Ideally ones you have been at of course.
In no particular order:
1. Yeovil v Charlton (Nov 09) - What was initially a 'nothing' game in November, turned out to be a classic 'were you there' game and for nothing to do with the football. A decent Charlton support, on a rare open terrace, watching distinctly average league 1 football, in what can only be described as some of the worst weather I have ever watched football in. We only made a last min decision to drive down on the day, not dreaming we would be making the return journey in our boxers only (cue strange looks at the petrol station) due to the barrage of rain heaped on us for 90mins. The 2nd half was as exciting as it gets at times. The stand out moments being their keepers goal kick, that blew back behind him for a corner and the Charlton fan doing the Klinsman on to the pitch for our disallowed goal. Summed up what real football in England is all about for me that day. Not all seaters, next to tourists, with no noise or passion, watching millionaires - this was gritty football, just how I like it!!!
2. Birmingam v Charlton (May 98) - My first away game, with my Dad. We could go up automatically, they could make the play-offs. As it happened we missed out on automatic but denied them their play-off dreams in doing so, with a well earnt 0-0 draw (Well done Sasa that day). The nosie that day when they sung 'Keep Right On' has stayed with me forever - the passion in that home support. Our end was giving it thier best in the upper tier of that old wooden railway end, as we hung on at times and made in 7(??) clean sheets on the trot. 'Stand up if your knob is Blue' at HT from Jesper Carrot. Would that be allowed now?? Unfortunatley not. Then coming outside after - they were not happy. My Dad had to shield me, as they lobbed the kitchen sink at us, back on the coach and heads down incase the windows came in (after their previous). Summed up the passion, fear, violence, buzz and adrenaline perfectly. Not many away days like that these days, but I admit to loving them as much now as i secretly did that day.
3. Millwall v Charlton (Mar 09) - Due to my age it was my first game at their place. Always hated them but with a grudging respect (owed partly to the fact my Wife and her family had supported them). The marriage ended shortly before this game in a horrible way for me ( I won't go into details but I DETEST that woman now), so as you can imagine I have never, ever wanted/needed to win a game so much, knowing they were in the home end. What followed was one of the most spinless, pathetic displays from a charlton team I can remember. I have never, ever come away from a game so hurt and angry and let down as i did that one!!! So that one game of 90 mins sums up exactly that it is more than just a game and emphasises the pain and anger a simple game of 11 men kicking a ball can envoke. As you can imagine there are two games that matter more to me than any other this season.
4. Carlisle v Charlton (Apr 11) - Does not need much explenation, but after following the team through league 1 for 3 seasons, up (mainly) and down the Country to witness some proper horror shows, it's hard to explain what that day meant. 100's of miles from home, with 1k hardy souls and some mates who had been by my side at all them away games in the last few years - we felt we had earnt that day. It wasn't a classic, we may not have even deserved it but the celebrations that followed that goal and the final whistle are something that an armchair fan can and will NEVER understand or relate to. We spend thousands of pounds, weeks of our lives, risk the wrath of loved ones, for what is often a load of shite - then a day like that arrives and makes it all worthwhile and you have to experience the shite to appreciate days like Carlisle away!! Walking into a pub in Carlisle and 11.00am thinking you are the early birds, to find a pub already full of CAFC faces is a lovely feeling! The train up, the pub, the game, the pub again, the party train home (which was a blur) will stay with me forever!!
5. Charlton v Sunderland (May 98) - I could not leave it out. Wembley Stadium, the best most iconic stadium in the World (imo), under the towers. The biggest crowd for a Play-off Final, being the underdogs and just feeling happy to be there. What followed was the beautiful game - you could not have written it, as it was THE perfect script. Knowing little old Charlton had proved it is possible, we would be mixing it with the big boys and I felt a million feet tall, knowing my team would be mixing it with the best in the land and i could even join in the conversations with the glory armchair fans as now, at last, they were about to know who Charlton Athletic were!!! So glad I was too young to drink then, as I have lost a lot of games/memorys to the drink since follwoing Charlton and I'm so gald I can remember and appreciate the football for once, as that day was all about the football.
I'm sure I could have come up with 100 more examples but they were the first I thought of that define so many aspects of supporting a football team for me.
What have we got people........................????
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Comments
1. Carlisle 2012. What an occasion. There was a real sense that this would be our day all day long . My favourite away day by a mile. If you were there I don't have to say anymore, if you weren't you won't understand.
