I'm a great believer in fate.
When Baldrick carved his own name on a bullet - it wasn't funny, it was a sensible thing to do.
I've followed CAFC over land and sea for many a year. I've had loads of 'ups', but on balance, probably more 'downs'. I've inflicted the addiction on my poor son - who has suffered the same fate with me following this club of ours. His reaction to the defeat against Birmingham, made me feel really guilty of give him this addiction. But we've had some trully fantastic times together and it's only made that father/son bond stronger. He's an Addick. Always has been and always will be.
However, my new life commenced in late 2008 and into this came a nine year old Chelsea fan. He loved his football, even though he was as bad as me at playing the game. After taking him to The Valley a few times - with the main intention of getting him out of his mothers hair for a few hours - he started to show signs of being 'Charltonised'.
One fateful day he said "Addickted, can I go to an away game with you?". I looked at the fixture list and found a suitable away to take him to. It was Wycombe Wanderers away, back in January 2010. A 2-1 away win (God knows how many away games I went to before seeing us actually win one). He was hooked.
Despite missing the night games and some of the weekends when he was away with his Dad, I decided to get him a Season Ticket for 2011/12 as it made life easier when I took him - and thanks to Airman's wonderful work on getting kids to The Valley, it was cheap.
We went on to achieve our best season ever - in his first season as a ST holder. He went home and away and a Charlton defeat was fairly rare. He saw us win six away games on the trot. I've seen some great seasons following Charlton, but this was something else. This was football and it was easy. Chelsea? Rubbish, compared with our record.
And he let his father know - regularly.
Then last season. Despite an 'average' start to the season, we put on a brilliant run during early 2013, which almost took us to the play offs. We also went to Oakwell where we won 6-0. 6-0 away from home. I'd never seen that before (and probably won't ever again). 31 years of following Charlton and he saw six away goals in his second full season.
He's seen the real Charlton this season. More downs than ups. And my son and I have both thought 'welcome to our world'.
Then in comes The Magic of The Cup. The third round draw and he's sitting on the edge of his seat. He can't wait and, like me 35 years earlier, he's dreaming of a big tie, the possibilities, the chance to see the stars, to talk as an equal with the Man Utd/Liverpool/Arsenal/Chelsea fans at school (very few of whom actually go).
Charlton Athletic V Oxford United.
Never mind - always a good chance to go through. So we went. In the cold and rain and for his first visit to The Covered End. What a pile of poop. And once again I thought 'welcome to my World'.
Still we were in the draw for the fourth round and once again he was on the edge of his seat. Huddersfield V Oxford United/Charlton Athletic. 'Typical' he said. After three seasons of being an Addick, the disappointment caused by this draw was shining through. He was definitely becoming Charltonised.
I went to Oxford and saw us win. He was waiting up when I got home. "Can we go to Huddersfield"? Work commitments meant it wasn't possible. That didn't stop him nagging me, his mother and anyone with in ear shot to allow him to go. He's already been to The John Smiths Stadium (or whatever name it was called when we went) but this was 'The Cup'.
I couldn't be more surprised when we actually won the tie. To him, it was fate. We were always going to win. We'd let him down by not letting him go.
Edge of the seat time again. Arsenal away? Man City away? He saw the ball being drawn out before the tie was announced and he walked out of the room.
Sheffield Wednesday V Charlton Athletic. He couldn't have been more disappointed. 'Welcome to our World' I thought yet again.
Still, we got our tickets and headed north. His disappointment at the postponment subsided when I told him that at least we'd be in the draw for the next round.
Edge of the seat time again. Again he saw our number being drawn out before the tie was announced. He stayed in the room this time.
"Sheffield again"! He said. He was convinced that's where we were going. Sod Wednesday. Sod Forest, either of whom could (and probably would) shatter his illusions. To his mind, we are going to Bramall Lane. And we are going to win.
Now I could start to talk about the innocence of youth. But what's the point? This is football and this is Charlton.
If we can have our most successful season ever in his first season as a ST holder. If he can see us have our record away win in his second season. Then a trip to Wembley is perfectly feasible in his third season.
After all, it's fate.
Isn't it?
64
Comments
Brilliant
like it a lot
Come to think of it we'll have to give Brighton a miss as we'll be at Wembley that day. You did say fate didn't you. :-)
Not sure if I posted my struggle with burdening him with the my team from my blog on late fatherhood - apologies if so:
http://livingdad.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/talisbaby.html
He has since met Chris Powell, so that's that.
The buggers..................
My season ticket coincided with a rise in our fortunes - we made the play-offs that year (if only to be seen off by Palarse) and finished mid-table the season after, by which time your son and I knew pretty much all of the words to all the club songs off by heart. And of course we all know what happened in 1998 - still hands down the best game of my life, made even more special that my dad came along too, and I can still recall every major point of that match, from Mendonca's hat-trick to the thrilling shoot-out that sent us to the Prem for the 1st time in our history. That will always be a special day in my history and even though I joke to my soon-to-be-wife that our wedding will have to compete with that match as the happiest day of my life, I have no shame in admitting that there is actually truth in that sentiment!
For most of the time I held a season ticket at the Valley I saw Premier League football, but cancelled it the season we got relegated. Not sure if that's fate or not, but considering when I bought a season ticket we went up not too long afterwards, and we went down the season I cancelled, any of you superstitious types will probably be cursing me now! Our time will come again, and I sincerely do hope we get to Wembley, even if it's just for the semi-finals. The magic of watching cup football at the national stadium cannot be underestimated in its ability to inspire passion and lifelong support in the hearts of the young fans. I was lucky enough to have experienced some of Charlton's bad times before they got promoted, as it made the good times just that extra bit more meaningful. I feel bad for the dads who tried to get their sons and daughters into CAFC as we slid from the top tier to tier 3. If my dad took me to Arsenal every week when I was first starting to show interest in football and within 3 years they were finishing mid table in League 1, I wouldn't be blamed if I lost interest in football or, even worse, supported a more successful team (glory hunter!). Saw something similar happen to one of my relatives - took his son a year before they went down to the Championship, and 2 years later his son became a Man City fan. Straight red, surely?
Whatever happens in the cup, the fact we're in the 6th round draw is something special, and we can only count on the team to make sure they inspire the next generation of Addicks.
I'm 26 now and we have had the same season ticket seats for 20 years. I hope one day I get the chance to take a little one with us and extend the chain!
Football - and Charlton in particular - is pretty much the only thing me and my old man have in common. He started taking me when I was 6, in 1967. I'd have to stand on a stool he'd made to see the game. It's still the only thing we can talk about without an argument! It's bought me more woe than joy but I wouldn't change a thing and I'll always be grateful he's the kind of man who supported his local club.
Lucky for him my first real season ended with the 98 Play-off final, i was 8 and that was the day Charlton became the most important thing in my life.
The League 1 winning season a couple years later was my first season ticket, great days.
Im confident of converting my 3 nephews and niece to the Charlton cause once they are a bit older.
FATE.