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the naivety of youth

edited October 2008 in General Charlton
Back in the days, late 70s, I remember turning up at Woolwich Arsenal to meet mates for a trip to the real Den, my first trip to the spanners, gawd love em, with my red and white scarf round my wrist in the late 70's style, only to be informed that it was a suicide mission to wear colours and I best hide it inside my Harrington jacket or they won't go with me to the game.

Any similar experiences?
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Comments

  • Never did learn that heading back to Woolwich, (similar time scale), when the hamsters were at home was always going to be trouble.

    Lost count of the number of scarves, silk and otherwise, that went whilst waiting for the bus home. I was only young and couldn't quite grasp the 'check the fixtures before heading out' rule.

    Never a problem when there were a few fellow Addicks around, but as I usually hung around at the Valley for a while after every match playing footie on the mound, more often than not I was on my own.

    Hey ho!!!
  • When I first came to London I fancied going to a game. A mate of mine was a pompey fan so I went with him to the old Den. I had no idea about these two groups of fans. Got so much grief at New Cross because of his shirt that I gave him my leather jacket and he bust the zip with his belly but I didn't care. After the match the police horse cordon to get us back to the station was repeatedly attacked. Made me think that the old firm game isn't actually that bad.
  • Last game at Selhurst against Wham, walking back to Norword J, i thought i was with all my mates and launched into a massive 'Lennie Lawrence's Rend and White Army'.

    Except i'd drifted from my mates, was surrounded by Wham, and got punched in the back of my head to remind me so......
  • As a 13 year old I witnessed the experience your friends spoke off - though even wearing the right colours is not always a safeguard.

    I went to the Den for QPR v Millwall to see former Charlton legend Stuart Leary play. I (wearing no colours as a neutral) was OK standing in the midst of a vocal blue & white clad Millwall crowd when QPR scored. A guy (clad in blue & white) 3 yards to my left threw his hands in the air in celebration.

    I am not sure he had time to make a sound or his arms were even fully extended before he submerged under sea of blue to emerge somewhat chastened and fortunately only just a little bruised & bloodied. You will know Millwall & QPR both play in blue & white. I learnt then watching football in the wrong place can damage your health.


    Grapevine 49
  • Watford when I was about 13 or so. Went up there with my new Doc Martens, rolled up trousers, scarf from each arms, T shirt with Tel of the Covered End Clan printed on the back....was my first solo away game and we went in the wrong end.....was quite funny as this big space opened up around us...being naive as we were we started singing....nobody came near us...then the OB came waltzing in and did the arm up the back routine and I thought we were going to get kicked out...instead, they walked us around the perimeter and we got a heroes welcome by the Charlton fans who thought we had gone in to take there end.....not!

    Did the same thing again not long after at the Jills....this time on purpose, being a bit older and stupider, ended up with a big circle of coppers around us who decided after about 30 mins of the game they would escort us ala Watford to the away end...another heroes welcome.....think the game was 1-0 Peacock if memory serves me right. Back in the 70's it was traditional to wear colours away...was deemed to be chicken if you didnt...a trip to Hereford and asking for a pint of light & bitter was a laugh as they had never heard of it...must have been all of 14. Anybody remember running around at Chesterfield?
    :-)
  • [cite]Posted By: TelinOz[/cite]Watford when I was about 13 or so. Went up there with my new Doc Martens, rolled up trousers, scarf from each arms, T shirt with Tel of the Covered End Clan printed on the back....was my first solo away game and we went in the wrong end.....was quite funny as this big space opened up around us...being naive as we were we started singing....nobody came near us...then the OB came waltzing in and did the arm up the back routine and I thought we were going to get kicked out...instead, they walked us around the perimeter and we got a heroes welcome by the Charlton fans who thought we had gone in to take there end.....not!

    Did the same thing again not long after at the Jills....this time on purpose, being a bit older and stupider, ended up with a big circle of coppers around us who decided after about 30 mins of the game they would escort us ala Watford to the away end...another heroes welcome.....think the game was 1-0 Peacock if memory serves me right. Back in the 70's it was traditional to wear colours away...was deemed to be chicken if you didnt...a trip to Hereford and asking for a pint of light & bitter was a laugh as they had never heard of it...must have been all of 14. Anybody remember running around at Chesterfield?
    :-)

    Lol, remember Chesterfield, went acroos the pich to their end before the game started, and then escorted back by OB, only to try it again a few minutes later.

    As you say, we always wore our (silk) scarves in those days tied to the wrist.

    Light and Bitter, no-one ever knew what we were asking for north of Watford.
  • [cite]Posted By: stonemuse[/cite]
    [cite]Posted By: TelinOz[/cite]Watford when I was about 13 or so. Went up there with my new Doc Martens, rolled up trousers, scarf from each arms, T shirt with Tel of the Covered End Clan printed on the back....was my first solo away game and we went in the wrong end.....was quite funny as this big space opened up around us...being naive as we were we started singing....nobody came near us...then the OB came waltzing in and did the arm up the back routine and I thought we were going to get kicked out...instead, they walked us around the perimeter and we got a heroes welcome by the Charlton fans who thought we had gone in to take there end.....not!

