I was born and bred in deptford,my dear old dad was a millwall fan....and he took me to the den to see my first match millwall v Charlton..in the Kent cup.must have been around 1960 I was about five......Charlton thrashed millwall...I think 0-5...anyway I liked the team in red n white and not so much the blue n white stripes...lol...and shortly afterwards we moved to shooters hill rd....and dad took me to watch charlton...we would walk along stadium rd ,down cemetery lane through Maryon park...and into the valley.....that's how it started for me.
Grew up with my Great-Grandad | Grandad | Dad all being Charlton fans yet all had stopped going before I showed up so didnt get the bug from them
As a Child I got into Football from talking to my neighbour who was a West Ham fan, went to school where I followed the teams that my friends supported (so Spurs and then Man Utd) - Got free tickets to Charlton v Sunderland through the school in '94 yet the Coach never turned up so didnt get to go... Instead got to go; Charlton v Stoke (again through the School) later that season, remember the game ended 0-0.
From that moment I begun to realise I had more chance of seeing Charlton than Man Utd so started to pay more attention for our results than theirs
Someone my Dad worked with realised I'd started to support Charlton (He was a Season Ticket Holder in the East Stand) so took me along to a handful of games between '94 - '98... At the same time my parents started to send me off for the Charlton Soccer Schools that happened each School Holiday - Got free tickets again to the Bradford game at the start of the '98 season which we won 4-1 and by then I was hooked and no going back...
Never have seen a First-Team game with my Dad yet we went to a Reserve Fixture together @ Park View Road years ago as wanted to see Rurik Gislason make his debut
I guess my Dad used to regularly yet slowly stopped as he had other things to do - With my own kids coming along its the reason I've been so reluctant to join in with stopping my Season Ticket as worried the same will happen with me and really want to experience the feeling of taking my children to their first games and (hopefully) getting hooked the same way I have been over the years
Guess the moral of the story is had Charlton not made such an effort to bring in fans back in the 90s (Free School tickets, so many kids for a quid or £4) then I wouldnt have started going.
Is something that the Belgians should take note of and something the new owners should take note of if they want to see a packed Valley again
Always supported my local team (Dover, now Dover Athletic). Went to uni in Oxford and then moved to Bromley in 1975 when I got my first job in London. Two good mates in the area (SE14 (sic) and SE12) were already Charlton fans and having always supported a local team, I decided to go along with them. We'd meet in the Princess of Wales, Blackheath and then go to stand on the big terrace on the East stand side. Did that for years until I moved to Bristol for my job.
Since moving west, my two youngest daughters are now both CAFC fans, as now are some of their ex-schoolmates. Have also converted my brother-in-law and his son who in turn is now 'converting' his three year old son to the cause (his other grandad is a West Ham fan).
For personal reasons, (my partner's mum is in a care home in Tooting), I have to come to London every other weekend, so despite my hatred of the Roland regime, I have still kept my season ticket as I am in London anyway - and can meet up with family.
Born in Greenwich, moved to Sheffield aged 5. Joined Young Owls and Junior Blades. Dad was a season ticket holder until we moved north. He didn't take the threat seriously until the Blades sent some free tickets through the post. When I asked if we could go to a game, that was it, he'd had enough....and we went to 'our' first game.
Wonder if any other other Lifers were at the game?
My dad took me when I was 8 years old and we watched a 1-1 draw against Carlisle united in 1969 , Matt Tees scored our goal. Also he got me a card signed by the squad and manger on my 8th birthday as he knew and worked with Dick Nieve ,the original voice of the Valley, still have that card today! I have supported them ever since.
Born in Greenwich, moved to Sheffield aged 5. Joined Young Owls and Junior Blades. Dad was a season ticket holder until we moved north. He didn't take the threat seriously until the Blades sent some free tickets through the post. When I asked if we could go to a game, that was it, he'd had enough....and we went to 'our' first game.
Wonder if any other other Lifers were at the game?
No links to the area at all. Grew up and still live in Northampton but went to primary school in the late 80s with a lad whose grandad had played in goal for Charlton in the early 1900s. I got hooked and have been ever since. He lost interest in football all together in his teens!!
Went to primary school in Shooters Hill. My mate's dad took us both to a game when we were about 8 and that was it. Instant love affair that has never gone away.
Born in West Ham don,t hold that against me. Always kicking a football around as a kid,my father had no interest in Charlton or football for that matter although he lived in victoria way and his in laws lived on the woolwich road by Harveys. 5 of my uncles went to the cup finals in 46 and 47 but i never found that out for many years.
Spent 18 months of my childhood living with one of my uncles in westcombe hill and went to invicta school but still had not seen afootball match.Gained the interest of a Sunday school teacher who a group of us kids talked him into taking us too a match Chelsea v Man utd just afer England won the world cup.Hooked on attending matches every since and saw Chelsea twice more that season.
