Flashback 74/75 pitch invasion

davone1111

I viewed some of the great Vlog’s posted after the penalty shootout vs Doncaster it took my mind back to another era . I was 10 years old at the time of the 74/75 season the club were in dire straits (as were many others) languishing in the old 3rd division, gates were averaging 6-8 thousand my father who worked for the club even brought in a circus act on a match day to try and improve the situation. Fast forward to the last game of the season v PNE to gain promotion under the lights over 25,000 turned up with many ending up on the pitch celebrating a 3-1 win . As Sunday proved charlton don’t need to widen their fan base it’s already there hopefully now they’ll get the financial backing they deserve. I can’t call myself a true supporter as I haven’t been to the valley for years but after “that 94th minute goal” it brought some good memories flooding back. Strange how you can vividly picture moments in your life from 40 odd years ago but can’t remember where you left your car keys.

Addickted

They're in the fruit bowl.

HardyAddick

Was on the pitch after that game. Guys near me on East terrace opened a bottle of champagne at the full time whistle - handed around glasses to their mates!!

Greenie

I was there for the Preston game, I was 10 years old, it was my first season and my old man took me to many home and away games.

When we went on the pitch last week v Donny, the memories came flooding back.

Happy days.

stonemuse

That was a wonderful night 

801912601

I was 15 & in the covered end that night - best run downs ever

Taxi_Lad

Greenie said:

I was there for the Preston game, I was 10 years old, it was my first season and my old man took me to many home and away games.

When we went on the pitch last week v Donny, the memories came flooding back.

Happy days.

Same here. I was 10 also. I remember climbing into the West Stand from the pitch

Covered End

I was 12 standing on the railings at the front of the covered end.

As the final whistle approached all the big lads & men came down to the front to leg it on the pitch.

A copper was standing in front of me on the cinder track.

I shouted to him if we were allowed on the pitch at the end and he said "no you're not".

The final whistle blew and over the top everyone went with the copper standing in front of me stopping me.

I thought sod it and ran a few places to the right, leaping the railings onto the cinder track.

I started to run, I could feel the copper trying to grab me, as I ran on to the pitch.

I can still smell the grass to this day.

Ah memories.

Killarahales

My Mum also brought a bottle of champagne, we were also on the East Terrace. I was 14 at the time and that might have been my first taste! A great night! 

bolloxbolder

Remember that season we beat Palace one nil on a January evening. We all ran on the pitch at the end. It was an absolute bog of a pitch and I slipped over. My high waistband turn up trousers were caked in mud. Happy days.

Covered End

bolloxbolder said:

Remember that season we beat Palace one nil on a January evening. We all ran on the pitch at the end. It was an absolute bog of a pitch and I slipped over. My high waistband turn up trousers were caked in mud. Happy days.

Hales scored.

bobmunro

I was 17 (I feel old!!) - one of the greatest nights at The Valley ever. I remember running across from the East Terrace and jumping up and down in front of the West Stand.

RedChaser

Remember blonde haired, ex palace Bobby Goldthorpe scoring that night and Bobby Charlton was their manager IIRC

http://forum.charltonlife.com/discussion/6815/the-week-that-was-29th-april-1975-charlton-3-preston-1/p1

tallboy

Can anyone remember if PNE played in a 1/2 and 1/2 or maybe quartered blue and white kit that night?

My elder brother took me to a match at the Valley at about that time where there was a pitch invasion. I was about 9 years old at the time and got stopped from jumping over the East Terrace pitch side fence by a very large policeman who administered a wallop around the ear! I remember Charlton won and everybody was madly celebrating but because I also seem to remember a blue and white halved / quartered kit I always thought it was against Bristol Rovers or Blackburn. 

Its bugged me for years that the facts (as detailed in Colin Camerons Stats book) and my memories don't quite line up. But if anyone can remember PNE's kit as being halved or quartered blue and white then it was definitely at that game I was struck about the ear by one of the Mets finest. Happy Days!

charlton4ever

I was on the pitch that night.... 14 years old. Took some turf home and planted it in our garden. Great night. My first promotion !

blackpool72

The Preston game is the only game my mum has ever been to.she is 89 btw. 
She came to that game to make sure me and my brother behaved ourselves as we were due in court the next day.
Mixed emotions that night  and unfortunately we never made the pitch. 

