FA Cup Memories: Ipswich Town V Charlton Athletic 1981

E_cafc

Remember this game like it was yesterday. We were in the 3rd Division going for promotion after coming down the previous year and we had a fantastic FA Cup run to reach the 5th round.

We beat Harlow away 2.0, Bournemouth at home 2.1(after going 1.0 down) Plymouth away 2.1 again 1.0 down and the window of our Lewis coach fell out on the motorway on the way there( bloody freezing) Fulham away 2.1(killer with the winner again).

We were then drawn to play Ipswich away in the 5th round. They were a bloody good team then and were top of the 1st Division and were going well in Europe too.

I can still recall the songs our fans were singing that day including the song that was in the charts" Shaddup Ya Face" and a few about Paul Mariner and John Wark,etc.

Anyone else remember this day? We were in the ground at 12.45 that day and didn`t stop singing until we left at full time. We were just so loud, "Come on you yellows" was deafening! They said we had 5,000 there that day, sounded more like 10,000!

Oh and for a 3rd Division team we played very well that day although we lost 2.0

kmem4

cor, what a day, all behind the goal in a couple of pens , like u say seemed like 10,000 .

Addick Addict

I was there too but, sadly, my memories are that the game was very much an anti-climax.

E_cafc

I can see your point. We were only young then, 13 or 14 years old so the game itself wasn`t the main interest, it was the day out and our support that made it for us. To be fair, we were never going to beat them were we?

gilbertfilbert

When we got to Ipswich, all the pubs were locked. We wandered the streets disconsolately until a loud "Psst!" came from just behind us. A chap with the moustache of a postwar spiv beckoned us towards the half-open door from which he had emerged. "Looking for a drink, lads?" His pub, full of perfectly friendly Ipswich fans, fitted the bill very nicely.

From what I remember of the game, the atmosphere and performance were great.

Afterwards we spent an age searching for my mate's car until we realised we were in the wrong multi-storey car park.

golfaddick

shame to say I didn't go to away games then (certainly not outside London) and remember watching the highlights on Match of the Day in the evening - all I can remember is Les Berry's broken nose & blood everywhere.....

Deffo remember the "return" match in 1983 (?) when we led 2-0 after 20 mins and then lost 3-2 after another dodgy penalty decision going against us.

Mate of mine at school was a "tractor" fan (mainly I think due to their current success) and remember the banter for weeks over these games.

seth plum

Schlepped up there on a dodgy 100cc 2 stroke Yamaha, bit of a dark cold and tiring journey back. We were absolutely jam packed in half of one end, with the sitters in a block in the stand down the side to our left. Ipswich were pretty good, but we were certainly not awful, and as for the singing and general support we were very very good...remember the Joe Dolce stuff very well...good CAFC awayday....if we can repeat that level of singing and support at Tottenham it will be very good.

HOME & AWAY

http://www.charltonlife.com/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=4450&page=1#Item_27

Tavern

Another Lewis coach day!For me brilliant day out

Paul Walsh 79

We played against an excellent Ipswich team.Stronger than the team that beat Arsenal in the final a couple of years previous.Being used to home attendances averaging 5000 I was amazed at the numbers and the passion we had that day.Our team done us proud although obviously Ipswich were the better side.That was a good cup run that year and what I remember most is continually slipping on the wet grass slopey banks at Harlow's ground.Used to love going away those days.There was always a certain excitement to watching Charlton Away.And yes that yellow away strip has always been my favourite.I think it was blue shorts.

nolly

dont remember us having many chances pretty one way,thought the support was good though.

Leroy Ambrose

[cite]Posted By: golfaddick[/cite]shame to say I didn't go to away games then (certainly not outside London) and remember watching the highlights on Match of the Day in the evening - all I can remember is Les Berry's broken nose & blood everywhere.....

Deffo remember the "return" match in 1983 (?) when we led 2-0 after 20 mins and then lost 3-2 after another dodgy penalty decision going against us.

Mate of mine at school was a "tractor" fan (mainly I think due to their current success) and remember the banter for weeks over these games.

Bloody hell - how much of a coincidence is this? This morning I turned up for work and a bloke I work with had put a 'present' on my desk - the programme from the Ipswich cup game in '83! He found in on the floor in Deptford market last weekend! Steve 'Useless' White on the cover, with Killer lurking in the background. Was leafing through the photo section showing snaps from our xmas/ny fixtures - subtitled 'six goals but only two points'. How the f*** did we lose 4-5 to Wednesday the week before?

nolly

great goalscoring record that steve white no wonder he never stayed long

BartramBlitz

That game really stood out. It was such a great cup run-didn't killer score the winner at Fulham before this game in the same yellow kit. the kit was a classic with the blood red cafc badge standing out with the FADs advert. Strange to think they sell it in the club shop now but didn't even bother back then. They only sold key rings and diaries no commercial side to the club at all.

I was 14 at the time and the Ipswich game was my first real away game. My neighbour took my older brother and I. I remember being shocked by how many Charlton fans there were there that day. I don't think Ipswich thought a Div 3 team could bring that many-just shows it was in the days when you could just decide on the spur of the moment to go to a game and they would pack you in like sardines on the terraces. I vaguely remember the local press there being critical of the Charlton support and referring to them as coming from Surrey docks as if we were Millwall fans. I really love that team with Paul Walsh and Derek Hales, Les Berry and Nicky Johns. a whole mob of us would go to games at the valley from school as with a junior card it only cost a £1 to get in and 20p return on the bus.