It sounded like a good idea at the time. Why not combine a trip to the outlaws with the match at nearby
Yeovil. The wife's been an ST holder for 12 years and been to a few away matched. A few days ago it
dawned on her that we would be in the open air - not watched a match in the open air before! A couple
of days ago she realised that we would be standing - she's never stood to watch a match before......
So, just got back (cleverly had a change of clothes at the outlaws!) and writing this without reading
other reports. Overall, anything from a match played in those conditions is good. I thought we
performed better than them both into and with the wind, so unlucky not to win, and win well. Racon was
lost week against MKD, mostly because he couldn't adapt to the conditions. Same today so should have
gone off instead of Mooney. Its a shame that some footballers still try to do too much when on the ball
when getting the ball in the box is everything.
Never been so wet and at times unable to face play directly because of the horizontal rain. The second
half went so quick so must have enjoye it. Ran to the car at the end but to no avail - 30 minutes
sitting in the home supporters car park.
Commentator on BBC highlights tonight reckoned Yeovil were hard done by over Sodje's sending-off , claiming they would have scored if the ref had allowed play to run on ...
How did others see it - especially those who were there (if you guys could see anything at all through the horizontal sheets of rain!!!)
....
Sodge then equalised on the run from the edge of the box with a viscious unstoppable effort. And then repeated the move a few minutes later and with keeper beaten all hands up, the shot cannoned against the post.
....
Came off the keeper onto the post
That was easily the wettest I have ever been at a game, made Swindon seem like a light shower in comparison. Was soaked all the way home on the train and sat on it in bare feet! The wallet is still drying out this morning, and I hope stubs aren’t needed from yesterday for future games as there is not much left of mine though.
Would have easily have taken a point at half time being 1 down and a man down. The performance in the second half was really encouraging as we only had 10 men and totally dominated. 1 disallowed goal and two off the woodwork. Had we have had 11 we would have got the 3 points easily.
Parky does deserve credit for the changes yesterday IMHO. To lose a centre half he had to bring Llera on and take a forward on to keep it tight as it was 0-0. Half time with the winds behind us he changed again and got 2 up toward, which paid off immediately.
Looking at how badly Yeovil bad second half showed to me how well we dominated second half and how well we coped first half.
Now let’s get that win on Tuesday.
Wettest I've been following Charlton since Newcastle 1983.
Super performance from the team, supporters and the manager yesterday. Sodje's goal was superbly taken and his control to set himself up for the shot was exceptional. Technically the players looked superb given the conditions, with Burton, Sam and Akpo Sodje really shining. Midfield won all the headers in the 2nd half and really used the ball well. Parky did exactly the right thing playing 3-4-2 in the 2nd half (Basey really played so far up the field for nearly the whole half) and we caused mayhem in their box. Yeovil to their credit threw themselves into everything and the block from Sodje was match saving because if we had taken the lead the game would have been won. Shame Basey only threatened with one out of his three corners in the 2nd half because they should've been nigh on impossible to defend (if he'd dinked them in instead of firing them right over everyone) but in open play he looked strong. Youga snuffed out any threat on the right and even got forward quite a bit in the 2nd half. Llera, Dailly and Ikeme will never have a quieter half than they did yesterday and Llera looks a real threat shooting with his left foot from free-kicks.
For those who didn't go, the effect of the wind blowing into our faces behind the whole cannot be understated. The Yeovil keeper (who was excellent) even managed to clear the ball upfield only for it to blow back for corner!!!! Ever seen that before in pro-football? I haven't.
Credit to the Yeovil fans too....met a number of really good people in The Arrow before the game and I wish them every success in the future.
PS: To cap a wet weekend my Sunday morning game was abandoned after 40 mins due to a storm!
Enjoyed that more than I have for ages, watching Bailey harry the "Green Slime" ? (explain yourself Colin) and Sam attacking the full back like he's supposed to. Akpo will do for me over what we've had, some real weight in his shooting. Even manged to find some old kit to wear in the boot so didn't have to drive back to Lancaster in me pants.
Awesome second half. Worst conditions I've ever watched a hame in. To think i was looking forward to being back on a terrace!
