Sadly i was too young to see a game at the Valley, although we lived dead opposite in Gallon close, i remeber the fllood lights shining through my bedroom window and hearing the noise. Remeber being dragged around the market they used to have once a week in what now is the west stand car park and club shop. Also the club house had quite a few early memories of parties and xmas events in there. wasnt until i was about 8ish that me and my mates would jump over the turnstyles and get in the deralict ground for a kick about on the sand bowl that become the pitch. Rob Lee was my hero at the time so so would often spend time hanging around the turnstyles where he worked, i worked on the turnstyles for a few seasons in the new Valley so went full circle. My biggest disapointment is never seeing a first team game at the old valley.
Sheffield Wednesday game. Anyone here remember this being shouted as they came into the coverd end. "STAND YOUR GROUND,STAND YOUR GROUND" then we all legged it out LOL.
I posted earlier on this. More memories coming back.
The "tray" sellers like usherettes walking around pitchside.
Westlers burgers.
Guessing the size of the crowd.
The crush at the turnstiles in Floyd Road.
Red rosettes on sale.
The bricks flying into the covered end against Spurs in 1977.
Running onto the pitch when we went up from Div 3. Bob Curtis and his blond hair. The owl in the roof of the old west stand. The first ever game on a Sunday.
I remember breaking in when it was derelict with my Dad so he could show me round. I think cos' he feared we may never get back and that it'd end up being redeveloped and I think he wanted to share a few memories with me. I can only have been about 6 and my memories are a bit hazy as a result but I do remember standing at the top of the East terrace and feeling about the size of an ant, that thing really was freaking huge!
Used to get in the ground about 1.30 as a nipper to get the best pew at the front of the covered end directly behind the goal. If we were too late we would stand in front of one of the barriers. I remember having a pint when I was about 12 in the bar under the covered end. They would not care how old you were in there. Or in the wooden shack that was the old supporters club. Also remember half time meet ups with oppo firms behind the west stand, before they put the big gates up to stop that. Remember standing under the clock or in the chicken run when I was a bit older to try and act hard as that was where the top boys used to congregate for a while. I remember a lot of midweek games and most of them were spent on the east terrace. It also always seemed to go off against geordies and mackems due to the amount of squaddies based in Woolwich that would turn up. Good view from there of all the action on and off the pitch. Also remember some good games but a lot of bad ones too. I remember the game where we were at home when we had already been relegated 78 I think to the then 3rd division and the sadness around and seeing young boys cry. The first game back was a memory I will always have, though we didn't have tickets and watched the first half from above the east after jumping a few gardens, before the OB moved us on. Too many memories to recall and most of them good.
Fireworks on Guy Fawkes Friday night games Roasted peanuts Valley Club Bar under the Covered End The walk up the east terrace after a game if we lost Running to get in the Covered End when it started to rain Paddy talking to the fans as the 2nd half kicked off
My first game was 74 against Tranmere and I think it was a 0-0 draw. Remember the games against Chelsea and Spuds when we trashed em.One of the best memories was when we got promoted against Preston after being one nil down. Had some great days at the valley and the atmosphere seemed so much better then. Some of you must remember the Killer and Flash punch up, against Maidstone, I think it was
Being in the Covered End The terrace between the Covered End and the Main Stand The training pitch behind the main stand The club shop that was a wooden hut The half time scores board The programme seller outside the Liberal club The peanut seller
So many great memories, great to read them all here.
My own personal one was when I was signed on schoolboy forms, they used to have us training every Tuesday and Thursday nights. One of the worst sessions was when they had us running up and down the east terrace. Running up was completely knackering, but when you got to the top you were expected to run down again. I used to sh#t myself looking down. How no one was injured I'll never know!
Rodney Stone wading into the fights to break them up. For those of you who don't know who Rodney Stone (RIP) was, he was the equivalent of Peter Varney. Wouldn't happen today.
Remember going from 69,vast ground which housed a reguklar 8-10,000 regularly. Used to stand in the Jimmy Seed end of the East terrace during the 1st half and then switch to the North Stand end for the second, would run behind the goal if we were awarded a penalty,distinctly remember the boards on the side of the pitch with letters and at half time some bloke would come out and put scores under the letters and you would have to match up to the letters on the porgram to know who was leading against who in the rest of the games at half time. Then as mentioned there was the peanut seller, the massive floodlights - no shelter from the rain - them were the days real footballand real fans :-)
Remember standing on the East Terrace thinking how big it was. Remember my Dad telling me how when he was a boy it used to get packed out and that he and other kids would get lifted to the front - never any need for that when I went though, except for one game against West Ham it always seemed like we had it to ourselves. Remember weeds growing on it and sections being taped off, presumably for safety reasons. Also you could stand up there and watch the trains going by.
Only went in the covered end a couple of times. A scuffle broke out two seats away from us causing hot tea to be showered over my Dad. Sadly, he never went back after that.
Never went in the West stand, the look of it always reminded me of a Victorian railway station though.
Yes those floodlights were massive Kap (that's something that I really miss about modern footie), I remember after the last game against Stoke, some guy climbed up the one in the North-West corner. The crowd chanted "have a piss, have a piss, have a piss", he feigned undoing his flies, but thankfully went no further.
The only time I ever stood in the covered end was the 'last game'. I generally was either in the other end behind the goal (as close to Charlie wright as you could possibly get, hoping he wasn't going to let another one through his legs) or later the East stand. It all seems so different now, it's almost hard to get my bearings!
Everyone seems to remember the peanut man and the toilets, an open air black painted concrete wall. Did anyone ever have a crap there? I don't remember any sit-down bogs.
I remember the ads they used to play over the tannoy at half time. What was Silexene? I sem to remember the sound system not being as bad as some other places, surprisingly, or maybe someone could correct me on that.
