It evokes a million memories, and also confirms a few details which have been discussed here many times ... 9.42 (left side of screen) and 28 minutes onwards show the concrete base of the old, single-storey wooden gymnasium.
I was thinking this was the second weekend...I went along to both, first weekend it was teeming with people, not so many on the next occasion. I recognised some of the people on the video, not that I knew them personally, its just that there wasnt that many of us going to games at that time. Lovely memories.
This is not a video of the main clean-up. It’s a follow-up a week later.
Was there a bonfire on the pitch both times. I know I was at one but was only 13 at the time!
I think I couldn’t go the second week and I’d forgotten it even happened, but the fact the seats have all been stripped from the main stand is a giveaway.
The only time I went to The Valley while it was closed was for a football quiz in The Valley Club. I was part of the Romford FC team, Steve Dixon was in the Charlton Athletic team and we played in the Supporters' League along with clubs like Newcastle, Plymouth, Brentford, Orient, Reading and Celtic.
I seem to remember Steve took us out onto the Valley pitch at the end of the quiz and as the Romford FC quiz team actually had five proper home/away Charlton fans in the squad, it was quite a poignant visit. I think we kicked a flat football about in the long grass for a while and were reasonably pissed at the time!
I digress from the thread a bit but seeing Steve in the video has made me remember that those football quizzes were good fun and the Romford team had a well deserved reputation for being sociable. Our home "ground" was The Bloomsbury Tavern in Shaftesbury Ave and I remember Plymouth played at The Truscott Arms in Maida Vale/Warwick Avenue and Newcastle were at The Cock Tavern in Somers Town, behind the British Library. Charlton, Reading & Brentford all played within spitting distance of their actual home grounds. All the questions were set from The Rothmans Football Year Books, which were like Bibles to us fans at the time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiHEAfBNA5Q
Comments
Steve Dixon and Rick Everitt tour the abandoned Valley in early 1988, not Xmas day 1987.
The real stars are the local kids in the rubble IMHO
edit - just read the post !
I thought the day of the clean up was a bit drizzly
It evokes a million memories, and also confirms a few details which have been discussed here many times ... 9.42 (left side of screen) and 28 minutes onwards show the concrete base of the old, single-storey wooden gymnasium.
Great work by whoever unearthed this.
There's always hope.
I seem to remember Steve took us out onto the Valley pitch at the end of the quiz and as the Romford FC quiz team actually had five proper home/away Charlton fans in the squad, it was quite a poignant visit. I think we kicked a flat football about in the long grass for a while and were reasonably pissed at the time!
I digress from the thread a bit but seeing Steve in the video has made me remember that those football quizzes were good fun and the Romford team had a well deserved reputation for being sociable. Our home "ground" was The Bloomsbury Tavern in Shaftesbury Ave and I remember Plymouth played at The Truscott Arms in Maida Vale/Warwick Avenue and Newcastle were at The Cock Tavern in Somers Town, behind the British Library. Charlton, Reading & Brentford all played within spitting distance of their actual home grounds. All the questions were set from The Rothmans Football Year Books, which were like Bibles to us fans at the time.