Yes i was there - was also there the night before helping to secure the tv gantree and the gutter on the covered end - a great day - couldn't have been any greater difference in my lack of interest and enjoyment on Friday night.
I couldn't get a ticket. So to make sure I never missed another game at the valley that I wanted to attend I bought a season ticket and I've had one ever since.
It was an amazing day. One of the best days of my life. I will never forget it. Just the walk down through Charlton Park to the ground, and seeing other fans heading to the ground was emotional enough, but being in the ground was something else. I was in the Covered End about a dozen rows back just to the East side of the goal, so had a great view of Walsh's goal. The atmosphere generated by such a relatively small crowd was something special. The thing I remember most about the day though was that the Sun must have been very bright and there also must have been lots of dust in the air because my eyes kept watering, like when the teams came out, when Walsh scored and when old players were on the pitch.
On The BBC news that evening on the main news they did a feature of the day…..both on national and local news. There was some footage asking fans how they felt to be back at The Valley…..in that sequence there is a fan wearing a red cap with a pair of cloth hands attached to the top with a fishing line, every time he pulled the line the hand’s clapped together. Has anyone got the footage of that?
Stood on an upturned oil barrel peering over someone's back garden wall in Charlton Lane. View over the east terrace partially obscured, but not that bad as I recall. Simply had to be there despite travelling 120 miles each way. Sadly, not so invested now and 🗡️🐟 hasn't been seen there for many a long year.
I couldn't get a ticket. So to make sure I never missed another game at the valley that I wanted to attend I bought a season ticket and I've had one ever since.
Pretty much the same for me. Felt like a proper kick in the nuts to be honest as I'd stuck with the club, home and away solidly from the moment I started in 82 but hey ho.
Went to Craven Cottage instead that day and as the novelty wore off for the day trippers, I was easily able to get tickets for every subsequent home game, including Boxing Day v West Ham....and like you, I've been a season holder every year since.
We had seats in the Jimmy Seed, about half way up. We soaked up the atmosphere outside the ground for a long time before. Memories are pretty fleeting now. My first ever game was the last game at The Valley so I have mixed up the walks from the car a little. I remember dad being very excited about both. And I met Killer but I think that was at the first one, it's hard to tell. I need to dig out some photos.
I remember how fresh everything was. The paint was so shiny and red. I remember the weather being cold but I was still warm. The bells coming from the west stand. The pitch looking immaculate. The old goal nets and Portacabins. I'd been to the ground a few times when it was shut to have a wander around but this was my first time on that side of the stadium. I'd never seen the floodlights there before. I remember going ballistic when Walsh scored. But not much else about the game sadly.
Got to the ground at 11:00am, was in the ground as soon as Roger Alwen unlocked the gates to the Covered End. Sat there watching the ground slowly fill up, soaking up the atmosphere. Was delighted when Colin Walsh hit the winner, but honestly, that was one day where the result didn’t matter. One thing I remember is having to fight back the tears as the teams came on the pitch, only to hear a little boy behind me saying to his mother ‘Mum, Dad’s crying’. Instinctively, I turned around, saw the guy crying, which set me off.
There was a youth game played at The Valley a few days later, and went just to reassure myself that Saturday had really happened and hadn’t been a dream.
The togetherness of fans and club at that time was something that made me proud to be an Addick.
Got to the ground at 11:00am, was in the ground as soon as Roger Alwen unlocked the gates to the Covered End. Sat there watching the ground slowly fill up, soaking up the atmosphere. Was delighted when Colin Walsh hit the winner, but honestly, that was one day where the result didn’t matter. One thing I remember is having to fight back the tears as the teams came on the pitch, only to hear a little boy behind me saying to his mother ‘Mum, Dad’s crying’. Instinctively, I turned around, saw the guy crying, which set me off.
There was a youth game played at The Valley a few days later, and went just to reassure myself that Saturday had really happened and hadn’t been a dream.
The togetherness of fans and club at that time was something that made me proud to be an Addick.
Your CL name
I may have said before, but my late Dad also saw Johnny Summers play many many times, and told me he was a cracking player, and Dad was very upset that Summers died so young
But Dad’s favourite Charlton player was Ronnie White - I recently bought one of Ronnie’s Charlton playing contracts at an online auction
Dad was lucky enough to see Summers, Firmani, Bartram, Leary etc etc etc play
Dad was at the 7-6 Huddersfield game - Summers epic performance
My Lord Flashheart, Now in my 70th year, sadly I was not old enough to be at that Huddersfield game. However I consider myself very fortunate to have watched the likes of Summers, Leary, Firmani, Hewie, Duff and Hinton play. I also saw the great Stanley Matthews play for Stoke against us at The Valley in the early 60’s when he had just turned 50. I remember Ronnie White well, playing mainly at inside right, alongside the likes of Roy ‘Jessie’ Matthews and Denis ‘Daisy’ Edwards. He was a proper footballer. To a young lad back then, they were footballing gods, when in reality many of them were probably no more than average footballers. When I learnt that Johnny Summers had passed away at the ridiculously young age of 34, I was devastated, as I’m sure your Dad was.