Their keeper played a blinder - he kept them in it. Well done to Parky and all the players for their spirited performance and to all the charlton fans who made such a laugh in appalling conditions.
Woke up and decided to go in the morning after having seen the stand was uncovered and that heavy rain was forecast (must be mad), then talked the good lady to come with me for only her 3rd ever game of footy! The journey up was awful so we only made it for Half Time! Still it meant I missed the goal against and the sending off and got to see the best half from a Charlton perspective.
TBH when i got on the terraces and felt the rain and wind in my face I never thought for one moment we would not win it even with 10 men. Absolutely battered them for 45 minutes and came away slightly dissapointed it was just the one point but not at all dissapointed with all the effort and hard work that went in by the players, but for a bit of luck and their keeer we would have won very easily indeed.
Awesome second half. Worst conditions I've ever watched a game in. To think i was looking forward to being back on a terrace!
Their keeper played a blinder - he kept them in it. Well done to Parky and all the players for their spirited performance and to all the charlton fans who made it such a laugh in appalling conditions.
As already posted, Swindon was a breeze....this was a monsoon !
Agree with most of what's been said - great 2nd half performance , commitment from the lads and decisions by Parky( although it was at least 10mins into the 2nd half before I realised Akpo was on for Therry ! ) We've had our blip...now it's onwards & upwards all the way ! ( fingers crossed behind back )
Along with everyone else that stood through yesterday's proceedings , I travelled back to Dartford soaked through to my thong...well, if I'd worn one ! And having decided not to go commando in the gloves department, I removed my black leather ones in the car to find 10 black fingers & nails stained by the dye. Several scrubbings and I still proudly bear the "scars" of the " Battle of Waterloo".
Knew it was going to be raining and knew that as we were going to be uncovered that I had to make sure the waterproofs were packed in with the mints and suasage rolls.
But nothing and I mean nothing would have allowed me to prepare me for THAT weather, except perhaps for squeezing a portable lighthouse into the backpack!!
Surreal start to the day with a swap of coach drivers after only a brief drive. Thought he was ill at first but turned out to be just a logistical change which meant standing around for half an hour getting increasingly impatient. At least it meant we were entertained by two coaches arriving loaded with the pupils of Hogwarts and Tom Browns schooldays.
With new driver on board the journey to the 'Rose & Crown' was one of much anticipation, littered with photos of Ollies baby poo, sheep looking cows and a re-situated Stonehenge!!
The closer we got to Trent the worse the weather became, but no-one gave it a thought as our coach ploughed through increasingly narrow lanes, (it was a miracle that we met nothing coming the other way), to our chosen watering hole. Lovely people, Heather, Grace et al, made us completely welcome, the beer was great and the hogroast a welcome boost. The locals were a little non plused but entered into the spirit and the guy sitting near us even got the score right! A million thanks to 'B' for organising that and as promised we raised a glass to you. Good to meet up and identify a few more lifers, good to meet up with Oggy again and we were a little sad to leave, not least because of the torrent of water that met us on departure.
And then the game itself, watching it in quite simply the worst conditions I have ever experienced and realising that my waterproofs may well keep out water, but they catagorically do not keep out a full blown flood. It got to the point were I couldn't get any wetter, so why bother trying to hide from it. Felt sorry for Sodje and would have liked the ref to have allowed for the conditions, but technically he had to go. If only we could have held out till half time, because we battered Yeovil in the second half and should have won it. Not convinced that our first was offside, especially as it was given by a complete idiot of an official on that side. Cracking goal by Sodje mark II and really thought we were going to go on and win it after that.
Total respect to all of us who made the trip and braved those conditions and a word for Parky and the team who made sure they came right over to us and applaud us afterwards.
The coach trip back was as surreal as the one out. Changing out of as many wet clothes as possible, but still sitting in dripping wet jeans for the best part of four hours. Having to stop regularly at first so that the driver could clean the inside of the windscreen unil he realised that the only hope he had to see out was to keep the heating of it much to our dismay as we continued to freeze.