    Did the same thing again not long after at the Jills....this time on purpose, being a bit older and stupider, ended up with a big circle of coppers around us who decided after about 30 mins of the game they would escort us ala Watford to the away end...another heroes welcome.....think the game was 1-0 Peacock if memory serves me right. Back in the 70's it was traditional to wear colours away...was deemed to be chicken if you didnt...a trip to Hereford and asking for a pint of light & bitter was a laugh as they had never heard of it...must have been all of 14. Anybody remember running around at Chesterfield?
    :-)

    Lol, remember Chesterfield, went acroos the pich to their end before the game started, and then escorted back by OB, only to try it again a few minutes later.

    As you say, we always wore our (silk) scarves in those days tied to the wrist.

    Light and Bitter, no-one ever knew what we were asking for north of Watford.

    Back then the bitter was virtually a full pint and then you got the bottle of light on top.

    None of these poxy measuring devices back then....
  • True mate....havent had a L&B in years.

    Chesterfield was a really funny day out. We had such a laugh when we invaded the pitch...gawd knows who we thought we were.....I was trying to recall the name of the bloke who was the top lad in those days....ugly bloke with a wonky eye...Im sure he was called Barry or bazza...scary bloke, but he did save me from getting a good hiding at Brighton once.
  • many years ago in the Cupboard End, I can't remember who we were playing but joined in the singing of "When the Red, Red Robin..." thinking "don't hear that in here very often"

    Realised why when it ended with "shoot, shoot, shoot the bastard".

    Might have been Chelsea or West Ham.
  • [cite]Posted By: TelinOz[/cite]I was trying to recall the name of the bloke who was the top lad in those days....ugly bloke with a wonky eye...Im sure he was called Barry or bazza...scary bloke, but he did save me from getting a good hiding at Brighton once.

    I believe you are talking about one of the lads from Middle Park. He was certainly at all of the away games in those days.
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  • I'll tell you about him at home to Preston some time.....lol
  • lol - sounds good to me
  • Southend Away circa 1975 Friday night game anyone?
  • [cite]Posted By: TelinOz[/cite]Southend Away circa 1975 Friday night game anyone?

    Yup, quite a few of us went in their end, standing quietly, and then after 5 minutes the scarves came out and we started singing. There were also a lot of Charlton in the away end
  • yep I was in their end too! The train on the way home...walking through some fancy new shopping precinct when some erk decided to bang a window and it went through....got chased all over the City by the OB...remember waste bins flying through the air to the tune of sirens and blue flashing lights
  • Good Job NSS isnt watching this thread....lol
  • Met up with Ernie from the ADU a couple of weeks back and we were talking about the old days...turns out he was on the same coach as me when a brick got slung through the coach window (Lewis's) down at Pompey...small world
  • [cite]Posted By: TelinOz[/cite]yep I was in their end too! The train on the way home...walking through some fancy new shopping precinct when some erk decided to bang a window and it went through....got chased all over the City by the OB...remember waste bins flying through the air to the tune of sirens and blue flashing lights

    Lol, I'd forgotten about that walk through the City. We were definitely younger in those days!
  • Yeah too true...the things we do eh?

    Earlier...much earlier...Tonbridge FA cup game 5-0?
  • Yup, was there as well with a few of my mates from Cherry Orchard. Must have known you in those days Tel, al least by sight. There were only a few dozen of us from the Covered End that went to so many away games.
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  • Remember Margate away pre-season friendly, the bar in the ground was behind the goal and you could see the pitch from behind the window. Drank it dry by half-time.
  • Quite possible...I'll whisper some names...
  • Bloody hell mate.....I was there as well...we went to Dreamland afterwards
  • me too, lol
  • Think that was about 1973 Tel. Got a coach from Eltham .Think i was the only one on that coach not carrying a weapon ! Loads of other teams with Southend that night. went back to Fenchurch St station.
  • Well the memory gets a bit fuzzy GH......times a passing by. Some amazing names being recalled eh Stonemuse?

    Wonder where half of them are these days
  • Never really started going away until 79/80 because that's when I could afford it, looks like I missed out on quite a bit.

    Even then I only seem to remember grief at the London matches all on the trains. Hated going by coach, (and still do!!). Chelsea ambush at Earls Court springs to mind, now that was scary, can't remember the year tho. QPR was always dodgy and I also recall being threatened by a kid with a prosthetic arm outside the Old Den!!!!
  • I did see a few of them at the Bristol City away game in the cup a few years ago but many of them no longer seem to go
  • Bristol City prior to Man U.......nice that the builders left Brizzle a few skips to lob at us. Anybody remember the bloke mid 90's who had his throat slashed somewhere up north...saw him at Bristol...it hadnt put him off...nasty old scar though. Always had a reasonable turn out at Loftus Road
  • Newcastle away won 3-0 Leaburn scored his first goal,as a naive 16 year old got the train up with a few others,got asked by a geordie at Doncaster if we were going to the game and if we needed a police escort just cross the road outside the station.When we got there a nice little welcoming party of 50 geordies.Just jumped in the nearest cab and said drive mate anywhere.
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