The First Division match between Chelsea and Charlton Athletic on Christmas Day 1937 suffered an abandonment when heavy fog descended on Stamford Bridge. The fog was so bad that Charlton 'keeper Sam Bartram was unaware that the match had ended, assuming that his inactivity was due to the play being in the Chelsea half. It was 15 minutes or so before a policeman told him that the game had been abandoned. In later years he described the events of that afternoon -
Soon after the kick-off fog began to thicken rapidly at the far end, travelling past Vic Woodley in the Chelsea goal and rolling steadily towards me. The referee stopped the game, and then, as visibility became clearer, restarted it. We were on top at this time, and I saw fewer and fewer figures as we attacked steadily.
I paced up and down my goal-line, happy in the knowledge that Chelsea were being pinned in their own half. 'The boys must be giving the Pensioners the hammer', I thought smugly, as I stamped my feet for warmth. Quite obviously, however, we were not getting the ball into the net, for no players were coming back to line up, as they would have done following a goal. Time passed, and I made several advances towards the edge of the penalty area, peering through the murk which was getting thicker every minute. Still I could see nothing. The Chelsea defence was clearly being run off its feet.
After a long time a figure loomed out of the curtain of fog in front of me. It was a policeman, and he gaped at me incredulously. 'What on earth are you doing here?' he gasped. 'The game was stopped a quarter of a hour ago. The field's completely empty.'
And when I groped my way to the dressing-room the rest of the Charlton team, already out of the bath, were convulsed with laughter.'
I ask that those who are already 'bored' and angry with Charlton so far this season ,watch the video above! If that doesn't evoke and bring back your passion and belief then I don't know what will! Brilliant film and one that I hope can be shown at the museum for many a generation! Thanks to whoever brought this thread back up!
I ask that those who are already 'bored' and angry with Charlton so far this season ,watch the video above! If that doesn't evoke and bring back your passion and belief then I don't know what will! Brilliant film and one that I hope can be shown at the museum for many a generation! Thanks to whoever brought this thread back up!
The trouble is you see something like that with a legend like Bartram and you feel all nostalgic and the passion starts to come back.....then you get to The Valley on Saturday still full of passion, you take your seat, look towards the pitch and Neil Etheridge is in goal.........
Absolute pure class me and my 10 year old son just watched it and at the end he said "that's true" I said "what is" he said "like that boy said about his dad" he said" your my hero" talk about make me lose my words and put a lump in my throat
Absolute pure class me and my 10 year old son just watched it and at the end he said "that's true" I said "what is" he said "like that boy said about his dad" he said" your my hero" talk about make me lose my words and put a lump in my throat
Absolute pure class me and my 10 year old son just watched it and at the end he said "that's true" I said "what is" he said "like that boy said about his dad" he said" your my hero" talk about make me lose my words and put a lump in my throat
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Me too - I'm sitting at home waiting for the plumber to come thinking, hope he doesn't knock now.
The First Division match between Chelsea and Charlton Athletic on Christmas Day 1937 suffered an abandonment when heavy fog descended on Stamford Bridge. The fog was so bad that Charlton 'keeper Sam Bartram was unaware that the match had ended, assuming that his inactivity was due to the play being in the Chelsea half. It was 15 minutes or so before a policeman told him that the game had been abandoned. In later years he described the events of that afternoon -
Soon after the kick-off fog began to thicken rapidly at the far end, travelling past Vic Woodley in the Chelsea goal and rolling steadily towards me. The referee stopped the game, and then, as visibility became clearer, restarted it. We were on top at this time, and I saw fewer and fewer figures as we attacked steadily.
I paced up and down my goal-line, happy in the knowledge that Chelsea were being pinned in their own half. 'The boys must be giving the Pensioners the hammer', I thought smugly, as I stamped my feet for warmth. Quite obviously, however, we were not getting the ball into the net, for no players were coming back to line up, as they would have done following a goal. Time passed, and I made several advances towards the edge of the penalty area, peering through the murk which was getting thicker every minute. Still I could see nothing. The Chelsea defence was clearly being run off its feet.
After a long time a figure loomed out of the curtain of fog in front of me. It was a policeman, and he gaped at me incredulously. 'What on earth are you doing here?' he gasped. 'The game was stopped a quarter of a hour ago. The field's completely empty.'
And when I groped my way to the dressing-room the rest of the Charlton team, already out of the bath, were convulsed with laughter.'
Lots of other Bartram items in the Charlton Museum
Brilliant film and one that I hope can be shown at the museum for many a generation!
Thanks to whoever brought this thread back up!
Solly