2. Palace 2000. 8k of us with them in the shit, how the tables had turned! The chants of we'll never play here again were the most passionate I've ever seen from us. The hatred was intense, this was no manufactured rivalry and that day I understood what it was all about having been too young for the Exile.
3. Blackburn 2007. 7k of us there with what was probably our best away support despite the rubbish on the pitch. Yeah they travelled for free but that was still a hell of a following.
4. Northwich 2009. It's not all glory like 1-3. 300? Of us there with nationwide embarrassment on Monday. Made Carlisle that bit sweeter.
5. Swindon '98. Weather was really bad, but not at Yeovil levels. Some Charlton fans had shelter but the vast majority didn't. The atmosphere consisted mainly of complaint about the rain and palace reject chants at George Ndah but when Steve Jones, what happened to him? Scored the scenes that followed where bedlam. Perhaps we may go up?
2 Portsmouth 92, the return to The Valley and the rebirth of the club, a story that inspired a nation
3 Man U away 94, 10,000 Charlton fans in Old Trafford, Schmeichel getting sent off, things can only get better...
4 Wembley 98, THE game, we've made it to the big time! The most drained I've ever been at a football match
5 Liverpool away 2007, our last PL game, but Pardew was popular and a good manager and going to lead us straight up he following season :-(
Wembley 98 - every possible emotion in one day.
Old Trafford fa cup - things can only get better .
Coventry away fa cup 3-2 - great comeback , loads of beer and a kick in on the way back to the station .
Roda away pre season - booze birds drugs and stickle back darts.
2) Wembley 1998 - it doesn't get better than that.
3) Huddersfield at home 2011 - the night that told me we had a special team and I have never sung louder at the end of a game - "you can stick your f****g record up your arse" still brings a smile to my face
4) Man Utd at home 2002 (?) 3-3 - 1-0 up after 40 mins, went in 2-1 down at h/t.........3-1 down after an hour. Fergie thought job done and subbed Keane etal...............a lesser known midfielder by the name of Jonny Robinson showed why you should never give up !!!
5) Chelsea away 2001 - Lisbie's last miniute winner & the "Tanks" debut.
I would also mention the 4-2 at Highbury, the 2-0 in the snow at The Den and last year at Carlisle - but I wasn;t there...
(2) 11th April 1977 Charlton 4 Chelsea 0
(3) 15th October 1977 Charlton 4 Tottenham 1
(4) 25th May 1998 Charlton 4 Sunderland 4
(5) 21st April 2012 Charlton 2 Wycombe 1
The results (and their implications) speak for themselves but, undoubtedly, the proudest moment for me was when my son was a mascot for the Wycombe match, the day we became Champions.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/1062020.stm
My personal massive regret was not going up to Carlisle, as I didn't think we'd be promoted that day...instead I went to preston...
Will have a think
Great thread by the way!!
2) Sunderland '98 (ditto)
3) 1-0 win vs Spurs, 2000-1; for the first time I truly believed we might be able to grind out enough wins to survive (& prosper) as a Prem club
4) 1-1 away to Exeter, 2010; the game was nothing special, but it was a good day out with friends & family. The local paper noted that there was "a healthy contingent of good-natured visitors" - I'm more than happy if others see us this way & have no desire to play the tough guy...
5) 1-0 defeat, Fulham away, 1980. Both sides were poor (& relegated). Rough with the smooth & all that
Great thread
Portsmouth home '92 (no explanation)
Playoff '98 (no explanation)
Newcastle away '06 (midweek game, about 300 there, 0-0 draw, icy cold, coach broke down on way back)
Fulham home '07 (the throw in that wasn't)
Carlisle away '12 (priceless)
2)Utd at home 3-3. Season ticket in the jimmy seed for both of these games. What a game
3) Spuds at home when we got relegated. As mentioned by someone above. Singing valley floyd road, even when judas scored the 2nd everyone was still up standing singing.
4) Boro away in the cup qtr final. Couldnt sleep the night before. A train to ourselves. Charlton everywhere. Massive all dayer. And the atmosphere was quality. Shame about the result.
5) Obviously 98 playoff final. Just crazy. Was 10 at the time so I was actually enjoying the whole thing. Don't think my heart could take that now.
1) Coventry 2 CAFC 3: (Jan 2000) Great weekend and great comeback, was staying up with a mate in the West Midlands and it was just a mad weekend.
