[cite]Posted By: LenGlover[/cite]Kirkpatrick. Short fat and bald if memory serves me correctly.
That's the bloke. And, he used to make 3 or 4 sprints per game to get away from the players if there was a dispute or to get up with the play. The crowd always cheered his sprints.
As Ive said elsewhere, this was my first full season watching Charlton as an 8 year old.....yep Id been to games as early as 64, but this was the season when the passion for all things Charlton (The Valiants) kicked in.
So many memorable games from that season The three Palace games, The romp at easter against a poor Cardiff team, Arsenal at Highbury, Bolton at home...Ive still got most of the programes...was amazing to see our crowds swell and I can remember the dawning realisation that all the stories of huge crowds that My Great Nan (used to run the Robins Tavern) My nan, uncles and Aunts were all in fact true as we went from 9k to over 30k....brilliant season and thats what made me the Fan I became....As mentioned elsewhere I named my son Greg in honour of Harry Gregory.....cult hero.
This was the first season I regularly went to the Valley and this was the first game I saw that season.
There was great hype at the time and my family, all being long standing Addicks, were full of it at Christmas.
Playing Brian Cloughs high-flying Derby was seen as a pivotal game. The crowd of over 30,000 was an example of the excitement around the club pretty much for the first time since during the 1960s. In winning the game, it seemed to us that we were on track for promotion. Sadly, the jitters set in and too many home draws saw us fall back and a miracle was required in the final game. It didn't happen.
The following season, Firmani fell out with our star striker Matt Tees, and the team started to go backwards.
Relegation followed in 70/71 under Theo Foley.
A lesson though for us now is that the supporters optimism on that day soon turned to cynicism and then anger and negativity. The pressure of getting the club back to the promised land was heaped on the players shoulders and they wilted under the weight of expectation. The scars of the loss of former glories were too near the surface. When fans should have lifted the team and carried them through to glory, they too easily became frustrated, angry and critical.
A further parallel from then to now is that our manager was the great Eddie Firmani, one of the greatest players in the clubs history. He was a legend. His return was hailed as the start of a new era. Yet before the end of the following season, he was sacked and gone. The club spent a further 15 years in the wilderness.
I know I was at this game as I didn't miss any home games in those days ... but you lot have far better memories than me as I can't quite recall it ... problem of getting old lol
But I can't be that bad as I can remember a few of the games that Tel mentions ;-)
Some of my all-time Charlton favourites in that team ... especially Alan Campbell
Remember this game being on the Big Match the next day and seeing myself running on the pitch at the end to pat the players on the back. Used to stand on the east terrace at the front level with the penalty spot nearest the covered end ITV must still have footage of this game somewhere would love to see myself as an 11 year old invading the pitch at the end.
Remember this game being on the Big Match the next day and seeing myself running on the pitch at the end to pat the players on the back. Used to stand on the east terrace at the front level with the? penalty spot nearest the covered end ITV must still have footage of this game somewhere would love to see myself as an 11 year old invading the pitch at the end.
I ran on as well, down near the gate into the seats in front of the covered end. Was 15 so should probably have known better. Remember Rays goal as if it was yesterday.
I remember the Derby game like it was yesterday really I was 15 at the time that season was one of my all time favourites. Beating Derby, beating Palarse in a FA Cup replay at Sellout Park in the pouring rain and then the walk to Highbury for the next round where we acquited ourselves really well but lost 0-2 mind you Matt Tees gave old Ian (Man)Ure a right doing that day. Couldn't name my favourite player but Matt Tees and Harry Gregory were certainly up there.
Eddie Firmani was one of the very best players I ever saw wear the shirt and like many I do recall the high hopes we all had for the following season the disappointment was almost unbearable and I agree we went into the wilderness after that, relegation a couple of seasons later the team never really got back on track until the coming of Hales and Paddy Powell etc.