I have many fond memories of those early footballing days, and I’d swap those days for these troubled times in an instant if I could.
I never ever thought of missing a home game back then, unlike now when many of those wearing the red shirt are not fit to tie the laces of the likes of White, Summers and Leary.
Having been involved with marches and protests to get back to The Valley my day started in Woolwich. Marching back to ground.Sat next to Nick in covered end. 30 years ago tonight and more protests with Nick followed in Belgium. Time goes by so quickly. Royal Oak ,The Valley and Charlton Athletic
My Lord Flashheart, Now in my 70th year, sadly I was not old enough to be at that Huddersfield game. However I consider myself very fortunate to have watched the likes of Summers, Leary, Firmani, Hewie, Duff and Hinton play. I also saw the great Stanley Matthews play for Stoke against us at The Valley in the early 60’s when he had just turned 50. I remember Ronnie White well, playing mainly at inside right, alongside the likes of Roy ‘Jessie’ Matthews and Denis ‘Daisy’ Edwards. He was a proper footballer. To a young lad back then, they were footballing gods, when in reality many of them were probably no more than average footballers. When I learnt that Johnny Summers had passed away at the ridiculously young age of 34, I was devastated, as I’m sure your Dad was.
I have many fond memories of those early footballing days, and I’d swap those days for these troubled times in an instant if I could.
I never ever thought of missing a home game back then, unlike now when many of those wearing the red shirt are not fit to tie the laces of the likes of White, Summers and Leary.
They were great days indeed…..Stuart Leary remains my all time favourite player, years ahead of his time in a number of aspects.
I was there. Covered End, row D. Pretty much watched the game through the goal net. I remember piling off the train from Charing Cross and someone in front of me stopping to take a photo of the station name sign. Then the parade of former players. I was a relatively new fan, in terms of actually going to games, so mostly that was the first time I'd seen them in the flesh. It was also my first game at the Valley. Some of the former players were people my dad had cheered on in the 40s and 50s so very familiar names. And I remember a sort of build up of hysteria all around me for the first few minutes, as people gradually realised it was all real and we were actually playing at the Valley. The explosion of emotion when the goal was scored was incredible.
I couldn't tell you a single thing that happened that day after 3.07pm. Not a clue.
I ended up with three tickets, then the people who said they wanted to come couldn’t so ended up taking ex-girlfriend, Liverpool supporter, and current girlfriend, who’s now MsAA.
Are any of these people on CL, or known by anyone on CL?
I'm pretty sure (like 95% plus) I'm in the bottom photo - top right looking directly into the camera.
Remember getting there early and soaking everything in. And think I remember seeing myself on the ITV highlights show the day after, which is I think where those shots are taken from.
We were in the JS, a few rows back just left of the goal as you look at the pitch. I'd come down from University very early that morning and was so excited.
Can still remember how amazing it felt to have our own ground. I'd been to the Valley as a kid a handful of times before we left, but the vast bulk of my Charlton watching was at Selhurst and Upton Park.
I was so into Charlton in those days. Used to take in away games up north while at university. In fact I think I remember the guy with the curly hair and rosette in the middle photo of your previous post at a few of those - Barnsley sticks in the mind.
Think I was more into the Valley than the football back then.
My dad used to record the Sunday evening Mark Mansfield radio show and send a tape of that and clippings from the Mercury every week, which was a massive highlight albeit a week or so behind the goings on in SE London. I remember one Mercury back page which had an architect's image of a potential new East Stand (a design that was never built) - we might actually have our own new stand not made of scaffolding, the stuff of dreams! All so fresh in my mind (I think) but was so long ago the internet didn't even exist for practical purposes.
Contrast that with how I feel now which is almost total indifference. Garner news yesterday I saw on my phone, and thought oh well, back to work. Cheltenham last week was my first game of the season (amazing in itself) and the highlight was my daughter pointing out a dead pigeon lying in the otherwise empty row in front of us.
It was my nephew's first league game and he appears to love it similar to me as a kid - the weirdo. He has a shirt and a training top which he proudly prances around in.
Guess it makes you realise that everything goes in cycles. We just happen to be on one equivalent to Saturn's orbit of the sun - 29 years!
