My dad and I always used to drive through the tunnel to the game usually leaving with just enough time to get there, park the car and get to our seats before kick off and once, when we were playing Plymouth, noticed a couple of Plymouth fans with green scarves around their necks standing at a bus stop in Greenwich. We stopped the car, told them charlton played at Upton Park and gave them a lift to the ground.
During the Upton Park time was when I was briefly playing in the youth team at Charlton.
I remember one night after a proper tough Tuesday evening training session we were asked if anyone wanted tickets for the Charlton game that night against Sunderland at Upton Park - so I went with my Dad. Traffic from Sparrows Lane was horrific, Blackwall Tunnel was screwed and we turned up about 30 mins into the game by which time we were 2 down I think. We left about 30 mins early because we were being absolutely humped and eventually lost 1-4
Beating Millwall 1-0, I cant remember the name of who scored, some bloke on loan from somewhere.
Cambridge United, the only game I have ever left early. After eighty minutes of John Beck's antifootball my younger brother and I left to go back to the pub, my older brother remained and saw Paul Gorman's consolation goal, which in my mind I have built up to be a wonder goal that he bullet headed in from twenty-five yards. Please someone confirm that it was just a bundled tap in off his backside from a yard out so that it can stop haunting me.
Can't picture Gorman's goal, but do remember the ghastly game against John Beck's long-ball merchants of Cambridge. I took my mother, for her first game in decades. We lost 2-1.
What a great ground the old Upton Park was. Thoroughly enjoyed my trips there that season. It does raise the question though, who in their right mind would move from that place to a soulless badly designed for football, bowl of nothingness? If anyone could convince me it was not for political expedience, plain greediness and mendacity I would be grateful. Football sucks now as we know and the old Upton Park is now flats... that is absolute bollox!
It was while we were using Upton Park that the half time 10 minutes break was increased to 15 minutes. When it happened it made a big difference in being able to get a drink. Obviously these days 15 minutes would have to be increased to about 25 minutes if you want something from one of the counters at the valley but back then 10 minutes was a bit tight and 15 minutes was plenty.
Not much to add to the above apart from a couple of funny incidents:
The ref showing my mate a red card at an anglo Italian game against Pompey. We’d just gone 3 0 down and he caught the ball as it went off for a corner. He kicked it back and shouted “fucking do something with it”. The ref looked over, shook his head and pulled the card out of his pocket.
We were standing behind the goal at the Tranmere game that we lost 1 0 and my (fat) mate was giving the keeper, Eric Nixon stick all 2nd half.
Whilst waiting for a corner, Nixon turned round to my mate, looked at him and started rubbing his belly. We were in fits, my mate wasn’t so happy.
I went in the Directors box/bar for a game v Bristol Rovers one night. They had an attendance counter in there, which hardly moved until about 10 mins from kick off. Even then, it only whizzed round to about 4,800. Paul Miller and John Hollins (I think he was an agent at the time) were in the bar that night.
I didn't think much of the pubs around Upton Park. For me personally, I didn't overly enjoy our stay there. It was ok but nothing more.
3-1 FA Cup 3rd round win over Barnet. Heady days reaching the 4th round. I can’t remember who knocked us out.
I became a regular after that game. Before then I had only gone to occasional games, but clearly I was so overwhelmed by us beating the might Barnet that I started going all the time...
Blimey. My memory of the game was that it was pretty dire. I suppose it's put you in good stead for recent years.
Beating millwall 1-0, and some millwall bullies getting the surprise of their lives at the woolwich foot tunnel after the game, after bullying some Charlton scarfers by the lift at the woolwich end, a few of us were only 200 yards away and couldn’t be seen due to the dip in the middle, let’s just say they regretted their actions.
It was a nice change to actually feel welcome when we used to drink in that club right by the ground. Also remember being in Edinburgh when we beat West Ham 1-0 with pardew scoring if I remember correctly.
Manhattans i think
Manhattans was at Spurs
The club behind the stand was a CIU club at the back of the sth stand
Manhattans was a wine bar about 50 yards from the ground.