As an East Terrace regular in those days, I witnessed the match. As I recall, the season started badly when we lost at home to the denizens from Cold Blow Lane. It looked like we were in for another spell of midtable mediocrity, but undaunted we picked ourselves up and were looking favourites for the number two promotion spot, when we defeated Clough and Taylor's Derby County. The fact that Critical Paralysis, as they were called in those days, pipped us to our rightful promotion rankled then and for many was the beginning of ill feeling between the two clubs. The group of us regulars on the East Terrace included the de Marne brothers and their dad. The younger brother, Dennis de Marne, was an actor who appeared on several TV series, including Dixon of Dock Green. Was he the first celebrity Charlton fan? One of the local papers ran a photo spread with a colour! picture of the Addicks team sitting on one of the parade ground cannons at Woolwich. The headline suggested that we were going to give the gunners a shock in the FA cup. When we all crammed into Highbury, the performance from the team was disappointing. I only recall Bob Wilson, the Arsenal keeper, tipping the ball over the crossbar. I don't think we ever really looked like scoring. On the way back, the tube at Drayton Park was so full of fans that the train clipped the platform in a shower of sparks. Don't be too hard on Eddie Firmani. He was genuinely committed to the club and he knew only too well the perils of stress in managership. After all he had seen at least one very famous predecessor in the job hit the bottle and go to pieces. It is true that Eddie fell out with several key members of the side. I guess the name Ray Crawford comes to mind. The team then nose dived the next season and the chance for glory had passed. Unlike some on this forum I always thought 'raving' Roger Kirkpatrick was a class act, as were his contemporaries Jack Taylor and Clive Thomas. Unfortunately, they don't make referees like them nowadays.
i was there and remember it well for a fantastic treacy goal and matt tees grinning from ear to ear, with very few teeth in his mouth after he had scored the second.
A great day, though tinged with sadness for my family as it turned out to be my dad's last game. Because of his poor health we were in the old West Stand instead of our usual place on the East terrace. Always been glad that his last one was a classic one.
I remember it too. I was only 8 but I was excited because it was on the big match next day and we passed all the telly vans as we came through the Bartram gates and Brian Moore was perched on his scaffolding tower on the East terrace.
Happy days
Ray Treacy got interviewed on The Big Match as well - which was broadcast on the Sunday afternoon.
As an East Terrace regular in those days, I witnessed the match. As I recall, the season started badly when we lost at home to the denizens from Cold Blow Lane. It looked like we were in for another spell of midtable mediocrity, but undaunted we picked ourselves up and were looking favourites for the number two promotion spot, when we defeated Clough and Taylor's Derby County. The fact that Critical Paralysis, as they were called in those days, pipped us to our rightful promotion rankled then and for many was the beginning of ill feeling between the two clubs. The group of us regulars on the East Terrace included the de Marne brothers and their dad. The younger brother, Dennis de Marne, was an actor who appeared on several TV series, including Dixon of Dock Green. Was he the first celebrity Charlton fan? One of the local papers ran a photo spread with a colour! picture of the Addicks team sitting on one of the parade ground cannons at Woolwich. The headline suggested that we were going to give the gunners a shock in the FA cup. When we all crammed into Highbury, the performance from the team was disappointing. I only recall Bob Wilson, the Arsenal keeper, tipping the ball over the crossbar. I don't think we ever really looked like scoring. On the way back, the tube at Drayton Park was so full of fans that the train clipped the platform in a shower of sparks. Don't be too hard on Eddie Firmani. He was genuinely committed to the club and he knew only too well the perils of stress in managership. After all he had seen at least one very famous predecessor in the job hit the bottle and go to pieces. It is true that Eddie fell out with several key members of the side. I guess the name Ray Crawford comes to mind. The team then nose dived the next season and the chance for glory had passed. Unlike some on this forum I always thought 'raving' Roger Kirkpatrick was a class act, as were his contemporaries Jack Taylor and Clive Thomas. Unfortunately, they don't make referees like them nowadays.
The actor you mention was a vowel away from playing Les Berry.
I too was at the Derby game... what a good team we had then, so unlucky not to go up. Was talking to Theo Foley a few weeks ago and asked him who was the best player he had while at Charlton... answer, Alan Campbell. Can't argue with that!
Ah, Roger Kirkpatrick! He stood five foot nothing and had a great set of sidewhiskers. I remember one game when he called over the hulking great Dave Shipperley and gave him (well, his upper thigh really) a right tounge-lashing... Big Ship just stood with bowed head and took it. As 'Ship' turned his back on the ref Kirkpatrick beamed a great smile as if to say 'that's him sorted out, now let's get on with the game!' True character.