RedChaser

tallboy said:

Can anyone remember if PNE played in a 1/2 and 1/2 or maybe quartered blue and white kit that night?

My elder brother took me to a match at the Valley at about that time where there was a pitch invasion. I was about 9 years old at the time and got stopped from jumping over the East Terrace pitch side fence by a very large policeman who administered a wallop around the ear! I remember Charlton won and everybody was madly celebrating but because I also seem to remember a blue and white halved / quartered kit I always thought it was against Bristol Rovers or Blackburn. 

Its bugged me for years that the facts (as detailed in Colin Camerons Stats book) and my memories don't quite line up. But if anyone can remember PNE's kit as being halved or quartered blue and white then it was definitely at that game I was struck about the ear by one of the Mets finest. Happy Days!

I was in my early 20's that night and am pretty sure they (PNE) played in their usual all white shirts. However Blackburn Rovers won the league that season who we beat in a top of the table clash  at home 2-1 on Saturday 7 December 1974. The floodlights would have been on at the end of the game as they were for the Preston Friday night match. Hope this helps @tallboy .

Oggy Red

I was 19 at the time. Can still picture it in my minds eye.

Terrific celebrations - it seems half the crowd ran on to the pitch ecstatic.
We carried on singing, then chanting for the players to come out again ..... and after a while, they all appeared in the Director's box of the grandstand. And the celebrations started all over again.

Afterwards, many of us then went in The Valley Club and after a while the players came in mixing and chatting with us. 

A couple of weeks later, team and supporters flew off together to Tunisia for a mini-football tournament.
But that's another story.

Eric_Dales

I was on the pitch for the first time ever aged 13. 

Got told off for getting home late as it was a school night, soon took the shine off my first taste of CAFC success.

I'm sure we made the back page of the Mirror the next day, thought we'd reached the big time......

alburyaddick

Ive still got a piece of the turf in a little box marked Promotion 74/75 in my office draw - it’s still green (ish) 

davone1111

Oggy Red said:

I was 19 at the time. Can still picture it in my minds eye.

Terrific celebrations - it seems half the crowd ran on to the pitch ecstatic.
We carried on singing, then chanting for the players to come out again ..... and after a while, they all appeared in the Director's box of the grandstand. And the celebrations started all over again.

Afterwards, many of us then went in The Valley Club and after a while the players came in mixing and chatting with us. 

A couple of weeks later, team and supporters flew off together to Tunisia for a mini-football tournament.
But that's another story.

Hi Oggy .. I was in Tunisia too ... cant remember if that was the one with Millwall. Bournemouth and Swindon in the tournament got a pic somewhere of everyone on the beech.

ken_shabby

That was my second season. I was there for the Palace win (it was a mate's birthday and thanks to me goin regularly, we found out the match was a friday night and not the saturday afternoon he invited us to). I was there the night we went up, but didn't invade the pitch. It was weird leaving all the celebrations at the Valley and getting back to Erith/Belvedere to a total silence (I remember someone driving round and around at midnight tooting their horn which I imagine was a Charlton fan) but we were up and it felt GREAT.

stonemuse

davone1111 said:

Oggy Red said:

I was 19 at the time. Can still picture it in my minds eye.

Terrific celebrations - it seems half the crowd ran on to the pitch ecstatic.
We carried on singing, then chanting for the players to come out again ..... and after a while, they all appeared in the Director's box of the grandstand. And the celebrations started all over again.

Afterwards, many of us then went in The Valley Club and after a while the players came in mixing and chatting with us. 

A couple of weeks later, team and supporters flew off together to Tunisia for a mini-football tournament.
But that's another story.

Hi Oggy .. I was in Tunisia too ... cant remember if that was the one with Millwall. Bournemouth and Swindon in the tournament got a pic somewhere of everyone on the beech.

