Jim Melrose was definitely one of my Charlton heroes, following a long line of hero strikers for me starting with Eddie Firmani and following on through Cliff Holton, Ray Treacy, Arthur Horsfield, Derek Hales, Mike Flanagan and Paul Walsh. I was gutted when he left us, all to soon. I don't know if it's even true, but I recall being told he moved because his wife couldn't settle down south. I remember really resenting her in a "why the fuck would you marry a footballer then" type of way. Back in the days when I still thought life revolved around football
Was the hat trick versus Everton at Selhurst Park?
It was. Sheedy got a brace for them. Cracking game
They were the reigning title holders and we were the crap new boys - in the top league after decades away. Today's equivalent would be something like Rotherham 3 Liverpool 2
a tough as teak and skilful Scot .. we could do with a few like him today .. (Scotland once again is starting to 'export' some quality players, and that is good news)
I was at that game..... I was allowed to stand right by the advertising boards (being very small) and thanks to to a copper going past me at that precise moment I missed his 3rd goal but heard the roar. ...... Those eyes.
I got thrown out of the game when Melrose got his third. Apparently I over celebrated the goal - jumping forward instead of up and down. I have seen and experienced some shit policing at football, but 30 years on I still don't understand what was going through that particular Plods head on that day.
I was at that game..... I was allowed to stand right by the advertising boards (being very small) and thanks to to a copper going past me at that precise moment I missed his 3rd goal but heard the roar. ...... Those eyes.
I got thrown out of the game when Melrose got his third. Apparently I over celebrated the goal - jumping forward instead of up and down. I have seen and experienced some shit policing at football, but 30 years on I still don't understand what was going through that particular Plods head on that day.
His power trip.
There were some real c***y coppers about at that time, they'd quite rightly never get away with a lot of things that went on now.
How many times would you be at an away game and they'd be deliberately being heavy handed aresholes just because they could.
I remember being about 12/13 and walking out of a game at the back of east terrce with my mates one night. We were just larking about, not doing anyone any harm and I swore at one of my mates. Copper grabbed me by the hair hard enough to pull some of it out and marched me and my mates out. I was in fucking agony. C**t would probably lose his job if he got caught doing it now.
I was at that game..... I was allowed to stand right by the advertising boards (being very small) and thanks to to a copper going past me at that precise moment I missed his 3rd goal but heard the roar. ...... Those eyes.
I got thrown out of the game when Melrose got his third. Apparently I over celebrated the goal - jumping forward instead of up and down. I have seen and experienced some shit policing at football, but 30 years on I still don't understand what was going through that particular Plods head on that day.
His power trip.
There were some real c***y coppers about at that time, they'd quite rightly never get away with a lot of things that went on now.
How many times would you be at an away game and they'd be deliberately being heavy handed aresholes just because they could.
I remember being about 12/13 and walking out of a game at the back of east terrce with my mates one night. We were just larking about, not doing anyone any harm and I swore at one of my mates. Copper grabbed me by the hair hard enough to pull some of it out and marched me and my mates out. I was in fucking agony. C**t would probably lose his job if he got caught doing it now.
Maybe 13 year olds wouldn’t be so mouthy and disrespectful if that happened to them now.
I was at that game..... I was allowed to stand right by the advertising boards (being very small) and thanks to to a copper going past me at that precise moment I missed his 3rd goal but heard the roar. ...... Those eyes.
I got thrown out of the game when Melrose got his third. Apparently I over celebrated the goal - jumping forward instead of up and down. I have seen and experienced some shit policing at football, but 30 years on I still don't understand what was going through that particular Plods head on that day.
His power trip.
There were some real c***y coppers about at that time, they'd quite rightly never get away with a lot of things that went on now.
How many times would you be at an away game and they'd be deliberately being heavy handed aresholes just because they could.