Glad that the calls for us to stop for a drink on the way back fell on deaf ears because son of KB was teetering on pnuemonia!!! Apologies to those who that may have upset, but hope you had a good skinful when you got back. I myself warmed up with the central heating on full, a Pizza and a bottle of Shiraz, whilst reflecting on another eventful and cracking Addick away day,
Many thanks to LilSis and George for everything, Glen for being our leader, Ollie for keeping us laughing and of course Brenda for arranging it.
Were you guys allowed to take in umbrellas? Probably not much use if the wind was blowing the rain in at you almost horizontally, but I ask because the wettest I've ever been was standing behind the goal at Fratton when we played Pompey in '87.
I persuaded my wife to come to only her second ever game (promised her a nice day out, morning spent going round HMS Victory, slap-up lunch etc etc ) and she agreed. Then when we got to the ground, despite torrential rain and an uncovered terrace, they insisted on confiscating her umbrella. She was so angry she hasn't been to another match since in 23 seasons !!!
Nigel, quite a few umbrellas went up ........ but in a matter of moments they were shot, ribs bent upwards - and binned.
The wind was gusting 45 - 50 mph and the torrential rain was driven horizontally stinging into our faces.
Every single supporter on that open terrace was drenched to the skin - except for a handful that spent the entire 2nd half back in the dry of the coaches - and we had no choice but to put up with wringing wet clothing all the way home.
But it was a brilliant day, the spirit amongst the supporters was mirrored by the team all the way through that 2nd half.
You just had to be there. One of the legendary Charlton away days.
Yeah, certainly sounds like a day to go down in Charlton history, Oggy.
When I said that the confiscation of Mrs W's umbrella left her ''so angry she hasn't been to another match since in 23 seasons'', I omitted to mention that she has also spent 23 years not forgiving me for dragging her along!
Funnily enough, that very wet game was a 1-1, too. Just looked it up in Colin Cameron's match-by-match book, Home and Away 1920-92, and CC describes the weather as ''gale force winds and driving rain''.
The only thing I remember about the game itself was a terrific bout of fisticuffs between Ian Baird and Paul Miller. Baird got his marching orders but somehow Miller conned the ref into believing he was the less guilty party and escaped with a yellow...
Sorry, shouldn't really be posting this on here, but...........
A Brilliant (Wet) Weekend:
Sandras Birthday on Friday,The CL Coach, meeting up with Oggy yesterday,the rain and the result,watched England Destroy South Africa in the one-dayer and now having an "On-line" conversation with Steven Severin (Bassist in Siouxsie & The Banshees) about Spuds,Chris Powell and Judus Defoe !!
Life Doesn't get any better !!
Got back this evening, as my wife and I stayed down there. Sensibly, she gave the game a miss...
Soaked by the time I got there, as the very friendly taxi driver who took us from the station to our B&B said that it was only about a 15 minute walk from there to the ground. The reality was that it took the best part of 35 minutes, mostly on a road with national speed limits, no footpaths and plenty of puddles.
Highlights of the game: "Come on Charlton, we haven't come here for the fxxxing weather" "Your ground's too wet for us..." To one of their injured players - "Let him drown, let him drown..." As others have said, their keeper's kick that ended up as a corner to us. The second half, our goal, and what looked like the real prospect of us getting all three points.
Then had to walk back on the same road with no paths, but this time with even more standing water and in the pitch black as there was also no street lighting. Fell into a hole in the grass bank at the side of the road trying to avoid cars, so got muddy as well, but eventually made it back in one piece.
Certainly an afternoon to remember, but am definitely glad I went.
So glad I went yesterday despite getting wetter than I've ever been before at football (even wetter than West Brom a few years back!) Highlights (apart from the game itself) - having a beautifully hand-scribed bus ticket written by the driver at Yeovil Junction Station that quickly turned into papier mache, wearing a supposedly waterproof coat that quickly assumed the weight of a lead overcoat and boots that after the game weighed something like the old fashioned deep sea divers boots, watching the game in horizontal rain that actually stung the face, watching others with their see-through plastic rain smocks that would have been worse than useless and finally listening to possibly the strangest football non-debate on the train home between some geezer who had contradictory opinions on everything and everyone which differed every time he opened his mouth and two somewhat bemused lads who had probably lost the will to live by the time we reached Salisbury. All in all one of THE great away trips which will be talked about for many years to come. Campaign medals should be awarded for this!