School friend of mine was a die hard Charlton fan whos father had a season ticket for the seats in west stand and it was he who first took me into the valley to watch a match.After having been to stamford bridge the pitch was that much closer and the east terrance just reached up to the stars i had found my team.Talked my father into taking me the following home game Billy Bonds last match for Charlton and even sat in the west stand again .
So thanks to my school friend Tony and his dad and my father who hated football i got hooked on Charlton. Been in my blood every since that first game at The Valley april 67.
All the family on both sides came from Charlton, Grenwich, Woolwich, Blackheath, but I was born in Colchester as my father was working for a printer there.
In order secure a better future for the family we emigrated to Germany when I was two in 1964.
We spent all our holidays (Easter, Summer and Christmas) in SE London, and although Dad isn't a football fan, my uncle was a lifelong Addick and he took me to my first game when I was 9 and we were home for Christmas. I'll never forget walking down to the Valley from Charlton village, standing at the top of the East Terrace and looking down at the pitch and breathing in the atmosphere! Magic.
That hooked me for life as an Addick and when my parents sent me to boarding school in Blackheath they had to name a guardian for me, my uncle! As a result of this we went to every home game until the Selhurst Park days.
Unfortunately, I don't get to as many games as I would like to due to now living in France!
Our neighbour took me (with his boy) around 1966/67 to see a friendly against OS Ostende. The impression of that first game under floodlights on a magnificent green carpet of a pitch - Charlton won 2-0 - and that was it. If I remember correctly Ostende played in black and had the word 'Toffee' on their shirts, but it was a long time ago so I may be wrong about this.
Really enjoy these threads. Have supported Charlton for as long as I can remember going back to the late '40s.
Can still remember that cracked old 78rpm they used to play as the Addicks came out - the smell of the Zambuk - the sight of Sam shaking hands with his opposite number if the teams swapped ends before the start.
That stopped in 1959 when I played hockey for the Westminster Bank at Norbury and in 1962 I emigrated to NZ when they were out to populate the country. The English soccer results were read out on a Sunday morning but that wa stopped and apart reading the occasional Kentish Mercury which was mailed out, my connection th Charlton was on hold for 30 odd years
I can recall being shown at work in the mid 90s how to access a certain MFA website and my mind drifted away to wondering if CAFC had a site which they did of course. I was drawn into following their fans thread through which I discovered AddicksDownunder set up by Tel.
I'm more enthusiastic about the Addicks now the ever before probably. Hard to understand for people why I'm not keener on the Wellington Phoenix and the All Blacks/Whites but mad dogs and Englishmen and all that. Only exception might be I would love to see Joseph Parker do well onMarch 31.
Our neighbour took me (with his boy) around 1966/67 to see a friendly against OS Ostende. The impression of that first game under floodlights on a magnificent green carpet of a pitch - Charlton won 2-0 - and that was it. If I remember correctly Ostende played in black and had the word 'Toffee' on their shirts, but it was a long time ago so I may be wrong about this.
Is my memory playing tricks or did one of their players play in glasses?
When I was 9 two of my uncles took me and two of my cousins to Charlton - Arsenal 00/01 season. Cousins both West Ham, their dad West Ham and the other uncle Derby. All trying to sway me to either Derby or West Ham. I just said, whoever wins this game I'll support from now on. Charlton 1-0. B*llocks
My dad (RIP, died on Wednesday) was a big Arsenal fan. He had started to take me to Highbury as a nipper for the odd game but was notorious for running late for everything, including football. One Saturday, we were on our way to Arsenal from Abbey Wood and we were running later than ever. Once on the train, the old man moaned that we would be lucky to make Highbury by half time and said it just at the point the train slowed for a station. There is a ground I said, pointing at the Valley and there are people inside, why don't we go there instead? He gave this some thought then at the point the the train started to leave Charlton station, we baled out.
And that was that, I was hooked from that day. Looking back, I think it was the Valley itself that lured me. Yes, Highbury was all very grand and the perfect football stadium back then but those towering terraces just had something about them.
My condolences to you and your family Stockport may he rest in piece
Comments
As a Child I got into Football from talking to my neighbour who was a West Ham fan, went to school where I followed the teams that my friends supported (so Spurs and then Man Utd) - Got free tickets to Charlton v Sunderland through the school in '94 yet the Coach never turned up so didnt get to go... Instead got to go; Charlton v Stoke (again through the School) later that season, remember the game ended 0-0.