I remember being about 12/13 and walking out of a game at the back of east terrce with my mates one night. We were just larking about, not doing anyone any harm and I swore at one of my mates. Copper grabbed me by the hair hard enough to pull some of it out and marched me and my mates out. I was in fucking agony. C**t would probably lose his job if he got caught doing it now.
Maybe 13 year olds wouldn’t be so mouthy and disrespectful if that happened to them now.
Yeah, if I'd have been acting like a dick I'd have accepted it but as I said were just walking out and mucking about amongst ourselves (I didn't even say it that loudly).
I was at that game..... I was allowed to stand right by the advertising boards (being very small) and thanks to to a copper going past me at that precise moment I missed his 3rd goal but heard the roar. ...... Those eyes.
I got thrown out of the game when Melrose got his third. Apparently I over celebrated the goal - jumping forward instead of up and down. I have seen and experienced some shit policing at football, but 30 years on I still don't understand what was going through that particular Plods head on that day.
His power trip.
There were some real c***y coppers about at that time, they'd quite rightly never get away with a lot of things that went on now.
How many times would you be at an away game and they'd be deliberately being heavy handed aresholes just because they could.
I remember being about 12/13 and walking out of a game at the back of east terrce with my mates one night. We were just larking about, not doing anyone any harm and I swore at one of my mates. Copper grabbed me by the hair hard enough to pull some of it out and marched me and my mates out. I was in fucking agony. C**t would probably lose his job if he got caught doing it now.
Maybe 13 year olds wouldn’t be so mouthy and disrespectful if that happened to them now.
@DaveMehmet has still not learned, so I am told by the king of the lols.
I was at that game..... I was allowed to stand right by the advertising boards (being very small) and thanks to to a copper going past me at that precise moment I missed his 3rd goal but heard the roar. ...... Those eyes.
I got thrown out of the game when Melrose got his third. Apparently I over celebrated the goal - jumping forward instead of up and down. I have seen and experienced some shit policing at football, but 30 years on I still don't understand what was going through that particular Plods head on that day.
His power trip.
There were some real c***y coppers about at that time, they'd quite rightly never get away with a lot of things that went on now.
How many times would you be at an away game and they'd be deliberately being heavy handed aresholes just because they could.
I remember being about 12/13 and walking out of a game at the back of east terrce with my mates one night. We were just larking about, not doing anyone any harm and I swore at one of my mates. Copper grabbed me by the hair hard enough to pull some of it out and marched me and my mates out. I was in fucking agony. C**t would probably lose his job if he got caught doing it now.
Not quite as bad, but ego trip coppers at QPR, Nottingham Forest and Northampton away in the cup who picked on young kids because they could and because they had no comeback.
For me a Charlton legend, scored a hattrick in my first ever match. Scored that mad goal against West Ham. His goals helped keep us up in the 80s and took us to our first Wembley final in about 40 years.
Did you know his grandfather played for Scotland?
He’s on my Facebook, had a chat with him the other week, hero of mine
Was the hat trick versus Everton at Selhurst Park?
I was a ball boy at this game
I was a ball boy the following season against Everton.
My brother and I used to ball boy a lot between 86 and 89. It was a different world back then, the dads would drop the boys off behind the corner of the main stand on the Holmesdale Road end. We had these knacked old tracksuits half boiled to death and dry. The kids would run out first clapping with the players in-tow behind. I remember being the smallest ball boy and my brother was one of the tallest. I had my usual spot, in between the halfway line and the Sainsbury's end along the Arthur Wait stand.
I know it bonkers and pains me to say it, but I really enjoyed those Selhurst years. I was very young and had never experienced the Valley.
My all time Charlton hero. Was devastated when he left, so much so I scribbled his face off of my Charlton team poster in a rage. I eventually forgave him enough to use his name for my CL handle - Jim Millsop Melrose (JiMMy). It was too subtle though, and so everyone thinks @jimmymelrose is his biggest fan. Sigh.