Living in Lincs I don't get to many games and all three away games I've been to this season (Hereford, Colchester and Carlisle) ended in pitiful defeats. But WOW this made up for it! Loved the Rose and Crown, loved the locals there (met an 81 yo guy who looked not much older than 60 - must be the cider), loved the hog roast! But the weather! That is the wettest I have ever been - and my coat is still soaking well over a day later. I've criticised Parky loads but I thought he was class at the end when he insisted the players come and clap us. Mind you Llera needs some practise throwing his shirt - he couldn't reach the crowd even with a gale behind him.
I don't post on here much but it was good to meet some lifers - to paraphrase a well known song - "We've got the Lifers - they're @*$*ing quality"
By the way - the 'bouncy, bouncy' was a great idea - kept me warm.
I've been watching Charlton for 35 years - that game defo in my top ten!!
No, maybe not the best away game ever, but for atmosphere, entertainment and matchday experience it was pretty special wasn't it.
Train from Dorchester to Yeovil Pen Mill got held up for 15 minutes by a group of pikey kids without tickets, who jeeringly refused to move when the flustered guard told them to get off.Don't know how it was resolved, but the train eventually moved off with them still on it.
Got soaked waiting for a 57 bus into town.
The number 1 bus to the ground crawled along in traffic. At one point a group of drunken addicks got on and the banter was great.
Out of the blue the quiet one of the group totally out of the blue slid of his seat onto his arse on the floor. Cue total hilarity.
it became clear we were going to miss kick-off so the driver told the group to jump off and goin directions I couldn't hear to the ground.
Me and the lad followed them.
At one point one of the group strode ahead, maybe fed up with the slow moving high jinx of the others.
He ducked across the main road through some trees on the other side. I yelled to my son "short cut" and followed him over only to find he'd gone for a slash.
I turned back to see my son standing where I'd left him with a big grin on his face.
Eventually saw the floodlights and sprinted to the turnstiles 15 mins after kick-off.
Steward directed us to front of crowd just to the right of the goal. My delight at the unobstructed view was tempered by the realisation there was nobody in front of us to block the weather!
Not much to add about the game that hasn't been mentioned on other threads; but from one goalkick Ikeme actually slipped completely on his arse.
We struggled pretty gamely against the conditions first half but it became so clear that we needed to hang on at 0-0 till half time.
I told my son if we were 2 down with 20 left we'd leave early.
But that second half was awesome. When Sodje rifled in that glorious shot I was convinced we'd go on to win the game.
At half time I attempted to eat some ham sandwiches I'd brought in a by now rain sodden holdall. It was quite amusing as they went soggy and started to fall apart in my hand.
Found a fiver on the pavement at Yeovil bus station and then like everybody spent an uncomfortable journey home in cold wet clothes that were stuck to me.
It was a bit weird as no other addicks shared the route home from Yeovil Pen Mill. Me and my son sat stuck to our seats in a kind of bemused silence.
What could we say?
Was due to make the game with the wife but she came down with a bad cold on Friday. Sounds like it was a touch damp. We were at the game at Swindon when Steve Jones scored and if as stated it was 20 times worse than that then I salute all those that made the trip.
Why did they not allow fans into the almost empty stand to the right?
Only the 2nd time in 30 years that I have not gone to a game that I had already bought a ticket for.
Comments
Yeovil. The wife's been an ST holder for 12 years and been to a few away matched. A few days ago it
dawned on her that we would be in the open air - not watched a match in the open air before! A couple
of days ago she realised that we would be standing - she's never stood to watch a match before......
So, just got back (cleverly had a change of clothes at the outlaws!) and writing this without reading
other reports. Overall, anything from a match played in those conditions is good. I thought we
performed better than them both into and with the wind, so unlucky not to win, and win well. Racon was
lost week against MKD, mostly because he couldn't adapt to the conditions. Same today so should have
gone off instead of Mooney. Its a shame that some footballers still try to do too much when on the ball
when getting the ball in the box is everything.