Comments
So to make sure I never missed another game at the valley that I wanted to attend I bought a season ticket and I've had one ever since.
Really hard to fathom that was 30 years ago.
There was some footage asking fans how they felt to be back
at The Valley…..in that sequence there is a fan wearing a red cap with a pair of cloth hands attached to the top with a fishing line, every time he pulled the line the hand’s clapped together.
Has anyone got the footage of that?
Went to Craven Cottage instead that day and as the novelty wore off for the day trippers, I was easily able to get tickets for every subsequent home game, including Boxing Day v West Ham....and like you, I've been a season holder every year since.
I remember how fresh everything was. The paint was so shiny and red. I remember the weather being cold but I was still warm. The bells coming from the west stand. The pitch looking immaculate. The old goal nets and Portacabins. I'd been to the ground a few times when it was shut to have a wander around but this was my first time on that side of the stadium. I'd never seen the floodlights there before. I remember going ballistic when Walsh scored. But not much else about the game sadly.
Magical day
Fantastic atmosphere
And the evening in the Oak was just as memorable
Oh so Happy days
One thing I remember is having to fight back the tears as the teams came on the pitch, only to hear a little boy behind me saying to his mother ‘Mum, Dad’s crying’. Instinctively, I turned around, saw the guy crying, which set me off.
But Dad’s favourite Charlton player was Ronnie White - I recently bought one of Ronnie’s Charlton playing contracts at an online auction
Dad was lucky enough to see Summers, Firmani, Bartram, Leary etc etc etc play
Dad was at the 7-6 Huddersfield game - Summers epic performance
Now in my 70th year, sadly I was not old enough to be at that Huddersfield game. However
I consider myself very fortunate to have watched the likes of Summers, Leary, Firmani, Hewie, Duff and Hinton play. I also saw the great Stanley Matthews play for Stoke against us at The Valley in the early 60’s when he had just turned 50.
I remember Ronnie White well, playing mainly at inside right, alongside the likes of Roy ‘Jessie’ Matthews and Denis ‘Daisy’ Edwards. He was a proper footballer.
To a young lad back then, they were footballing gods, when in reality many of them were probably no more than average footballers. When I learnt that Johnny Summers had passed away at the ridiculously young age of 34, I was devastated, as I’m sure your Dad was.
Nick in covered end.
30 years ago tonight and more protests with Nick followed in Belgium.
Time goes by so quickly.
Royal Oak ,The Valley and Charlton Athletic
I couldn't tell you a single thing that happened that day after 3.07pm. Not a clue.
Remember getting there early and soaking everything in. And think I remember seeing myself on the ITV highlights show the day after, which is I think where those shots are taken from.
We were in the JS, a few rows back just left of the goal as you look at the pitch. I'd come down from University very early that morning and was so excited.
Can still remember how amazing it felt to have our own ground. I'd been to the Valley as a kid a handful of times before we left, but the vast bulk of my Charlton watching was at Selhurst and Upton Park.
I was so into Charlton in those days. Used to take in away games up north while at university. In fact I think I remember the guy with the curly hair and rosette in the middle photo of your previous post at a few of those - Barnsley sticks in the mind.
Think I was more into the Valley than the football back then.
My dad used to record the Sunday evening Mark Mansfield radio show and send a tape of that and clippings from the Mercury every week, which was a massive highlight albeit a week or so behind the goings on in SE London. I remember one Mercury back page which had an architect's image of a potential new East Stand (a design that was never built) - we might actually have our own new stand not made of scaffolding, the stuff of dreams! All so fresh in my mind (I think) but was so long ago the internet didn't even exist for practical purposes.
Contrast that with how I feel now which is almost total indifference. Garner news yesterday I saw on my phone, and thought oh well, back to work. Cheltenham last week was my first game of the season (amazing in itself) and the highlight was my daughter pointing out a dead pigeon lying in the otherwise empty row in front of us.
It was my nephew's first league game and he appears to love it similar to me as a kid - the weirdo. He has a shirt and a training top which he proudly prances around in.
Guess it makes you realise that everything goes in cycles. We just happen to be on one equivalent to Saturn's orbit of the sun - 29 years!
https://www.google.com/search?gs_ssp=eJzj4tVP1zc0zDLNsUg2zU4zYPTiyM5JzczLTcwDAF1lB70&q=kleinman&rlz=1C1CHBF_enGB1027GB1027&oq=Kleinm&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j46i512l3j46i175i199i512l2j0i512j46i175i199i512j46i512.4219j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#imgrc=DfL1VQ7yFFDjBM%3A