That's even my video someone posted above and got a load of likes for. I spent ages editing the sound/ replays on that. Sigh again.
Yeah, me too. It was the first top tier Division 1 game that I'd seen Charlton play in.
After already then being a fan for 20 years with us usually struggling in Divisions 2 and 3, I couldn't actually believe I was watching Charlton in the top Division!
Cracking game. Remember, Everton won the First division title that year, if I recall. There we were beating the future league champions!
Interesting read - thanks for posting. Shame he left Charlton for family reasons, would loved for him to have stayed.
Andy Peake also in that Leicester photo. Despite a couple of hundred appearances for us, I'm not sure that he was ever held in the same affection as others with a similar number of games...not sure why.
Interesting read - thanks for posting. Shame he left Charlton for family reasons, would loved for him to have stayed.
Andy Peake also in that Leicester photo. Despite a couple of hundred appearances for us, I'm not sure that he was ever held in the same affection as others with a similar number of games...not sure why.
Another memorable Melrose goal was the equaliser in a 3-3 draw with Millwall after being 2 or 3 nil down.
We were 3 down in 18 minutes as we were trying to blow promotion! If i recall correctly Stuart got the other two and missed a great chance to win it.
we had played then just over a fortnight before when Melrose scored on his debut in a 2-2 draw at the old Den.
Melrose was a great striker and scored my all time favourite Charlton goal the record 9 second one at West Ham. I don’t think we will ever score a quicker one.
My all time Charlton hero. Was devastated when he left, so much so I scribbled his face off of my Charlton team poster in a rage. I eventually forgave him enough to use his name for my CL handle - Jim Millsop Melrose (JiMMy). It was too subtle though, and so everyone thinks @jimmymelrose is his biggest fan. Sigh.
That's even my video someone posted above and got a load of likes for. I spent ages editing the sound/ replays on that. Sigh again.
I would never have scribbled his face of my poster. I would have feared my imminent death as though I'd stuck a pin in a voodoo doll. 😄 Anyway, no one of us should lay claim to be his biggest fan. Those of us that saw him play, particularly in the games like Everton and West Ham, are fans of the great man together.
Interesting read - thanks for posting. Shame he left Charlton for family reasons, would loved for him to have stayed.
Andy Peake also in that Leicester photo. Despite a couple of hundred appearances for us, I'm not sure that he was ever held in the same affection as others with a similar number of games...not sure why.
Andy Peake was a proper engine room player. Did a lot of the midfield grunt work and provided a platform for others to perform.
But he had one special trick in his locker, that piledriver shot from outside the box - Peakie's rocket. When he caught it right, the keeper had no chance.
Always remember the pace of Melrose. One of those players who played on the shoulder (like Darren Bent). Full marks again to Lennie L for bringing him in to add forward bite to a team which was solid in midfield and defence but had been lacking up front.
By the way, I've read two incorrect statements on this thread: 1. In the Leicester article they say that Charlton were fighting relegation when Jimmy joined us, when we were actually heading for promotion. 2. One or two lifers said that Everton were champions when Jimmy got his hat-trick against them. They weren't but they were on their way to becoming Champions. Liverpool were champions in 1986.
I was at that game..... I was allowed to stand right by the advertising boards (being very small) and thanks to to a copper going past me at that precise moment I missed his 3rd goal but heard the roar. 3...... Those eyes.
I got thrown out of the game when Melrose got his third. Apparently I over celebrated the goal - jumping forward instead of up and down. I have seen and experienced some shit policing at football, but 30 years on I still don't understand what was going through that particular Plods head on that day.
His power trip.
There were some real c***y coppers about at that time, they'd quite rightly never get away with a lot of things that went on now.
How many times would you be at an away game and they'd be deliberately being heavy handed aresholes just because they could.
