Here is the entire game against Stoke City. Poor game but the half time and full time are entertaining and there a lot of very young faces on show and some serious haircuts lol.
Remember it well....haven't seen Steve the skinhead for some time, sure that was him next to Rick Everitt on the pitch. I took a lump of turf home on the train (back to Gravesend where I was living at the time) it stayed in a Tupperware box for a month or two, which was regularly watered till it began to wilt, it then got put out into the communal lawn outside our flat....a piece of Havengore Avenue forever Charlton.
Yes that`s definitely Skinhead Steve on the pitch lol. I got one of the iron hand and swords from the top of the railings at the main gates. Had it for years at home, moved home quite a bit since so not sure what happened to it.
I took some pitch too but it didn't survive long. That is Steve Dymchurch at the front. Plenty of faces from the old days, including a couple no longer with us. Sad day back then.
good to see St. Lennie on the pitch, I wonder if we would have survived if he hadn't miraculously got us promoted and kept us there a while, it would have been touch and go.
Went with Steve( Tom) Taylor that day. A sad and surreal day, I kept waiting for a annoy announcement at the end saying it had all been a wind up. Went for a drink in the old Star Inn on John Wilson street afterwards.
I went on my own which felt strangely right. Hadn't been down in a while. Felt sad and guilty in equal measure. I regret to say I didn't go on the pitch, being overwhelmed by a massive wave of "what's the point?" so didn't get any pitch to take home.
Was at the first and last games at Sh***hurst and the first game back and have not neglected my club in quite the same way since!
I still have a plant pot of soil which are the remains of a lump of turf in from the pitch. The grass has long gone but i still have the soil. God knows why i have kept it but i just cant bring myself to throw it away.
I was 12 at the time, I remember watching it all unfold from the West Stand, it only seems like yesterday. Then 7 years later remember getting pissed in the pub and sitting in the jimmy seed stand for the magic return! Amazing what changes in 7 years!
Never watched or seen that in my life, I started as a 3 year old in 79 and never missed a game except that one, for whatever fckin reason I was sent up to my nans that weekend in Norfolk and cried the whole time cause I couldn't go. Dad went though, although ive forgiven him now......................
Was sad, spent ages after the game just wandering around the Valley...Ive seen the video before and managed to spot myself on the pitch. I too took some turf and cut a patch at home to fit it in...a piece of the Valley now lives in West Kingsdown, however Ive long since moved.
I don't remember noticing it at the time, but what strikes me most now is the difference in demeanour between the old players with their blazers and smiles and the fans with their wreaths and sit-down.
Ball boy at the game, to the right of the goal at covered end 1st half, got my picture in mail on sunday in front of a flag that said 'no place like home'. 2nd half ball boy on the east terrace, so officially one of the last people to stand on the vast east terrace!
Was sad, spent ages after the game just wandering around the Valley...Ive seen the video before and managed to spot myself on the pitch. I too took some turf and cut a patch at home to fit it in...a piece of the Valley now lives in West Kingsdown, however Ive long since moved.
Me too Tel, there is now a piece of The Valley in my old garden in a house in Welling
What a day that was. I was 17 then. Loads of old faces. It was incredible the fight to get get us back home. Upton park and sellout park. And now we could be moving on again. At least it would be our home. I suppose. Come on you rip roaring goal scoring reds.
I haven't seen skinhead Steve for years. He tried getting me and pat sharp to go to the griffin near charring cross once. I'm sure it was after a Watford away game early 90s he was meeting some Chelsea boys in there. We thought about it then thought better of it. Would of been a fun night he was a right laugh don't think I have seen him since.
Stevie Allchurch (sp) I think is being referred to here. He was harmless but always managed to get himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. I remember walking into a pub outside Wolves and Steve was there sporting an NF T-shirt. He immediately attracted the attention of a large crowd of Wolves boys and I was expecting it all to kick-off when they welcomed him into the group and supplied his pre-match beer. I think he got himself a regular girlfriend/wife and grew up.
Stevie Allchurch (sp) I think is being referred to here. He was harmless but always managed to get himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. I remember walking into a pub outside Wolves and Steve was there sporting an NF T-shirt. He immediately attracted the attention of a large crowd of Wolves boys and I was expecting it all to kick-off when they welcomed him into the group and supplied his pre-match beer. I think he got himself a regular girlfriend/wife and grew up.
I've had the odd pint with Steve...this is going back to the mid 80's, you are right he was harmless and a nice bloke once you got to know him. One memory I have of him was when we were up at Huddersfield (Leeds Road), can't recall the time of year (0-0 draw in the early 80's) but it was bloody freezing, anyway Steve had to go to the first-aid people to get a huge grey blanket to keep him warm, as he only had his usual Fred Perry t-shirt on, and didn't realise it would be so cold. Lovely bloke hope he is well.
I don't remember noticing it at the time, but what strikes me most now is the difference in demeanour between the old players with their blazers and smiles and the fans with their wreaths and sit-down.
When all the old players were waveing to the crowd and haveing there photo's taken I looked towards the covered end and spotted my uncle Riley Cullum (Charlton player 1947-1953 ) he was standing on the edge of the penalty area haveing a quiet weep this naturaly effected me & my wife & kids we all had tears in our eyes . Speaking to him after the game he said he stood there thinking of team mates like Sam & Jack who were no longer with us and of all the great players who had played at the Valley . Riley was a local lad from North Woolwich so he may have had emotional ties with the Valley more than some of the other invited old players .
I seem to recall that following the Stoke game, the club were selling a black and white panoramic photograph taken from the top of the East terrace. Does anyone have a copy of the photo?
Comments
Went for a drink in the old Star Inn on John Wilson street afterwards.
Was at the first and last games at Sh***hurst and the first game back and have not neglected my club in quite the same way since!
Dad went though, although ive forgiven him now......................
I don't remember noticing it at the time, but what strikes me most now is the difference in demeanour between the old players with their blazers and smiles and the fans with their wreaths and sit-down.
Come on you rip roaring goal scoring reds.
Friend of mine took some turf and still has it in his garden