Remember walking down Charlton Lane carrying a spade and fork. When I got there a JCB would've been more appropriate. Got a feeling of pride and comaraderie even though I knew no-one else there at that time. Think Golfie may have been with me, jimmymelrose was too young.
Again, didn't realy know many people there so had to go with my sister!(what year was it?)
Worked hard but also managed to join in a small game in front of the Jimmy Seed.
Still can't believe that i never tried to take any souveniers of the day
Stunning !!! Raining and i thought there would be about 50 at most. Just got on car drove down there, couldnt believe there was there many people. had to be 4,000. Walked about a bit saw Steve Grit on the small terrace next to the Covered End with his late daughter. Walked to Covered End from the old bar side and siting where we stood/ sat was 3 mates ! none of us had arranged it we just went. Have to say for awhile we all just sat there whatching and thinking. Maybe like me they were to emotional to speak ? Then someone said lets get beer and we headed off to the RO , was truely like going home. All the moaning and bolloxx about where we are now is just bollox really when you think where we were and how far we have come.
I remember sitting on the East Terrace having a breather smoking something that had probably been dug up about 30 minutes earlier when a Club offical asked me either to put it out or share it around.
Also an impromptue 'Back to The Valley' was sung by virtually everyone there come the end of the day. Very moving it was.
[cite]Posted By: Goonerhater[/cite]Stunning !!! Raining and i thought there would be about 50 at most. Just got on car drove down there, couldnt believe there was there many people. had to be 4,000. Walked about a bit saw Steve Grit on the small terrace next to the Covered End with his late daughter.
Walked to Covered End from the old bar side and siting where we stood/ sat was 3 mates ! none of us had arranged it we just went. Have to say for awhile we all just sat there whatching and thinking. Maybe like me they were to emotional to speak ? Then someone said lets get beer and we headed off to the RO , was truely like going home.
All the moaning and bolloxx about where we are now is just bollox really when you think where we were and how far we have come.
so gooner... did you actually do any clearing up that day?
i had a kick about on the pitch and a 'today' newspaper photographer took pictures but they didn't appear the next day but i'm a little dot on the footage in the centenary dvd and also appear in a picture in richard reddens book about the story of charlton
I was there with Big John Cole, Mark and a lad called Roy, all ex Sainsbury enders. Had a chat with Lennie Lawrence, got interviewed by a tv crew, but it was never shown as far as I know. Was an emotional day, arrived really early and left late. Got all the newspaper cuttings the next day. Im a dot in the distance in the Daily Mirror and the Express. I can remember hacking away at a tree growing out of the East Terrace...Im not sure we achieved much, but it was a really good PR exercise and was bloody emotional. Gives me goose bumps thinking about the cameraderie from those days. I love this bloody club.
See when it comes down to it, "they" can take the piss and The GoonerShit can be pot hunterTossers but they wont really understand what SUPPORTING a team is all about till they put up with what we did. Or they understand the feelings that day back in Our Valley.
The Legends calander afew years back had a good pic, the Month was December.
[cite]Posted By: Goonerhater[/cite]really understand what SUPPORTING a team is all about till they put up with what we did. Or they understand the feelings that day back in Our Valley.
You're right there GH, I liken it to socialism. One for all and all for one!
A day full of hope and optimism. Really started to believe we were actually coming home although I didn't expect it to take so much longer.
It was a real 'team effort', even the Chairman's wife was grafting away and mucking in with the rest of us. A huge bonfie in the middle of the pitch to burn all the debris cleared from the terraces and the remains of the old main stand.
The day finshed with a kick around on the pitch in front of the Jimmy Seed stand with a few mates.
I think there was a large photo on the back page of the Mercury where I was carrying things across the pitch to be burnt.
I guess it's days like these that make Charlton such a large part of my life.
Remember it well, I had a hangover but grimly drove over in the rain from Herne Hill. I remember the chairman getting the gate opened and we spilled onto the East Terrace to do our thing. Not sure that I was very useful as I spent most of my time trying not to throw up but as others have said a very emotional day, I've got some pictures somewhere.
From someone who has only been coming to the Valley for about 6 years I'm absolutely loving reading all this!
Makes me love Charlton even more and if ever something like that happened again (unlikely) I'd be the first in the que down there with my spade and fork!
[cite]Posted By: dansmudge[/cite]From someone who has only been coming to the Valley for about 6 years I'm absolutely loving reading all this!
Makes me love Charlton even more and if ever something like that happened again (unlikely) I'd be the first in the que down there with my spade and fork!
Keep the memories coming...
Very true. It's then that you realise that even though you missed it all and you may be a 'new supporter' your heart really does belong in SE7
From memory, I think we had beaten Boro 2-0 at Sellout the day before so everyone was on a high anyway.
Walking down CCL towards the ground we all thought that there would be nobody else there and when we got into the ground we could not believe the numbers, absolutely sent tingles down my spine to see everyone bringing the old ground back to life.
It was only after that day that I really believed we would get back.
I've got some pics too, must search them out, some idiot crashed into my car on the way, I remember Roger Alwen on the East Terrace trying to direct us to the Bartram Gate and having a bit of a sense of humour failure in regards to seats going on the fire.
It was a day morning for reflection as well as action....Given half a chance the main stand would have been down at the end of the day.
Comments
Remember walking down Charlton Lane carrying a spade and fork. When I got there a JCB would've been more appropriate. Got a feeling of pride and comaraderie even though I knew no-one else there at that time. Think Golfie may have been with me, jimmymelrose was too young.
Worked hard but also managed to join in a small game in front of the Jimmy Seed.
Still can't believe that i never tried to take any souveniers of the day
Walked to Covered End from the old bar side and siting where we stood/ sat was 3 mates ! none of us had arranged it we just went. Have to say for awhile we all just sat there whatching and thinking. Maybe like me they were to emotional to speak ? Then someone said lets get beer and we headed off to the RO , was truely like going home.
All the moaning and bolloxx about where we are now is just bollox really when you think where we were and how far we have come.
Also an impromptue 'Back to The Valley' was sung by virtually everyone there come the end of the day. Very moving it was.
so gooner... did you actually do any clearing up that day?
The Legends calander afew years back had a good pic, the Month was December.
You're right there GH, I liken it to socialism. One for all and all for one!
PS Are you Ken "the bombers friend" Livingston ?
PSS If you are i eat newts.
It was a real 'team effort', even the Chairman's wife was grafting away and mucking in with the rest of us. A huge bonfie in the middle of the pitch to burn all the debris cleared from the terraces and the remains of the old main stand.
The day finshed with a kick around on the pitch in front of the Jimmy Seed stand with a few mates.
I think there was a large photo on the back page of the Mercury where I was carrying things across the pitch to be burnt.
I guess it's days like these that make Charlton such a large part of my life.
*wipes a nostalgic tear away*
the gate opened and we spilled onto the East Terrace to do our thing. Not sure that I was very useful as I spent most of my time trying not to throw up but as others have said a very emotional day, I've got some pictures somewhere.
Makes me love Charlton even more and if ever something like that happened again (unlikely) I'd be the first in the que down there with my spade and fork!
Keep the memories coming...
The pitch looks no worse than Leicester's last night...
Very true. It's then that you realise that even though you missed it all and you may be a 'new supporter' your heart really does belong in SE7
Walking down CCL towards the ground we all thought that there would be nobody else there and when we got into the ground we could not believe the numbers, absolutely sent tingles down my spine to see everyone bringing the old ground back to life.
It was only after that day that I really believed we would get back.
It was a day morning for reflection as well as action....Given half a chance the main stand would have been down at the end of the day.