Ah Shipperley ! i remember a time when we'd missed about 4 pens on trot - and when we were awarded one at The Covered end, everyone was shouting for big Dave to head it.
If anyone on here has secretly invented a time machine, I'd pay a lot of money to go back and watch this again with my late dad and my brother. Special times.
Comments
That's the bloke. And, he used to make 3 or 4 sprints per game to get away from the players if there was a dispute or to get up with the play. The crowd always cheered his sprints.
So many memorable games from that season The three Palace games, The romp at easter against a poor Cardiff team, Arsenal at Highbury, Bolton at home...Ive still got most of the programes...was amazing to see our crowds swell and I can remember the dawning realisation that all the stories of huge crowds that My Great Nan (used to run the Robins Tavern) My nan, uncles and Aunts were all in fact true as we went from 9k to over 30k....brilliant season and thats what made me the Fan I became....As mentioned elsewhere I named my son Greg in honour of Harry Gregory.....cult hero.
There was great hype at the time and my family, all being long standing Addicks, were full of it at Christmas.
Playing Brian Cloughs high-flying Derby was seen as a pivotal game. The crowd of over 30,000 was an example of the excitement around the club pretty much for the first time since during the 1960s. In winning the game, it seemed to us that we were on track for promotion. Sadly, the jitters set in and too many home draws saw us fall back and a miracle was required in the final game. It didn't happen.
The following season, Firmani fell out with our star striker Matt Tees, and the team started to go backwards.
Relegation followed in 70/71 under Theo Foley.
A lesson though for us now is that the supporters optimism on that day soon turned to cynicism and then anger and negativity. The pressure of getting the club back to the promised land was heaped on the players shoulders and they wilted under the weight of expectation. The scars of the loss of former glories were too near the surface. When fans should have lifted the team and carried them through to glory, they too easily became frustrated, angry and critical.
A further parallel from then to now is that our manager was the great Eddie Firmani, one of the greatest players in the clubs history. He was a legend. His return was hailed as the start of a new era. Yet before the end of the following season, he was sacked and gone. The club spent a further 15 years in the wilderness.
But I can't be that bad as I can remember a few of the games that Tel mentions ;-)
Some of my all-time Charlton favourites in that team ... especially Alan Campbell
ITV must still have footage of this game somewhere would love to see myself as an 11 year old invading the pitch at the end.
But for the life of me, I can't find it.
Perhaps LoOkie knows how to perform some magic if he gets a moment?
;o)
Eddie Firmani was one of the very best players I ever saw wear the shirt and like many I do recall the high hopes we all had for the following season the disappointment was almost unbearable and I agree we went into the wilderness after that, relegation a couple of seasons later the team never really got back on track until the coming of Hales and Paddy Powell etc.
The group of us regulars on the East Terrace included the de Marne brothers and their dad. The younger brother, Dennis de Marne, was an actor who appeared on several TV series, including Dixon of Dock Green. Was he the first celebrity Charlton fan?
One of the local papers ran a photo spread with a colour! picture of the Addicks team sitting on one of the parade ground cannons at Woolwich. The headline suggested that we were going to give the gunners a shock in the FA cup. When we all crammed into Highbury, the performance from the team was disappointing. I only recall Bob Wilson, the Arsenal keeper, tipping the ball over the crossbar. I don't think we ever really looked like scoring. On the way back, the tube at Drayton Park was so full of fans that the train clipped the platform in a shower of sparks.
Don't be too hard on Eddie Firmani. He was genuinely committed to the club and he knew only too well the perils of stress in managership. After all he had seen at least one very famous predecessor in the job hit the bottle and go to pieces. It is true that Eddie fell out with several key members of the side. I guess the name Ray Crawford comes to mind. The team then nose dived the next season and the chance for glory had passed.
Unlike some on this forum I always thought 'raving' Roger Kirkpatrick was a class act, as were his contemporaries Jack Taylor and Clive Thomas. Unfortunately, they don't make referees like them nowadays.
There was such excitement and hope after the win. Sadly it all went Pete Tong in the end.
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I wonder what his back pass and hoof over the gable stand was like?