Never been so wet and at times unable to face play directly because of the horizontal rain. The second
half went so quick so must have enjoye it. Ran to the car at the end but to no avail - 30 minutes
sitting in the home supporters car park.
How did others see it - especially those who were there (if you guys could see anything at all through the horizontal sheets of rain!!!)
Or Falconwood ?
Or PALcafc ?
Or..........................
;-)
As i stated on the way back yesterday, fantastic performance.
Medals all round.
It was like Swindon, but times that by 20!
Sodge then equalised on the run from the edge of the box with a viscious unstoppable effort. And then repeated the move a few minutes later and with keeper beaten all hands up, the shot cannoned against the post.
....
Came off the keeper onto the post
Would have easily have taken a point at half time being 1 down and a man down. The performance in the second half was really encouraging as we only had 10 men and totally dominated. 1 disallowed goal and two off the woodwork. Had we have had 11 we would have got the 3 points easily.
Parky does deserve credit for the changes yesterday IMHO. To lose a centre half he had to bring Llera on and take a forward on to keep it tight as it was 0-0. Half time with the winds behind us he changed again and got 2 up toward, which paid off immediately.
Looking at how badly Yeovil bad second half showed to me how well we dominated second half and how well we coped first half.
Now let’s get that win on Tuesday.
Super performance from the team, supporters and the manager yesterday. Sodje's goal was superbly taken and his control to set himself up for the shot was exceptional. Technically the players looked superb given the conditions, with Burton, Sam and Akpo Sodje really shining. Midfield won all the headers in the 2nd half and really used the ball well. Parky did exactly the right thing playing 3-4-2 in the 2nd half (Basey really played so far up the field for nearly the whole half) and we caused mayhem in their box. Yeovil to their credit threw themselves into everything and the block from Sodje was match saving because if we had taken the lead the game would have been won. Shame Basey only threatened with one out of his three corners in the 2nd half because they should've been nigh on impossible to defend (if he'd dinked them in instead of firing them right over everyone) but in open play he looked strong. Youga snuffed out any threat on the right and even got forward quite a bit in the 2nd half. Llera, Dailly and Ikeme will never have a quieter half than they did yesterday and Llera looks a real threat shooting with his left foot from free-kicks.
For those who didn't go, the effect of the wind blowing into our faces behind the whole cannot be understated. The Yeovil keeper (who was excellent) even managed to clear the ball upfield only for it to blow back for corner!!!! Ever seen that before in pro-football? I haven't.
Credit to the Yeovil fans too....met a number of really good people in The Arrow before the game and I wish them every success in the future.
PS: To cap a wet weekend my Sunday morning game was abandoned after 40 mins due to a storm!
Interesting Llera was shooting from free kicks over Basey as well. I know he had a decent effort at Leyton Orient as well.
Their keeper played a blinder - he kept them in it. Well done to Parky and all the players for their spirited performance and to all the charlton fans who made such a laugh in appalling conditions.
"We're bouncy, bouncy, bouncy, bouncy, bouncy, la, la, la, la, la, la"
TBH when i got on the terraces and felt the rain and wind in my face I never thought for one moment we would not win it even with 10 men. Absolutely battered them for 45 minutes and came away slightly dissapointed it was just the one point but not at all dissapointed with all the effort and hard work that went in by the players, but for a bit of luck and their keeer we would have won very easily indeed.
Great performance, well done lads.
Their keeper played a blinder - he kept them in it. Well done to Parky and all the players for their spirited performance and to all the charlton fans who made it such a laugh in appalling conditions.
"We're bouncy, bouncy, bouncy, bouncy, bouncy, la, la, la, la, la, la"
Agree with most of what's been said - great 2nd half performance , commitment from the lads and decisions by Parky( although it was at least 10mins into the 2nd half before I realised Akpo was on for Therry ! ) We've had our blip...now it's onwards & upwards all the way ! ( fingers crossed behind back )
Along with everyone else that stood through yesterday's proceedings , I travelled back to Dartford soaked through to my thong...well, if I'd worn one ! And having decided not to go commando in the gloves department, I removed my black leather ones in the car to find 10 black fingers & nails stained by the dye. Several scrubbings and I still proudly bear the "scars" of the " Battle of Waterloo".