I remember being about 12/13 and walking out of a game at the back of east terrce with my mates one night. We were just larking about, not doing anyone any harm and I swore at one of my mates. Copper grabbed me by the hair hard enough to pull some of it out and marched me and my mates out. I was in fucking agony. C**t would probably lose his job if he got caught doing it now.
That hat-trick game against Everton was my first game working for CAFC selling programmes, then moved into stewarding and eventually stewarding the lounges, players entrance and occasionally tunnel was a cracking game
Interesting read - thanks for posting. Shame he left Charlton for family reasons, would loved for him to have stayed.
Andy Peake also in that Leicester photo. Despite a couple of hundred appearances for us, I'm not sure that he was ever held in the same affection as others with a similar number of games...not sure why.
Andy Peake was a proper engine room player. Did a lot of the midfield grunt work and provided a platform for others to perform.
But he had one special trick in his locker, that piledriver shot from outside the box - Peakie's rocket. When he caught it right, the keeper had no chance.
That's what he's remembered for!
I don't think Peakie's rocket ever made an appearance in a Charlton shirt - it was part of his locker at Leicester but he got a new locker when he moved to Charlton and it went missing..
My dad used to take me to see Partick Thistle every now and then in the mid 70's. Melrose was alright but not as good as the 2 Alans;Rough & Hansen. Think we saw the best of him down here
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I was gutted when he left us, all to soon.
I don't know if it's even true, but I recall being told he moved because his wife couldn't settle down south.
I remember really resenting her in a "why the fuck would you marry a footballer then" type of way.
Back in the days when I still thought life revolved around football
Today's equivalent would be something like Rotherham 3 Liverpool 2
How many times would you be at an away game and they'd be deliberately being heavy handed aresholes just because they could.
I remember being about 12/13 and walking out of a game at the back of east terrce with my mates one night. We were just larking about, not doing anyone any harm and I swore at one of my mates. Copper grabbed me by the hair hard enough to pull some of it out and marched me and my mates out. I was in fucking agony. C**t would probably lose his job if he got caught doing it now.
My brother and I used to ball boy a lot between 86 and 89.
It was a different world back then, the dads would drop the boys off behind the corner of the main stand on the Holmesdale Road end. We had these knacked old tracksuits half boiled to death and dry.
The kids would run out first clapping with the players in-tow behind. I remember being the smallest ball boy and my brother was one of the tallest.
I had my usual spot, in between the halfway line and the Sainsbury's end along the Arthur Wait stand.
I know it bonkers and pains me to say it, but I really enjoyed those Selhurst years. I was very young and had never experienced the Valley.
That's even my video someone posted above and got a load of likes for. I spent ages editing the sound/ replays on that. Sigh again.
Former Player Remembers: Jim Melrose (lcfc.com)
After already then being a fan for 20 years with us usually struggling in Divisions 2 and 3, I couldn't actually believe I was watching Charlton in the top Division!
Cracking game. Remember, Everton won the First division title that year, if I recall.
There we were beating the future league champions!
Andy Peake also in that Leicester photo. Despite a couple of hundred appearances for us, I'm not sure that he was ever held in the same affection as others with a similar number of games...not sure why.
we had played then just over a fortnight before when Melrose scored on his debut in a 2-2 draw at the old Den.
Melrose was a great striker and scored my all time favourite Charlton goal the record 9 second one at West Ham. I don’t think we will ever score a quicker one.
Was gutted when he left
Anyway, no one of us should lay claim to be his biggest fan. Those of us that saw him play, particularly in the games like Everton and West Ham, are fans of the great man together.
But he had one special trick in his locker, that piledriver shot from outside the box - Peakie's rocket.
When he caught it right, the keeper had no chance.
That's what he's remembered for!
1. In the Leicester article they say that Charlton were fighting relegation when Jimmy joined us, when we were actually heading for promotion.
2. One or two lifers said that Everton were champions when Jimmy got his hat-trick against them. They weren't but they were on their way to becoming Champions. Liverpool were champions in 1986.