2) Chelsea 1 CAFC 1 [CAFC win 5-4 on pens]: (Oct 2005) Went to Stamford Bridge that night with a stinky rotten cold and by the end totally lost my voice. Knocked millions of pounds worth of talent on penalties and inflicted the Special One's first loss at the Bridge. I actually truely and honestly had this premantion we'd win that tie penalties.
3) Plymouth 1 CAFC 2: (Apr 2008) Great day down in Devon and going down to ten men after 2 minutes or something when Weaver was sent off and Robbie a real Charlton fan comes on and has a great debut. We fall behind in the second half and come back to win 2-1 and Robbie pulled of a worldy save in stoppage time.
4) Carlisle 3 CAFC 4: (Oct 2010) Just real drama being 3-0 only to be pegged to 3-3 only to hit a stoppage time winner from Paul "Benno" Benson. To do that at the furthest ground in the league. Amazing.
5) Carlisle 0 CAFC 1: (Apr 2012) To go and claim promotion at the furthest ground in the country and do it for a 3rd time. This was the only one of the three I went to but what a day and what a celebration.
07/09/85 Charlton 3 Palace 1: After my Dad stopped going to football, I didn't see Charlton for a while. I wasn't a local, didn't know any other Charlton fans and had no-one else to go with. Then I started drinking with this bloke who was quite keen to watch footie and quite happy to go to Charlton. This was the first match we went to and as we walked up picked up a leaflet...arrrgghhh Lesson: Don't count your chickens.
19/11/01 Charlton 4 West Ham 4: A thrilling game in which the forwards of both teams were brilliant whilst both defences were less than brilliant. At 3-3 the guy sitting next to me asked what I thought the score would be. I said I thought that the team who scored next would win; right on cue, West Ham went 4-3 up. “Me and my big mouth” I was thinking. But it wasn't over, JJ got a very late equaliser with an overhead kick to send the Covered End wild. Lesson: One of the beautiful things about football is that you can never be sure quite what's going to happen next.
05/04/03 Charlton 1 Leeds 6: It used to be guaranteed that as soon as Charlton reached the 40 point mark the players would go on holiday (at least mentally). In this match they took this metaphorical absence took new depths giving Leeds the opportunity to absolutely wipe the floor with us. I still watched to the bitter end though. Lesson: Football is character building.
13/11/04 Charlton 4 Norwich 0: It was my 40th Birthday and Charlton responded magnificently by getting the scoreline to match my age. Sadly I wasn't there, I was doing something else. Lesson: If you miss a match, you'll miss out on the action.
06/04/11 Oldham 0 Charlton 0: Three days prior to this, I had a letter printed in a national newspaper bragging that we'd gone 73 games without a goalless draw. Lesson: Pride comes before a fall.
Swindon away - the year of the rain I wasn't at Yeovil so can't compare but remember sitting with Clem in an open stand and getting utterly soaked. Some people managed to get free clear macs, but their supply was woefully short of the attendance. Still, we won - Steve Jones I think.
Barnsley away - the year of the congaFreezing cold, typically awful Oakwell performance, we lost I think 1-0 but might have been more. The game was so bad we made our own entertainment on the terrace.
Bristol City away - the infamous FA cup game Bad tempered game not helped by Russell Osman having a spat with Minto after their keeper sliced a clearance and he claimed he'd put it out deliberately for an injury. I recall a healthy supply of skipped building materials outside the ground which along with some coins seemed to rain down on us from the City stands. Police unwisely had us leave at the same time as the City and fights broke out straight away. Even more memorable for Clem going out in colours that evening and Keith Crowhurst getting us all in a rumble by mouthing off at a Palace shirt that so happened to be one of a large number of City out for evening beers.
Coventry away - FA cup comeback 2-0 down and being outplayed after 20 minutes, all we could hear was 'can we play you every week' from then then Premiership team. Having drawn level before half time I seem to recall us singing it back at them throughout the interval and we went on to dominate the second half before winning it late through an Andy Hunt goal. Football at its best.
Charlton 2-2 Palace - sha la la la la la la la The Nigels who don't care about us seem to find some emotion when thinking about our 'moronic' response to their unfortunate relegation that day. For me, hating Palace with an irrational passion, it was the perfect day and the perfect response. I still sing that to myself when I need cheering up. Jon Fortune will always be a legend in my eyes. If I'm honest I don't even think we deserved anything from the game, which makes it even better.