Medals all round indeed.
Knew it was going to be raining and knew that as we were going to be uncovered that I had to make sure the waterproofs were packed in with the mints and suasage rolls.
But nothing and I mean nothing would have allowed me to prepare me for THAT weather, except perhaps for squeezing a portable lighthouse into the backpack!!
Surreal start to the day with a swap of coach drivers after only a brief drive. Thought he was ill at first but turned out to be just a logistical change which meant standing around for half an hour getting increasingly impatient. At least it meant we were entertained by two coaches arriving loaded with the pupils of Hogwarts and Tom Browns schooldays.
With new driver on board the journey to the 'Rose & Crown' was one of much anticipation, littered with photos of Ollies baby poo, sheep looking cows and a re-situated Stonehenge!!
The closer we got to Trent the worse the weather became, but no-one gave it a thought as our coach ploughed through increasingly narrow lanes, (it was a miracle that we met nothing coming the other way), to our chosen watering hole. Lovely people, Heather, Grace et al, made us completely welcome, the beer was great and the hogroast a welcome boost. The locals were a little non plused but entered into the spirit and the guy sitting near us even got the score right! A million thanks to 'B' for organising that and as promised we raised a glass to you. Good to meet up and identify a few more lifers, good to meet up with Oggy again and we were a little sad to leave, not least because of the torrent of water that met us on departure.
And then the game itself, watching it in quite simply the worst conditions I have ever experienced and realising that my waterproofs may well keep out water, but they catagorically do not keep out a full blown flood. It got to the point were I couldn't get any wetter, so why bother trying to hide from it. Felt sorry for Sodje and would have liked the ref to have allowed for the conditions, but technically he had to go. If only we could have held out till half time, because we battered Yeovil in the second half and should have won it. Not convinced that our first was offside, especially as it was given by a complete idiot of an official on that side. Cracking goal by Sodje mark II and really thought we were going to go on and win it after that.
Total respect to all of us who made the trip and braved those conditions and a word for Parky and the team who made sure they came right over to us and applaud us afterwards.
The coach trip back was as surreal as the one out. Changing out of as many wet clothes as possible, but still sitting in dripping wet jeans for the best part of four hours. Having to stop regularly at first so that the driver could clean the inside of the windscreen unil he realised that the only hope he had to see out was to keep the heating of it much to our dismay as we continued to freeze.
Glad that the calls for us to stop for a drink on the way back fell on deaf ears because son of KB was teetering on pnuemonia!!! Apologies to those who that may have upset, but hope you had a good skinful when you got back. I myself warmed up with the central heating on full, a Pizza and a bottle of Shiraz, whilst reflecting on another eventful and cracking Addick away day,
Many thanks to LilSis and George for everything, Glen for being our leader, Ollie for keeping us laughing and of course Brenda for arranging it.
Don't Ever ask to see his pics on his phone.............
I persuaded my wife to come to only her second ever game (promised her a nice day out, morning spent going round HMS Victory, slap-up lunch etc etc ) and she agreed. Then when we got to the ground, despite torrential rain and an uncovered terrace, they insisted on confiscating her umbrella. She was so angry she hasn't been to another match since in 23 seasons !!!
;-)
The wind was gusting 45 - 50 mph and the torrential rain was driven horizontally stinging into our faces.
Every single supporter on that open terrace was drenched to the skin - except for a handful that spent the entire 2nd half back in the dry of the coaches - and we had no choice but to put up with wringing wet clothing all the way home.
But it was a brilliant day, the spirit amongst the supporters was mirrored by the team all the way through that 2nd half.
You just had to be there. One of the legendary Charlton away days.
When I said that the confiscation of Mrs W's umbrella left her ''so angry she hasn't been to another match since in 23 seasons'', I omitted to mention that she has also spent 23 years not forgiving me for dragging her along!
