This feels way more emotional than I thought it would but my Dad passed away last year and this game was the first and last time I went to Wembley with him. Great memories of that day, as a kid I probably didn't appreciate just how big it was (I felt way more nervous for 2019). I'll be honest I don't remember too much about the game itself but I do remember not watching any of our penalties (something I still do now in shootouts) I had my back turned and just focused on a fan sat further away from me and waiting for their reaction.
As others have said above leaving the stadium was eerie, it was so draining for everyone involved, I remember the handful of Sunderland fans that were still leaving when we did and we all walked side by side in silence as if we'd both somehow lost. That walk back and the journey home on the coach will stay with me forever for just how somber it all was.
Didn't go in 1998 because I was only 5 years old but my dad went and I found the programme in the loft a few weeks ago. Didn't go in 2019 either because I was on holiday , watched it in a bar with some very excited Newcastle fans
Never got to go to Wembley with my dad as he passed away suddenly in 2021....
This feels way more emotional than I thought it would but my Dad passed away last year and this game was the first and last time I went to Wembley with him. Great memories of that day, as a kid I probably didn't appreciate just how big it was (I felt way more nervous for 2019). I'll be honest I don't remember too much about the game itself but I do remember not watching any of our penalties (something I still do now in shootouts) I had my back turned and just focused on a fan sat further away from me and waiting for their reaction.
As others have said above leaving the stadium was eerie, it was so draining for everyone involved, I remember the handful of Sunderland fans that were still leaving when we did and we all walked side by side in silence as if we'd both somehow lost. That walk back and the journey home on the coach will stay with me forever for just how somber it all was.
I think I said it somewhere earlier in the thread but there was a moment at Wembley when I looked to the left and right and saw all my family together smiling and happy and it was one of the few times there was genuine collective happiness. We were never a perfect family with some real struggle together but that day really brought us together. I spoke about at my mum's funeral and in my wedding speech. Will live with me forever.
8 years old at the time and I remember it very clearly now at 33!
One thing that sticks out for me is that after we won and we were travelling home, I was out the sun roof waving my Charlton flag whilst being surrounded by Sunderland fan coaches and we were also blasting out Squeeze down in the valley!
8 years old at the time and I remember it very clearly now at 33!
One thing that sticks out for me is that after we won and we were travelling home, I was out the sun roof waving my Charlton flag whilst being surrounded by Sunderland fan coaches and we were also blasting out Squeeze down in the valley!
What a day!
An every day thing from back in the day that now sounds really weird - kids standing up in cars with their heads out of sunroofs!
4 years since the second Wembley classic This Sunderland fan video is still one of the best. The noise from us for both goals. Takes me back every time. https://youtu.be/F8iJH1ApURA
4 years since the second Wembley classic This Sunderland fan video is still one of the best. The noise from us for both goals. Takes me back every time. https://youtu.be/F8iJH1ApURA
Love the roar from us you hear in the background @ 22:23
4 years since the second Wembley classic This Sunderland fan video is still one of the best. The noise from us for both goals. Takes me back every time. https://youtu.be/F8iJH1ApURA
Love the roar from us you hear in the background @ 22:23
Was at both play-off games and have already commented, but just to add what a fantastic set of fans Sunderland have. Pleased for them that they have bounced back and now have a club which is on the up again.
THE most exciting game I have ever seen live and a result, that as Curbs said, set the club up for the next ten years, because without that result and especially without Mendonca, we would never have reached the Premier League. The pity is of course that the momentum and the passion could not be maintained for reasons we all know so well What is so very true is the words spoken about the togetherness and doggedness within the team, the fighting spirit and of course the tactics and management of Lord Llewellyn and Les Reed (the coach, not the songwriter lol). Lord L was a hard task master and had the respect of his players, great managers are few and far between and no doubt Lord L was a great manager What else ? .. Mendonca with THE greatest ever hat trick, Richard Rufus unbelievably scoring his first ever goal for CAFC, THAT Brown tackle, the guts and coolness of the penalty takers .... and on and on and on Oh that Holden can come close to building a team with the guts and tenacity of the first Wembley heroes .. Amen
Was 10 years old. Face painted before the game, waving cheap flags that after a week the wording on started to peel. Still have the flag mind. Went there with a few of the family. My older brother and sister, they're partners and my cousin went behind the goal. I sat just next to the VIP/directors box. Great view of the goals and the overall atmosphere created by both sets of fans. Remember standing on my seat for the pens though and noticing majority of people barely able to watch them. I might be mistaken but in my memory I swear I was in my area of the ground the first to erupt in celebration when Sasha saved. My dad just went berserk picking me up as if I was the trophy. After the game we all met up in a pub nearby. Some Sunderland fans were there and they said to us "why are you not going crazy and celebrating." We were just all so exhausted from it all. We just sat there in the sun with smiles on our faces. What a day.
Moved away from London in 1997 so wasn’t at the 1998 game. In those pre internet days, I listened to the live commentary on the radio. Unbelievable scenes in the house when Ilic saved the pen and my then 1 year old daughter didn’t know what the hell was going on! My dad, mum and brother were all at Wembley. My dad died prematurely in 2003. I’m glad to say I made it to the 2019 rendition - what a day that was. Can only add to the positive comments about the Sunderland fans after that one.
People often ask me why I support Charlton. I had developed a "soft spot" having read Garry Nelson's book and whenever I saw Charlton games after that I really took to Johnny Robinson. I watched the game on Sky and distinctly remember going to my Dads after the game and telling him I'd seen the greatest game ever. That was when a mild infatuation grew into love.