Special mentions - now you've got my memory going I want more ;-)
Charlton 5 - 3 Barnsley Two crap teams in a crazy topsy turvey game which saw comedy centre half Steve Dowman score a hattrick as we came back from 3-1 down at half time. Helped that Ron Futcher (remember him?) got himself sent off just before the break for, if memory serves, mouthing off at the ref.
Grimsby 2-0 Charlton The game where Brenda and Rufus got themselves sent off in the first half - was it Brian Coddington the ref? Who knows. I do recall Clive Mendonca playing us off the park that day. Was with Clem again, we'd had fantastic fish and chips before the game and chatted to a copper behind the goal in the second half about why Mendonca wasn't playing for a bigger club - back injury meant he didn't play often enough apparently. Was ecstatic when I heard we'd signed him, a proper finisher - although I think their second that day only came with a late Super Clive penalty. How we didn't lose by more I don't know.
Charlton 4-1 Bolton Relegation scrap - at half time losing 1-0 we were going down. Have a vague recollection Steve Gritt came on up front and sneaked two goals in a second half turnaround.
Leeds 1 - 1 Charlton The FA Cup game. Don't think I've ever celebrated a goal as much as I did that day.
Finally, the game that Simon Webster got the only goal at Upton Park when the bookies had inexplicably got him at 40-1 for the opener. Thank you very much. :-)
Its relevant to CAFC because it was also my dad's first ever live game. We both concluded that the atmosphere of angst, vitriol and general hatred was not for us (Gazza ran the game but was heckled throughout for being a fat so and so and all eat all the Mars bars etc etc). Put us both off.
2nd attempt was Sept 90 I believe . Lost 1-0 at selhurst. Walshie scored a screamer , foot over the line but wasn't given.
Even in those days, the difference was marked. Cafc are generally decent people. We were hooked
Then the 3 are
By a mile the greatest game at wembley.
V blackburn at ewood pitcher daisy cutter to win. Got home at 3. All over the nationals in the morning, school was fun that day!
5th Dec v pompey . Grown men crying. I couldn't pretend to feel how they did, I hadn't suffered like them. But the taste of their sheer relief at being back was palatable.
Have taken my autocorrect off the dictionary, hopefully post is less like the BFG (I did enjoy that comment and certainly aim to be friendly towards fellow addicks!)
1 nil vs millwall at upton park John hendrie scored ( I think ) was the first time I could remember beating them ( if the memory is right see next match ) cracking goal very tense and intense game first time I really felt that get in there moment with a result against your rivals
2
0-2 at the tool box against millwall in the snow what a day , my cars electrics had failed the day before no headlights heater nothing , got the car back the day of the game , then the back box of the exhaust fell off on way to game , kicked it to the curb and the old escort drove into bermondsey just , parked it up and into the ground by the astro pitches outside the away end , it just felt different that whole afternoon and evening
Then the game unfolded and it was a real ding dong I know grant scored I seem to recall bowyer and rhino tangling and I think rhino got sent off
At the end getting pelted with snowballs full of rocks loads of them giving it after but not actually doing anything
3.
Villa away prem we lose we are down keeper sent off browny in goal mills last min free kick in a 3-4 win or 2-3 can't really get the scores right in my swede today it was more about the day the limo there the limo home and Martin pissy pants pissing his pants on the way home because he was so drunk and the limo driver getting the ache because he had a wedding , then me realising the deposit money was mine and getting pissy pants to clean the leather when it rolled back into enfield
4
Grimsby away we won by loads I saw 1 goal and that was theirs because me and a pal were buzzing hard due to chemicals ( not big or clever) but shit loads of fun
Pal not getting in and spent the night with his new best pal bollard outside the ground
Paul konchesky in the away end as a young player and me shaking his head and listening to it with my ear
I was off my titts
5
Wembley 98 it's all been said before
2) Blackburn v Charlton, FA Cup replay, Pitcher's deflected winner
3) Charlton v Everton, Selhurst Park - The Melrose hat-trick
4) Spurs v Charlton, FA Cup in 1980 odd - we lost in the last few minutes to a side who'd end up second in the league that year
5) Charlton v Ipswich play off semi final 1998. "Heaney broke your nose" .... The game that made me realise we were just 90 minutes (or so I thought) from making it to the Premiership
Charlton v Blackburn Wembley, Full Members Cup Final
Middlesborough v Charlton - FA Cup quarter final
Charlton v Wycombe League cup quarter final
Northwich v Charlton, FA Cup
5 defeats that all hurt, but without these lows, would never have the highs.