Funnily enough, that very wet game was a 1-1, too. Just looked it up in Colin Cameron's match-by-match book, Home and Away 1920-92, and CC describes the weather as ''gale force winds and driving rain''.
The only thing I remember about the game itself was a terrific bout of fisticuffs between Ian Baird and Paul Miller. Baird got his marching orders but somehow Miller conned the ref into believing he was the less guilty party and escaped with a yellow...
A Brilliant (Wet) Weekend:
Sandras Birthday on Friday,The CL Coach, meeting up with Oggy yesterday,the rain and the result,watched England Destroy South Africa in the one-dayer and now having an "On-line" conversation with Steven Severin (Bassist in Siouxsie & The Banshees) about Spuds,Chris Powell and Judus Defoe !!
Life Doesn't get any better !!
Soaked by the time I got there, as the very friendly taxi driver who took us from the station to our B&B said that it was only about a 15 minute walk from there to the ground.
The reality was that it took the best part of 35 minutes, mostly on a road with national speed limits, no footpaths and plenty of puddles.
Highlights of the game:
"Come on Charlton, we haven't come here for the fxxxing weather"
"Your ground's too wet for us..."
To one of their injured players - "Let him drown, let him drown..."
As others have said, their keeper's kick that ended up as a corner to us.
The second half, our goal, and what looked like the real prospect of us getting all three points.
Then had to walk back on the same road with no paths, but this time with even more standing water and in the pitch black as there was also no street lighting.
Fell into a hole in the grass bank at the side of the road trying to avoid cars, so got muddy as well, but eventually made it back in one piece.
Certainly an afternoon to remember, but am definitely glad I went.
That's made my day!
I don't post on here much but it was good to meet some lifers - to paraphrase a well known song - "We've got the Lifers - they're @*$*ing quality"
By the way - the 'bouncy, bouncy' was a great idea - kept me warm.
I've been watching Charlton for 35 years - that game defo in my top ten!!
Train from Dorchester to Yeovil Pen Mill got held up for 15 minutes by a group of pikey kids without tickets, who jeeringly refused to move when the flustered guard told them to get off.Don't know how it was resolved, but the train eventually moved off with them still on it.
Got soaked waiting for a 57 bus into town.
The number 1 bus to the ground crawled along in traffic. At one point a group of drunken addicks got on and the banter was great.
Out of the blue the quiet one of the group totally out of the blue slid of his seat onto his arse on the floor. Cue total hilarity.
it became clear we were going to miss kick-off so the driver told the group to jump off and goin directions I couldn't hear to the ground.
Me and the lad followed them.
At one point one of the group strode ahead, maybe fed up with the slow moving high jinx of the others.
He ducked across the main road through some trees on the other side. I yelled to my son "short cut" and followed him over only to find he'd gone for a slash.
I turned back to see my son standing where I'd left him with a big grin on his face.
Eventually saw the floodlights and sprinted to the turnstiles 15 mins after kick-off.
Steward directed us to front of crowd just to the right of the goal. My delight at the unobstructed view was tempered by the realisation there was nobody in front of us to block the weather!
Not much to add about the game that hasn't been mentioned on other threads; but from one goalkick Ikeme actually slipped completely on his arse.
We struggled pretty gamely against the conditions first half but it became so clear that we needed to hang on at 0-0 till half time.
I told my son if we were 2 down with 20 left we'd leave early.
But that second half was awesome. When Sodje rifled in that glorious shot I was convinced we'd go on to win the game.
At half time I attempted to eat some ham sandwiches I'd brought in a by now rain sodden holdall. It was quite amusing as they went soggy and started to fall apart in my hand.
Found a fiver on the pavement at Yeovil bus station and then like everybody spent an uncomfortable journey home in cold wet clothes that were stuck to me.
It was a bit weird as no other addicks shared the route home from Yeovil Pen Mill. Me and my son sat stuck to our seats in a kind of bemused silence.
What could we say?
Why did they not allow fans into the almost empty stand to the right?
Only the 2nd time in 30 years that I have not gone to a game that I had already bought a ticket for.