Watched it on TV in Australia. I recall the build up and some guy who was an actor and Charlton supporter being interviewed. Watched all up until it went to 6th penalty shots. When I heard the roar, I knew we had won. Watched presentations and got to bed about 4am. Had to work next morning. First person I seen was a work colleague who was a Villa supporter. Really tired but happy.
Watching it now and spoiler alert, i was convinced it was golden goal when Summerbee scored.
Today should have been my 5th wedding anniversary but we couldn't get the venue she wanted. I would probably have missed our first anniversary if it had been 🤣🤣
Yep I remember thinking that at the time and turning to the bloke next to me asking that straight after he scored
I headed outside when it came to penalties ... I simply could not watch. I sat on the steps into the stadium with almost 100 others. We listened to the roar of the Chalrton supporters and then the distant cheers of the Sunderlands fans at the other end as the penalties alternated. One than the other. There was a fleeting millisecond when a yell started at the Charlton end when it was Sunderland's turn - Illic got a hand to one of the shots and oh-so-briefly there was a thought he had saved it. But the sound deflated before it really began and the whole back and forth resumed. Then the 14th penalty and the massive wave of sound as Illic saved. A quick hug of the person nearest and then a sprint back into the stadium to re-join our friends and family and start celebrating properly. I can't believe it was 25 years ago today I took this picture ...
Some wonderful memories. Went with my son and a couple of friends and was level with Richard Rufus when he scored with that great header. The rest of the game whizzed by and could hardly watch the penalties. I remember getting on a train at London Bridge to Woolwich which was absolutely rammed with our supporters and I will always remember the sheer pandemonium as we pulled into Charlton Station with the singing and cheering.
Fantastic day and remember being congratulated by many Sunderland fans outside the ground afterwards. I found their fans very gracious in defeat fair play to them.
Apologies if mentioned elsewhere but issue 49 of the Blizzard has a long (about 25 page) article on the Greatest game.
What struck me was the arrogance of Peter Reid who continues to insist that Sunderland were obviously the better team across the season. He said his pre match team talk included a comment to look at the table and see how many more points they had across the season (!!!?) and to go out and show that they were clearly the better team.
My memories going into the match were of being fairly confident we could win. We didn’t have big name players at that time but we really were an excellent side with some hugely underrated stars (primarily Kins). The narrative was that Sunderland were clear favourites. They were certainly a very good team but I got the sense that everyone was underestimating how legitimately good Charlton were.
It also reminded me of the astonishing quality of players in the league that season. The top 5 teams were star studded in a way that could never happen now. Players of that quality would never be playing in the Championship these days but back then it was just about possible. I’d argue quite strongly that it was the best year in modern history for the quality of player found in the second tier. Which made Charlton’s promotion all the more impressive. Great days anyway.
Comments
As others have said above leaving the stadium was eerie, it was so draining for everyone involved, I remember the handful of Sunderland fans that were still leaving when we did and we all walked side by side in silence as if we'd both somehow lost. That walk back and the journey home on the coach will stay with me forever for just how somber it all was.
Never got to go to Wembley with my dad as he passed away suddenly in 2021....
I think I said it somewhere earlier in the thread but there was a moment at Wembley when I looked to the left and right and saw all my family together smiling and happy and it was one of the few times there was genuine collective happiness. We were never a perfect family with some real struggle together but that day really brought us together. I spoke about at my mum's funeral and in my wedding speech. Will live with me forever.
And now I'm tearing up again.
One thing that sticks out for me is that after we won and we were travelling home, I was out the sun roof waving my Charlton flag whilst being surrounded by Sunderland fan coaches and we were also blasting out Squeeze down in the valley!
What a day!
got to be one of the best days of following Charlton ever :
This Sunderland fan video is still one of the best. The noise from us for both goals. Takes me back every time.
https://youtu.be/F8iJH1ApURA
Pleased for them that they have bounced back and now have a club which is on the up again.
What is so very true is the words spoken about the togetherness and doggedness within the team, the fighting spirit and of course the tactics and management of Lord Llewellyn and Les Reed (the coach, not the songwriter lol). Lord L was a hard task master and had the respect of his players, great managers are few and far between and no doubt Lord L was a great manager
What else ? .. Mendonca with THE greatest ever hat trick, Richard Rufus unbelievably scoring his first ever goal for CAFC, THAT Brown tackle, the guts and coolness of the penalty takers .... and on and on and on
Oh that Holden can come close to building a team with the guts and tenacity of the first Wembley heroes .. Amen
Went there with a few of the family. My older brother and sister, they're partners and my cousin went behind the goal. I sat just next to the VIP/directors box. Great view of the goals and the overall atmosphere created by both sets of fans. Remember standing on my seat for the pens though and noticing majority of people barely able to watch them. I might be mistaken but in my memory I swear I was in my area of the ground the first to erupt in celebration when Sasha saved. My dad just went berserk picking me up as if I was the trophy.
After the game we all met up in a pub nearby. Some Sunderland fans were there and they said to us "why are you not going crazy and celebrating." We were just all so exhausted from it all. We just sat there in the sun with smiles on our faces. What a day.
I remember getting on a train at London Bridge to Woolwich which was absolutely rammed with our supporters and I will always remember the sheer pandemonium as we pulled into Charlton Station with the singing and cheering.