1. 1975 ... Preston home 3-1 ... promotion and an incredible Friday night game
2. 1998 ... Wembley play-offs ... obviously ... will live in my memory forever
3. 1987 ... Full Members Cup Final vs. Blackburn ... we were crap and never even scored ... but it was my first time at Wembley with Charlton
4. 1975 ... Tunisia tour ... over 100 CAFC, about a dozen Millwall, and a handful of Swindon and Bournemouth ... the Covered End drinking on the terraces in the sun ... great memories
5. All Brighton away games in the 70's ... always my favourite awayday / weekend when they were at the Goldstone
Carlisle away- 2-0 down, came back to win 3-2. Promotion to old Div 1. On the pitch singing, L.L. held shoulder high
St Andrews play off against Leeds. 2-1 win. Shirtliff's goals. Thoroughly deserved it. 18,000 Leeds fans looking puzzled and menacing.
Chelsea- Play off (bottom). 1-1 Miller scored a fluke, Leaburn got a knock to the head, went off on one and was acting totally mental. Fights in kicking off in our end too if i rember rightly.
Everton at Selhurst. Melrose hatrick. Won the match on his own
or Millwall away at the old den. Can't remember year, but we were 2-0 up with not long left. Charlton support was good that night. Thought we were finally gonna beat the B------s. but they got 2 late goals........Gutted! Think it was around the time Pates and Joe McGlauchlin were our centre halves
West Ham 1 3 Charlton-9 second goal, my abiding memory is just getting jostled everywhere but loving every minute
Norwich 1 2 Charlton-Full Members Semi, nothing game but surreal at end to realise we had reached Wembley
Man U away in the Cup, 10k Addicks, just a fantastic day out
Bournemouth away last season-1st time I'd taken my lad to an away game on the train, won't be the last.
Would add a 0-0 with Oxford in the mid-late 80's, just the most boring game I've ever witnessed.
c September 1976 Charlton 6 Southampton 2: Southampton had won the FA Cup months earlier and were very much the fancied team of division 2. Yet under The Valley lights we annilhilated them! I really thought this Charlton team could get us to division 1 after years of division 2 and 3 mediocrity but by Christmas or thereabouts Gliksten had presided over the sale of Hales and that was basically that.
FA Cup 1983 Charlton 2 Ipswich 3 Ipswich were riding high and were arguably the best team in the country at the time. Yet after 15 minutes a Simonsen inspired Charlton were leading 2-0 courtesy of Derek Hales and Martin Robinson! Ipswich fought their way back into it but Charlton heads didn't go down and at 2-2 all looked set fair for a lucrative well deserved replay at Portman Road. With a minute or two to go Eric Gates broke away but Les Berry, summoning up his last vestiges of energy, sprinted back with his long stride to tackle Gates outside the penalty area. Gates then leaped like a salmon over Berry's outstretched leg and landed flat on his stomach in the penalty area. You can guess the rest. The ref gave it, Ipswich scored and we lost. Nevertheless I was proud of my club that day and glad that I'd taken my little brother to the match.
1994 Charlton 4 Southend 3 The day the East Stand was opened and the first time I took my older two daughters to The Valley. On a personal level sufficient reason to be memorable but we had the additional bonus of a 7 goal thriller won by Charlton at the death courtesy of Alan Pardew ghosting into the box from midfield to slide the ball into the net. We all know what happened subsequently with Pardew but that day he was "Al, Al, super Al super Alan Pardew!"
2005 Charlton 2 Tottenham Hotspur 0 Another match under The Valley lights which recalled our halcyon floodlit victories of the seventies. Jerome Thomas scored at the Covered End courtesy of a mazy run and shot which took a slight deflection off Pamarot to set us on our way and a delicate shot from distance by Murphy (credit where due) sealed it a few minutes before the end. Two of my brother in laws and nephews are all Spurs fans so a satisfying evening for me as some of them were in the Jimmy Seed!
There are many more matches after nearly 50 years but these are the ones that come to mind, probably because they involve family and to me football is a family occasion.
I know that makes me very different to many on here including the originator of this excellent thread.