into the net. (followed 5 mins later by a gentle header from Tees which softly hit the post and I swear was either blown in by the wind or sucked in by the Covered End).
away to Fulham - more or less a repeat of the Palace goal.
If ever I suffer severe memory loss I hope those goals, along with my sons, are stored on the last remaining brain cells.
Perhaps these former players - especially the unassuming ones like Matt Tees - don't fully realise that they carry round with them a little piece of so many people's personal histories. Now I'm not suggesting for one minute that Lincs starts stalking MT but if somehow a message could find its waay to the old gentleman to drag his bag of bones down to The Valley at least one more time, he might be astonished at the numbers who would turn up to shake his hand. I for one would fly over from Holland for the privilege. For each and every one of us the clock is ticking, but no-one knows how long we have - chances should be taken while they still can.
Check his wicki page. He went back to the Mariners in the early 70s and averaged a goal every two games for a couple of years. Both a Addick and Mariners legend
Secondly, I WILL try and find out more about MT's current status etc. Problem is I have misplaced the phone number of Matt's mate .. my brain was and remains a bit 'fuzzy' after the stroke .. but we will see.
About 'Lino' .. he spent so much time on the floor!!! .. perhaps 'magic carpet Matt' would be more appropriate.
i always thought Matt was called Lino as it was just an alternative name for something that was laid on the floor ...i was only 8 at the time so I didnt get the nuance MT used to Hang in the air ,truly a great pro of his era ..hed have at least 30 scottish caps in the modern day
Matt Tees book. Not a lot about his time at Charlton but if you're interested.
Back to Harry Gregory, I was just a few years too young to really appreciate him as a player. My general impression of him is as a slightly petulant character, perhaps a bit impatient, and yet rather aloof - a "dark horse", as you succinctly put it. Cameron records that in a match against Swindon at The Valley in 1969, David Sheppard, then the Bishop of Woolwich, was a guest at the game, and "he was surprised along with the near-15,000 crowd when Gregory, angry at being withdrawn by manager Eddie Firmani, stripped off his shirt and threw it at the dug-out for Charlie Hall to retrieve." Cameron also notes that after his League days with Aston Villa and Hereford, Gregory "landed himself in trouble with the Essex FA because of his poor disciplinary record. After being sent off while playing for a Sunday club, Bolingbroke and Wenley, he received a 56-day ban, a £15 fine, and a final caution."!
Not particularly gifted as a player, but could get stuck in if needed.
I believe he also had another business on the go and only trained part-time.
A definite contender for our most influential impact player in my opinion (Hans Jeppson might be ahead of him) and I've posted about him elsewhere on the forum.
I used to get him confused with Gordon Riddick.