From that moment I begun to realise I had more chance of seeing Charlton than Man Utd so started to pay more attention for our results than theirs
Someone my Dad worked with realised I'd started to support Charlton (He was a Season Ticket Holder in the East Stand) so took me along to a handful of games between '94 - '98... At the same time my parents started to send me off for the Charlton Soccer Schools that happened each School Holiday - Got free tickets again to the Bradford game at the start of the '98 season which we won 4-1 and by then I was hooked and no going back...
Never have seen a First-Team game with my Dad yet we went to a Reserve Fixture together @ Park View Road years ago as wanted to see Rurik Gislason make his debut
I guess my Dad used to regularly yet slowly stopped as he had other things to do - With my own kids coming along its the reason I've been so reluctant to join in with stopping my Season Ticket as worried the same will happen with me and really want to experience the feeling of taking my children to their first games and (hopefully) getting hooked the same way I have been over the years
Guess the moral of the story is had Charlton not made such an effort to bring in fans back in the 90s (Free School tickets, so many kids for a quid or £4) then I wouldnt have started going.
Is something that the Belgians should take note of and something the new owners should take note of if they want to see a packed Valley again
Since moving west, my two youngest daughters are now both CAFC fans, as now are some of their ex-schoolmates. Have also converted my brother-in-law and his son who in turn is now 'converting' his three year old son to the cause (his other grandad is a West Ham fan).
For personal reasons, (my partner's mum is in a care home in Tooting), I have to come to London every other weekend, so despite my hatred of the Roland regime, I have still kept my season ticket as I am in London anyway - and can meet up with family.
Wonder if any other other Lifers were at the game?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mansfield-v-Charlton-1977-78-programme/162874473693?_trkparms=aid=111001&algo=REC.SEED&ao=1&asc=20131017132637&meid=69bf604db6af49079098335c66d9f99b&pid=100033&rk=7&rkt=8&sd=332512894209&itm=162874473693&_trksid=p2045573.c100033.m2042
....and yes any eagle eyed people would have noticed that it was indeed April Fools Day!!
Wonder if any other other Lifers were at the game?
Mansfield Town away 1st April 78'
Helped that we only lived a couple hundred of yards from the ground.
Parents met whilst stationed in Woolwich. Settled in Charlton and the rest is history....
Always kicking a football around as a kid,my father had no interest in Charlton or football for that matter although he lived in victoria way and his in laws lived on the woolwich road by Harveys. 5 of my uncles went to the cup finals in 46 and 47 but i never found that out for many years.
Spent 18 months of my childhood living with one of my uncles in westcombe hill and went to invicta school but still had not seen afootball match.Gained the interest of a Sunday school teacher who a group of us kids talked him into taking us too a match Chelsea v Man utd just afer England won the world cup.Hooked on attending matches every since and saw Chelsea twice more that season.
School friend of mine was a die hard Charlton fan whos father had a season ticket for the seats in west stand and it was he who first took me into the valley to watch a match.After having been to stamford bridge the pitch was that much closer and the east terrance just reached up to the stars i had found my team.Talked my father into taking me the following home game Billy Bonds last match for Charlton and even sat in the west stand again .
So thanks to my school friend Tony and his dad and my father who hated football i got hooked on Charlton.
Been in my blood every since that first game at The Valley april 67.
In order secure a better future for the family we emigrated to Germany when I was two in 1964.
We spent all our holidays (Easter, Summer and Christmas) in SE London, and although Dad isn't a football fan, my uncle was a lifelong Addick and he took me to my first game when I was 9 and we were home for Christmas. I'll never forget walking down to the Valley from Charlton village, standing at the top of the East Terrace and looking down at the pitch and breathing in the atmosphere! Magic.
That hooked me for life as an Addick and when my parents sent me to boarding school in Blackheath they had to name a guardian for me, my uncle! As a result of this we went to every home game until the Selhurst Park days.
Unfortunately, I don't get to as many games as I would like to due to now living in France!
Can still remember that cracked old 78rpm they used to play as the Addicks came out - the smell of the Zambuk - the sight of Sam shaking hands with his opposite number if the teams swapped ends before the start.
That stopped in 1959 when I played hockey for the Westminster Bank at Norbury and in 1962 I emigrated to NZ when they were out to populate the country. The English soccer results were read out on a Sunday morning but that wa stopped and apart reading the occasional Kentish Mercury which was mailed out, my connection th Charlton was on hold for 30 odd years
I can recall being shown at work in the mid 90s how to access a certain MFA website and my mind drifted away to wondering if CAFC had a site which they did of course. I was drawn into following their fans thread through which I discovered AddicksDownunder set up by Tel.
I'm more enthusiastic about the Addicks now the ever before probably. Hard to understand for people why I'm not keener on the Wellington Phoenix and the All Blacks/Whites but mad dogs and Englishmen and all that. Only exception might be I would love to see Joseph Parker do well onMarch 31.