My favourite player of all time . When I was mascot against Barnsley in 1983 he offered me a cigarette outside the changing room ten minutes before the game ( yes he was smoking!)
Happy birthday Killer my childhood hero. I can still picture your goal at Fulham in the cup and your Bolton brace in 83 will never fade from my memory. Live long Charlton legend.
The team of the mid 70's is the one that sold Charlton to me. Pappy Powell was my favourite, but Killer was a close second. His goal of the season strike at home to Hull is still my all time favourite Charlton goal. He scored a hatrick that day in a 3-1 win. Another that sticks in my mind was the winner in a 2-1 home win against WBA on a Friday night.
Sent both centre backs the wrong way then smashed it top corner from outside the box. Well that's how my 16 year old memory sees it
Was too young to see him during his 1st spell but feel privileged to have watched him play and score (loads) on his return. The 2 goals he scored in the 4-1 win against Bolton in '83 that kept us up were a highlight.
Yep. Legend in the truest sense. Happy Birthday. My friend from those days, Mike Franklin (RIP) told me that around the training ground, Derek was affectionately knowns as “raw meat”.
Part of my formative years as a fan. Dad had been taking me for a while before that, but I was too young to appreciate the team. But having Paddy, Keith, Flash and Killer together made for such exciting times. Lucky to have been to quite a few of the Q&As as well as few years ago. Real life Killer wasn’t quite the boring footballer that that profile suggested 😂
Absolute Legend: Miscellaneous Dislikes: Tolerating boring .... ? People i guess. Proper answers from a no nonsense, genuine bloke, telling it how it is - wouldn't get that from the media trained pro's of today. Happy birthday Derek.
Was too young to see him during his 1st spell but feel privileged to have watched him play and score (loads) on his return. The 2 goals he scored in the 4-1 win against Bolton in '83 that kept us up were a highlight.
Absolutely - and the second half brace he got in our 3-1 win against Preston in 1975 to clinch promotion at The Valley for the only time in living memory. I don’t think there’s any film of that game but, as I remember it, in each case, a ball was played behind the Preston defence, Killer turned on the burners to leave the defenders for dead and then hit lethal left foot strikes into the bottom corner of the net.
Was too young to see him during his 1st spell but feel privileged to have watched him play and score (loads) on his return. The 2 goals he scored in the 4-1 win against Bolton in '83 that kept us up were a highlight.
Absolutely - and the second half brace he got in our 3-1 win against Preston in 1975 to clinch promotion at The Valley for the only time in living memory. I don’t think there’s any film of that game but, as I remember it, in each case, a ball was played behind the Preston defence, Killer turned on the burners to leave the defenders for dead and then hit lethal left foot strikes into the bottom corner of the net.
Cometh the hour, cometh the man.
What a night - so vivid in the memory still, it's as if it was yesterday.
Give them both barrels, Killer. As bad as Parker going to Chelsea was, Killer going to Derby, was far worse, as I didn't fully understand how football worked then.
Is that the profile where in answer to the question, "If you weren't a footballer what would you be?", he answered "A burglar". I've idolised many better players in a Charlton shirt; Firmani, Simonsen, DiCanio, but Killer will always be my all-time Charlton hero. When we had become "plucky little Charlton" he came in and gave us balls. Feisty, combative, you never knew whether he would score a hattrick or get sent off, or both! Blistering acceleration over the first 10 yards is what gave him his edge and you would always back him in a one-on-one. So many memories, but a few favourites:- The fourth goal in a 4-2 home win against Walsall in '75. The winning goal in the 1-0 home defeat of Palace in '75 (the reverse fixture of the televised game at Selhurst when Allison bet they would go up and we wouldn't). The winning goal in the cup game at Fulham, when "Supermac" had been gobbing off all week about how "they would stop Hales, because if you stop Hales you stop Charlton". Many happy returns Derek and thanks for all the memories
A legend from before my time really. Dad always spoke of him as being a no nonsense roughneck with skills to match. Can you imagine him today. Maybe Stockley is our own current tappered down version.
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happy 70th Killer
Sent both centre backs the wrong way then smashed it top corner from outside the box. Well that's how my 16 year old memory sees it
My idols were (and are still) Derek Hales and Ian Botham. The happiness both brought to my life is unimaginable.
My friend from those days, Mike Franklin (RIP) told me that around the training ground, Derek was affectionately knowns as “raw meat”.
Cometh the hour, cometh the man.
As bad as Parker going to Chelsea was, Killer going to Derby, was far worse, as I didn't fully understand how football worked then.
I've idolised many better players in a Charlton shirt; Firmani, Simonsen, DiCanio, but Killer will always be my all-time Charlton hero.
When we had become "plucky little Charlton" he came in and gave us balls.
Feisty, combative, you never knew whether he would score a hattrick or get sent off, or both!
Blistering acceleration over the first 10 yards is what gave him his edge and you would always back him in a one-on-one.
So many memories, but a few favourites:-
The fourth goal in a 4-2 home win against Walsall in '75.
The winning goal in the 1-0 home defeat of Palace in '75 (the reverse fixture of the televised game at Selhurst when Allison bet they would go up and we wouldn't).
The winning goal in the cup game at Fulham, when "Supermac" had been gobbing off all week about how "they would stop Hales, because if you stop Hales you stop Charlton".
Many happy returns Derek and thanks for all the memories
Happy Birthday Killer