Having lost out to Boro on the opening day of the season to a last kick Ravanelli goal, this was sweet and clinical revenge for the Addicks. Boro gained automatic promotion with Forest while we done it the hard (and more enjoyable) way.
Saturday 10th January 1998. Charlton Athletic 3 (2) (Newton 20 59, Bright 36) Middlesbrough 0 (0). The Valley. Att: 15,729
Charlton: Salmon, Brown, Bowen, K Jones, Rufus, Chapple, Newton, (Holmes 82), Kinsella, Robinson, Mendonca, Bright (Allen 85). Unused sub: Barness.
Boro: Schwarzer, Maddison, Kinder, Vickers, Pearson, Mustoe, Hignett, Townsend (Liddle 46), Beck (Ormerod 64), Merson, Moreno (Harrison 64).
Referee: Rob Harris (Oxford)
Highest league crowd at The Valley for 18 years. The home areas were sold out and many hundreds of Charlton fans gained entry to the Boro end which fortunately caused no problems.
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Comments
Bradley Allen was sent on to the words " go get him" from Curbs about Merson who was on a booking and looking like a red could be coming due to his petulant strops.
Had forgotten that he played in our promotion season.
Jonesy was the don in centre mid that day.
Happy days these were, the expectation/realisation that something was really happening down at The Valley.
They deserved that anyway - there's no way they should have beaten us on the opening day.
As for this match I remember Boro had a physical side in those days and it looked like they were going to batter us out of the match and take the points as they had done a couple of seasons before. Kinsella and Jones overran them in midfield, Newton played a blinder and then exited to a standing ovation and Bright chipped in with a goal and a great all round performance.
With around 15/20 minutes left I remember Merson pulling his shirt out of his shorts and standing hands on hips looking resigned knowing that game was lost.
We did trouble the playoffs in Bowyer's break through year, but even then we were the outsiders and had to sell him and it looked like we'd be back to mid-table mediocrity. Okay, we did pick up Kins in 1996 and you got the early hint of us having a player on our hands, but even so we finished was it 15th? Then we signed Mendonca and the likes of Rufus, Newts and Robbo really came of age and suddenly we were a real force to be reckoned with.
It all came as a little bit of a surprise really - I remember people being fairly excited we'd signed Mendonca but I don't remember too many people expecting us to be as good as we were that season. For as long as I'd been a Charlton fan (only started going regularly with my Dad as a 7 or 8 year old while we were still at Selhurst) we'd been either a bit crap (in extenuating circumstances) or just struggling to survive.
I remember one of my mates at school kept telling me that we'd lose to Ipswich in the play-off semis and then that there was no way we'd beat Sunderland in the final and I just told him "we'll see", because I just knew we would win, albeit with no idea how hard fought the final would be. After going all the way through school as the only Charlton fan and constantly having the piss taken out of me, to be able to go back into school the day after the final and lord it up over everyone and tell them how I'd been to Wembley and seen my apparently shitty little team that no one could understand why I supported play in and win probably the best game that old ground ever saw, well... I always love that team for giving me that.
Sorry I'm rambling off topic and getting all dewy eyed, but... happy days, eh?
Left home at 2pm (Got a lift from my parents, my sister was delaying things as she wanted a lift somewhere but was sodding around)... Had to go pick up my mate and when we finally arrived at the Ground the tickets had sold out, stood around debating trying to get into the away end (decided not to) and had to go use a pay phone on Woolwich Road (Near where the alleyway to the ground is) to call my parents asking for them to come get us.
Think that was the last time I didnt pre-book my tickets for a match that season
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My Charlton days started in the 1993/894 season, first game being the 4-3 over Southend.....taht started me off. I don'y know if it was just the fact we were a different side off the field as we are now, or whether its the influence of media/internet/money. But I was able to just enjoy going and watch a team give their all under little scrutiny. i dont think there is that much difference between the current team and that team in terms of skill, but whats lacking is true grit, heart, spirit, and a 20 goal a season striker.
You are right in 1996/97 we spent most of the season in the bottom half, and we was bang average, think we was bottom for the first month or 2 until we beat Southend. the following season we signed Mendonca and no-one really expected that much.
I remember we did well at the Riverside, and then we beat Oxford 3-2. A young Kevin Lisbie scored, then we drew at Bury, to be honest it wasnt unril we starrted pasting teams like west brom, grimsby and Norwich (think we won 3-0 up at carrow road) that we thought, we got a chance.
But this game came hot off the heels of a thrilling 4-1 win over forest in the cup, and IO started to really believe, we beat forest again in March, signed Youds and Mills on transfer deadline day, which was the last thursday in March made so much more sense!!! and then we went 8 games without conceding upto the playoff final. I loved loved that team and my hero was Keith Jones, but i loved Newts as well.
didnt Newts once score two headers outside the box in the same game?
That 3-2 against Oxford was also Paul Koncheskey's debut - think he took the crown of youngest ever first-teamer from Mark Penfold (?? before my time) and held onto it until Shelvey came along.
Keith Jones - the sidewinder! Probably took him for granted at the time, in the Kishishev mould of grafters who are only truly appreciated after they've gone.
Terrorising the local countryside, one minute your discussing if it was onside or offside, next moment you've got some hairy Dane running off with your livestock and cash