Article from KentishFootball
Personally i feel disgusted, I also support Ramsgate being my hometown, watched this lad Cody play and saw how much Darts fans loved him when they vistied us, I do understand that the Norwich allocation seems to be full but what is stoping a good 100+ keen passionate fans who are local from buying tickets the stadium is nowhere near going to be full.
A lot of money needed has gone thanks to our club being so stuck up.
Angry Dartford fans tell Charlton Athletic: We want to watch Cody play
Thursday, 30 April 2009
DARTFORD supporters wishing to travel to The Valley to watch former striker Cody McDonald attempt to keep Norwich City in the Championship on Sunday have been thwarted, writes Stephen McCartney.
The striker signed for Championship club Norwich City from Ryman Premier League outfit Dartford for an undisclosed fee on transfer deadline day, and Darts supporters were looking forward to watching their former hero play against the relegated south Londoners.
But it appears that Charlton Athletic - a club that steal Kent based supporters away from clubs like Dartford - are not welcoming floating supporters.
One Dartford supporter contacted Charlton Athletic to purchase tickets so he could offer support to McDonald, who banged in 19 goals in just 17 appearances for Tony Burman’s side before earning his dream move, only to be turned down.
"What better way to spend Sunday than catching up with Cody at The Valley," he told the award winning www.dartfordfootballclub.co.uk.
"Local papers and the Charlton website stated that the tickets were on general sale - and why not? Charlton are hard up for cash and the stadium is not likely to be full.
"On phoning Charlton I was advised that I had to be a member and have a history of buying tickets through the club to be allowed to buy tickets for this match.
"The website was clearly showing that their were tickets available in most sections of the ground. When I finished laughing, I asked why.
"The explanation, "Norwich have sold their allocation and you might be a Norwich fan trying to buy a ticket in the Charlton section."
"So because Norwich are a well supported team because Charlton either are unable to increase the away section of their ground or can't be bothered to, the general public are banned from attending the match.
"We are currently in a recession and Charlton are known to be struggling financially. You could not make it up!
"What a sad reflection on the desperate state of football. This is supposed to be our national game, yet we are all banned from attending this match unless we have a history of association with this particular club.
"The people's game - I think not! I do not know if this is a Charlton decision or an FA directive. Either way, I consider it to be wrong. If the club's involved had a sad history of trouble, there may be some case, but Charlton versus Norwich?
"The south Londoners will not stop me from watching Cody! I shall travel to Norwich early in the new season where I expect that I will receive a hospitable welcome.
"As for Charlton, I will not even enquire about any future games unless our paths cross at some future date.
"As for the £75 that Charlton have passed up, it will go towards a Dartford player sponsorship for the new season. At least some good has come from this sorry tale."
Dartford fans, and fans from other Kent clubs, will be made more than welcome at Hayes Lane on Saturday (3pm) for Cray Wanderers’ Ryman League Division One South play-off final against Metropolitan Police.
There is a bond between both Kent clubs as Dartford shared Cray’s Oxford Road ground in Sidcup when they reformed.
Admission prices have been confirmed at £8 (adults) and £4 (concessions).
Then, on Sunday (3pm), Croydon lock horns with holders Erith Town in the Kent Senior Cup Final. The match takes place at Welling United’s Park View Road ground.
Quotes courtesy of www.dartfordfootballclub.co.uk
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Comments
F*** off you moaning T******
: - )
If you want to support your former player, you have to sit with the away fans. So, you'll have to wait until we play Norwich at the Valley again. Next season.
It was certainly Premiership class ranting.
Or the Dartford Secretary could have rung our secretary and got it sorted.
This crap never goes away does it!
Well it's not the Kent Senior Cup Final, Welling United won that two weeks ago!
they must be loving it
tool's............the whole lot of them..........never ever wasted a penny buying any paper in my life...........
I said my piece at the top the actual article is from a Darts Fan who is from Dartford.
I dont understand why this game is Tier B and just for Red Card Holders etc do they expect trouble from Norwich if they go down or from us after the game? Why cant fans of other clubs feel welcome at The Valley i fell in love with this club because of it being a family community club.
it's only a piss-poor website.
Trust me I'm far from being a Glory Hunter Ramsgate finished bottom of Isthmian Prem Charlton Bottom of Championship worst football from both teams i seen in few years i still wear my shirts in pride, I get laughed at when playing football with my Charlton or Ramsgate shirt on by so called Liverpool fans who just come out in numbers this season one of them even said who's your best player Todorov shows how much knowledge top 4 armchair supporters have.
Will always be a Man of Kent and Ramsgate till i die, and with my family connections in south london and a bond at The Valley will always be Charlton till i die.
What player could we buy for £35K cos that is MAX what we would have got. Not a guess but FACT.
"In any business you have to maximise profit" Yeah I think that was the big Banks mantra wasn't it.
You also have to keep your core customers happy so that you can generate profit long term from them and you also have to consider costs as well as income.
So true
And it never will - a lot of you are Kent based aren't you?
Do you feel like Charlton stole you?
As you know the club has just made several people redundant, perhaps the £25-35K generated would have enabled at least one of those to remain in employment, it isn't all about the players. Plus of course there's the Geordie Smiler's £200k a year salary...
A bit of imagination and the club could have made something out of this. However I suspect a lot of Norwich fans will have bought tickets anyway.
What a load of absolute tosh
Stuff all the club could do about it regardless of demand or desire.
It was thought out and it was considered as was the disruption to food outlets, toilets and exits plus how the people in A and B blocks would react.
They looked at the options and rejected the idea. I don't know what the reasons were. Police advice might well have been the reason. DA9 seems sure it was and he knows more about police matters than I do.
It wasn't a lack of imagination.
I would imagine that the club were talking to the police before it was certain Norwich would need a result, once that was known, I have very little doubt in my mind that the police then advised the club to make home area tickets harder to get hold of, I stand to be corrected, but I cant see it any other way, and Norwich do have a small element.