As a kid I was usually asked to go through the turnstile with an adult or my mate, so it was two bob for Charlton and two bob for the turnstile operator's pension fund (or beer money!).
Nobody has mentioned the half time tea and coffee. The coffee was the worst I have ever had, not just a disgusting taste but full of lumps, probably the film from the hot milk they used stirred into the vat. Only posh people drunk black coffee in those days.
And then there was The Who.........................................
and that's been done to death on here.
took my little brother in 1972 he wanted to go see man u play arsenal at highbury , i told him this was better ......... and it was , we lost 4-2 to York city but we were hooked and couldn't wait for next game Hard to say what made it so great, I think the next game was a night game which we won 4-3 fantastic
I remember Les Berry's testimonial, think it went off didn't it?
The Half time board was fab - so retro. I'd love them to do something similiar now - and in those days, you always used to get back to the car before the 5 o'clock final score run through. Now it's about a quarter past.
That main stand was ace, didn't we buy it from someone else. The C A F C on the front of the roof makes me tingle now.
My Dad always took us to the Valley Club on Saturday nights when we were away. Chicken and chips in a basket, a coke, bit of cabaret, bingo and then the best bit, the players coming in later for a few pints and some dinner after the caoch dropped them back in the ground. Have hatfuls of autographs from those days.
Nearly got born in the south, mum kept getting yelled at for standing up, not sure of the opposition but game would be towards the end of oct. 68. From mid seventies stood on the east terrace with my old man, as a youngster it seemed huge and I loved it, if pushed I would I would choose the old over the new, footy just seemed such a good laugh then. The railings around the pitch stick in my mind, red and rusty just like most of the new valley will be in few years.
my 1st game at the valley was against maidstone in the cup,i remember scuffle in covered end and my little brother getting carried over peoples heads and on to the pitch.Also having been to flamingos on a friday nite,i thought i take a bird home for a bit of the other and decided to take her to covered end instead at 3 in the morning. Never forget the old place,some gr8 memories.
Comments
After Heysel I think so 1984ish
The emptiness
The humour
Horsefield, superstar
fun---fun ---- (as above differant bird )
it had a soul and i think it may have lost it.
Anyone here remember this being shouted as they came into the coverd end.
"STAND YOUR GROUND,STAND YOUR GROUND" then we all legged it out LOL.
The "tray" sellers like usherettes walking around pitchside.
Westlers burgers.
Guessing the size of the crowd.
The crush at the turnstiles in Floyd Road.
Red rosettes on sale.
The bricks flying into the covered end against Spurs in 1977.
and the man in the white coat...
Bob Curtis and his blond hair.
The owl in the roof of the old west stand.
The first ever game on a Sunday.
How so?
It disappeared more than 27 years ago :-)
Friday night games
Roasted peanuts
Valley Club
Bar under the Covered End
The walk up the east terrace after a game if we lost
Running to get in the Covered End when it started to rain
Paddy talking to the fans as the 2nd half kicked off
Some of you must remember the Killer and Flash punch up, against Maidstone, I think it was
The terrace between the Covered End and the Main Stand
The training pitch behind the main stand
The club shop that was a wooden hut
The half time scores board
The programme seller outside the Liberal club
The peanut seller
My own personal one was when I was signed on schoolboy forms, they used to have us training every Tuesday and Thursday nights. One of the worst sessions was when they had us running up and down the east terrace. Running up was completely knackering, but when you got to the top you were expected to run down again. I used to sh#t myself looking down. How no one was injured I'll never know!
Only went in the covered end a couple of times. A scuffle broke out two seats away from us causing hot tea to be showered over my Dad. Sadly, he never went back after that.
Never went in the West stand, the look of it always reminded me of a Victorian railway station though.
Yes those floodlights were massive Kap (that's something that I really miss about modern footie), I remember after the last game against Stoke, some guy climbed up the one in the North-West corner. The crowd chanted "have a piss, have a piss, have a piss", he feigned undoing his flies, but thankfully went no further.
Everyone seems to remember the peanut man and the toilets, an open air black painted concrete wall. Did anyone ever have a crap there? I don't remember any sit-down bogs.
I remember the ads they used to play over the tannoy at half time. What was Silexene? I sem to remember the sound system not being as bad as some other places, surprisingly, or maybe someone could correct me on that.
As a kid I was usually asked to go through the turnstile with an adult or my mate, so it was two bob for Charlton and two bob for the turnstile operator's pension fund (or beer money!).
Nobody has mentioned the half time tea and coffee. The coffee was the worst I have ever had, not just a disgusting taste but full of lumps, probably the film from the hot milk they used stirred into the vat. Only posh people drunk black coffee in those days.
And then there was The Who.........................................
and that's been done to death on here.
i told him this was better ......... and it was , we lost 4-2 to York city but we were hooked and couldn't wait for next game
Hard to say what made it so great, I think the next game was a night game which we won 4-3 fantastic
The Half time board was fab - so retro. I'd love them to do something similiar now - and in those days, you always used to get back to the car before the 5 o'clock final score run through. Now it's about a quarter past.
That main stand was ace, didn't we buy it from someone else. The C A F C on the front of the roof makes me tingle now.
My Dad always took us to the Valley Club on Saturday nights when we were away. Chicken and chips in a basket, a coke, bit of cabaret, bingo and then the best bit, the players coming in later for a few pints and some dinner after the caoch dropped them back in the ground. Have hatfuls of autographs from those days.
From mid seventies stood on the east terrace with my old man, as a youngster it seemed huge and I loved it, if pushed I would I would choose the old over the new, footy just seemed such a good laugh then.
The railings around the pitch stick in my mind, red and rusty just like most of the new valley will be in few years.
Never forget the old place,some gr8 memories.