John Beck’s Cambridge really had it’s antithesis in Hoddle’s Swindon. Beck demanded his players hit long balls to the corner flags and Hoddle appeared happy for Swindon to pass the ball across the back four for hours on end in the name of total football.
I’m sure the Mercury Newspaper described Hoddle as being ‘thoroughly drunk on sour grapes’ in its report the week we beat them 2-0
Beating millwall 1-0, and some millwall bullies getting the surprise of their lives at the woolwich foot tunnel after the game, after bullying some Charlton scarfers by the lift at the woolwich end, a few of us were only 200 yards away and couldn’t be seen due to the dip in the middle, let’s just say they regretted their actions.
mate after you done that some of their pals arrived and saw 4 of us walking down the road near the Catholic club fuck me were they pissed off we were well outnumbered and had iron bars , rocks, bricks being swung and aimed at us, we only just managed to hold them off by going in the club and defending the door
they kept telling us we were the lot that spun their pals in the tunnel
one of those this is gonna go proper wonky moments until they finally gave up the goose
Beating millwall 1-0, and some millwall bullies getting the surprise of their lives at the woolwich foot tunnel after the game, after bullying some Charlton scarfers by the lift at the woolwich end, a few of us were only 200 yards away and couldn’t be seen due to the dip in the middle, let’s just say they regretted their actions.
mate after you done that some of their pals arrived and saw 4 of us walking down the road near the Catholic club fuck me were they pissed off we were well outnumbered and had iron bars , rocks, bricks being swung and aimed at us, we only just managed to hold them off by going in the club and defending the door
they kept telling us we were the lot that spun their pals in the tunnel
one of those this is gonna go proper wonky moments until they finally gave up the goose
Fuck them mate it made the day even more memorable just showed how much of bully bstds they were we were so out numbered it wouldn’t have lasted mins but you Proper pissed them off
Comments
I remember one night after a proper tough Tuesday evening training session we were asked if anyone wanted tickets for the Charlton game that night against Sunderland at Upton Park - so I went with my Dad. Traffic from Sparrows Lane was horrific, Blackwall Tunnel was screwed and we turned up about 30 mins into the game by which time we were 2 down I think. We left about 30 mins early because we were being absolutely humped and eventually lost 1-4
Not a great time to be honest
The ref showing my mate a red card at an anglo Italian game against Pompey. We’d just gone 3 0 down and he caught the ball as it went off for a corner. He kicked it back and shouted “fucking do something with it”. The ref looked over, shook his head and pulled the card out of his pocket.
We were standing behind the goal at the Tranmere game that we lost 1 0 and my (fat) mate was giving the keeper, Eric Nixon stick all 2nd half.
Whilst waiting for a corner, Nixon turned round to my mate, looked at him and started rubbing his belly. We were in fits, my mate wasn’t so happy.
I didn't think much of the pubs around Upton Park. For me personally, I didn't overly enjoy our stay there. It was ok but nothing more.
Beating millwall 1-0, and some millwall bullies getting the surprise of their lives at the woolwich foot tunnel after the game, after bullying some Charlton scarfers by the lift at the woolwich end, a few of us were only 200 yards away and couldn’t be seen due to the dip in the middle, let’s just say they regretted their actions.
Next day in the paper, Glenn Hoddle the Swindon manager says there was only one team playing football that day, ok Glenn but you lost.
Still comes out with a load of crap when being the second commentator on BT matches.
John Beck’s Cambridge really had it’s antithesis in Hoddle’s Swindon. Beck demanded his players hit long balls to the corner flags and Hoddle appeared happy for Swindon to pass the ball across the back four for hours on end in the name of total football.
I’m sure the Mercury Newspaper described Hoddle as being ‘thoroughly drunk on sour grapes’ in its report the week we beat them 2-0
they kept telling us we were the lot that spun their pals in the tunnel
one of those this is gonna go proper wonky moments until they finally gave up the goose