That’s the one 

CharltonPete

Don’t think there could have been much of the pitch left that night as I too took a piece of turf home in a matchbox and planted it my mums garden 

Oggy Red

davone1111 said:

Oggy Red said:

I was 19 at the time. Can still picture it in my minds eye.

Terrific celebrations - it seems half the crowd ran on to the pitch ecstatic.
We carried on singing, then chanting for the players to come out again ..... and after a while, they all appeared in the Director's box of the grandstand. And the celebrations started all over again.

Afterwards, many of us then went in The Valley Club and after a while the players came in mixing and chatting with us. 

A couple of weeks later, team and supporters flew off together to Tunisia for a mini-football tournament.
But that's another story.

Hi Oggy .. I was in Tunisia too ... cant remember if that was the one with Millwall. Bournemouth and Swindon in the tournament got a pic somewhere of everyone on the beech.

Hi Davone,

Yes, it was,

You'll remember we all flew over on the plane together, players and supporters, from a then very rustic Luton airport.
I've got a black & white pic too, taken in the hotel grounds with all the party mixed in together.

It was at the Sahara Beach Hotel, in Monastir - where a bomb exploded about 10 years later.

I can't remember much about the football tournament though.

Charlie Williams, the comedian, sat next to me in the plane going out.
And Arthur Horsfield all the way back.

Wish I'd written down all the stories both of them told me!

Addickted

13 at the time and my first experience of real joy at football.

As most on here, got on the pitch for my first time and remember going mad with a couple of school mates in front of the West Stand. Pissed myself when one, Johnny Statham, caught his flares in the hooped fencing protecting the east terrace from the pitch and fell flat on his face on the cinder track. Johnny would have loved Sunday.

I thought we had blown it when Bob Curtis took one of the worst penalties I've ever seen.

mistrollingin

I remember it well, as already said Charlton fans have always turned out for the big matches.

Last time my dear old dad came to the Valley and after the game we stopped at the Crook Log and had a couple of drinks.

Strange decade, the 1970's, the 3 day week, strikes, the IRA and the winter of discontent etc, but I have many happy memories of those years, got married in 1974, the long hot summer of '76, those Friday night matches at the Valley, buying our first house in Bexley for just over 10K, flying off to Mallorca on Dan Air from Gatwick every summer and our first son Ben, born in '77.

Life was so different 45 years ago, happy days they were.

stonemuse

Oggy Red said:

davone1111 said:

Oggy Red said:

I was 19 at the time. Can still picture it in my minds eye.

Terrific celebrations - it seems half the crowd ran on to the pitch ecstatic.
We carried on singing, then chanting for the players to come out again ..... and after a while, they all appeared in the Director's box of the grandstand. And the celebrations started all over again.

Afterwards, many of us then went in The Valley Club and after a while the players came in mixing and chatting with us. 

A couple of weeks later, team and supporters flew off together to Tunisia for a mini-football tournament.
But that's another story.

Hi Oggy .. I was in Tunisia too ... cant remember if that was the one with Millwall. Bournemouth and Swindon in the tournament got a pic somewhere of everyone on the beech.

Hi Davone,

Yes, it was,

You'll remember we all flew over on the plane together, players and supporters, from a then very rustic Luton airport.
I've got a black & white pic too, taken in the hotel grounds with all the party mixed in together.

It was at the Sahara Beach Hotel, in Monastir - where a bomb exploded about 10 years later.

I can't remember much about the football tournament though.

Charlie Williams, the comedian, sat next to me in the plane going out.
And Arthur Horsfield all the way back.

Wish I'd written down all the stories both of them told me!

Charlie Williams was great fun. There’s a couple of threads around on this tour. 

Addickted

I got the worst shits of my life at the Sahara Beach.

Never made it back to the room and just let go in the lift.

RedChaser

Addickted said:

I got the worst shits of my life at the Sahara Beach.

Never made it back to the room and just let go in the lift.

Urgh!, too much information, just about to have my evening meal .

bolloxbolder

There was a picture of the team in the sunken bath post match drinking beer and champagne. Only player missing was Bob Curtis. Are the rumours true that he served behind the bar of the Waterman Arms that night in his full kit?