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Worst journey to a match

edited October 2006 in General Charlton
I remember once we drove to Stoke when they were at the Victoria Ground. We broke down about 15 miles outside Stoke, and had to wait an age for the repair truck. Listened to the 1st half on local radio, we went 1-0 down. Eventually got to the ground at half time, no where to park so we stuck it right outside the away entrance.

They let us in for free, which was nice, and then we had about 50 people saying 'were you the lads that broke down ? we drove past you'. yeah, thanks for that.

After the game, because we were so close to the ground we drove right into the middle of a big group of Stoke, who started rocking and kicking the car and gobbing on the windscreen. Nightmare day.

Anyone else had any bad journey's ?
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Comments

  • i think we all know suzi, 1905 and mine... tho 1905 might have had worse.
  • Stockport, think it was the play off season '98.

    Mare of a journey, M6 was clogged all the way, so decided to take a detour. At 2p.m. we were still at least 50 miles from Stockport, M6 was bumper to bumper so we decided to hit the B-roads. No map, just headed 'north'. Parked up 5 minutes before kick off and made it in just as we kicked off.

    Got thumped 3-0 if I remember. Happy Days.
  • [cite] Naughts:[/cite]

    Got thumped 3-0 if I remember. Happy Days.

    And if i remember, Johnny Robinson come over and got involved with a few verbals behind the goal at the final whistle.
  • Swindon, hour and half to get there and three hours going around and around roundabouts getting nowhere!
  • That's right.

    We went to Stoke on the Wednesday after and won 2-1. Robbo and Barney, may have been Sasa's debut if I recall...
  • Yep going to the valley a couple of seasons ago got on the train from sittingbourne at 11 got to Rainham where there had been an incident so got a local bus to Chatham where the trains were resuming boarded train where it terminated at Rochester due to rail works (should have checked really) got on a rail bus now quarter to 2 to go that far and asked the driver when he was leaving, told us we had another 30 minutes to wait!! explained we was going to the match so he asked us to see if anyone else was there was 10 or so. He explained he was Millwall and should not really be doing this but it was last run before going back to depot (Deptford i think) then closed the doors to his bus departed 20 minutes early just yelled down the coach before drinving past most stops que ' anyone for Higham nope tough' done this for all stops until Dartford where train resumed and departed at 10 to 3 great this was about 25 to. top man then turned around and said i will drop you under the woolwich fly over and we hurtled away along the A2 at some scary speeds, had a whip round and got the game 5 minutes late.
  • CAFCBourne - and he was a millwall fan? fair play to him.
  • [cite] Naughts:[/cite]That's right.

    We went to Stoke on the Wednesday after and won 2-1. Robbo and Barney, may have been Sasa's debut if I recall...

    i remember when stoke scored that night their player collided with the mascot and both hit the deck.

    Was Sasa's first game.

    Stockport on a Saturday, and Stoke on a Wednesday. I must of been mad...
  • Curb it Was indeed fairly play although there were some hairy moments on that bus not sure I felt entirely safe but a top man none the less. i just wish i could remember the game I'm pretty sure it was in our promotion year against Swindon with deanos boob
  • I think for me was the Norwich City home match when we beat 4-0 in a premier League match couple of season ago. Left my Mum's in Chessington about 10.30am to drive back to Sittingbourne to catch a train back down to Charlton. Travelled for about 1 junction down the worlds bigghest car park that is the M25 and hit the mother of all jams. No Problem, loads of time I thought, listened to Radio no news of any probs we'll start moving soon. Well eventaully found out it was closed (For next Day & a Half as it turned out due to petrol tanker shedding it's load after crash). After four hours of trying to get off M25. Make a Dash across London rang old man asking for preferential Staff parking which he sorted arrived at rear of South Stand at 3.35. It Sounded really loud outside ground try to work out why, get to my seat just before Half time bloody 2-0 up already, typical!
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  • edited October 2006
    Everton by train a couple of years ago - got to Euston for 9am train (left early to meet a Scouse mate up there) to find there were no trains because of a suicide at Coventry, pegged it to Marylebone, slow train to Brum, then was told by some idiot at New Street to get on the wrong train north, more farting around at Stafford, then a dose of unannounced engineering works at Crewe - almost knocked it on the head for the match at Gresty Road. Got a coach into Liverpool. Flew to Goodison in a cab, got there at 2.50.

    The long journey home was softened by the 1-0 win, of course.
  • Leeds away in the cup 91/92 we broke down somewhere on the A1 cos my uncle filled his car up with dodgy Jet petrol (never used it since).

    Bristol City away on a Wednesday night mid 90's a lorry jacknifed on the M25 so we had to go through Central London during the rush hour.

    Remember seeing a road sign 'Bristol 90 miles' at about 6.30 (7.45ko). Thought about giving up but then thought 'uck it and ended up getting in 2 mins after ko.

    Lost 2-0 obviously.

    Arrived late for Millwall in the snow as well because of dodgy roads.
  • As per curb-its post - Everton away for a night game when we nearly ended up in Hull and eventually made it for half time!!

    Also Newcastle away when Dowman tried to break the landspeed record and nearly had us into Newcastle close to the 3 hour mark. Unfortunately he hit a round about just outside Sunderland and we did the remainder on the back of an AA van.
  • Charlton v Arsenal saturday just gone

    Got to my new local train station in Carshalton at 11.30 arrived at the pub 1.30pm 2 effing hours.

    2 trains cancelled 1 i got on directed to blackfriars. Bloody fumin I was.
  • QF of the FA Cup away to Bolton.

    Driving up the M1 past Luton when all the traffic ground to a halt ahead of us. I stuck the anchors on nut noticed in my rear view mirror that the clapped out Cavalier behind had locked its brakes and was not going to stop. BANG right up the rear (ooooh matron) and buckled the offside rear tyre. Got the car to the hard shoulder and waited ages to be picked up (was still hoping we'd be able to get to the game). Lorry took us to Luton Airport where we left it with a repair firm and realising we werent going to get to Bolton for KO decided to get a rental car and get back to The Valley to watch the game on the big screen. Loads of traffic meant we missed most of the first half and then got to our seats just as Bolton scored the winner.... Great!
  • Bolton was actually our easiest journey ever.

    Hired a lexus and went like a train. Got back in the New Cross Turnpike in Welling well before 8. Went straight to the bar and the two blokes next to me were talking about the game. I chipped in and they said 'oh, you were at the beamback as well'. Wouldn't believe me when i said i was the game, had to go and get the programme to prove it !
  • edited October 2006
    [cite] AFKA Bartram:[/cite]Bolton was actually our easiest journey ever.

    Hired a lexus and went like a train. Got back in the New Cross Turnpike in Welling well before 8. Went straight to the bar and the two blokes next to me were talking about the game. I chipped in and they said 'oh, you were at the beamback as well'. Wouldn't believe me when i said i was the game, had to go and get the programme to prove it !

    Jesus that is good going!! Probably thought you were an Eaststander ;-)

    Remember doing Highfield Rd to Blackheath in 2 hours and St James' to Sidcup in 4 (at night mind)
  • Sheff Utd away (must be about 15 years ago ??) in the Cup (midweek)...coach broke down and we arrived with about 20 mins to go 2-0 down, walked straight in the home end and saw us score (think it was Gary Nelson ?!?!)

    best trip, Man U away midweek a few seasons ago, left Old Trafford cricket ground car park at 10pm and was home in Eltham at 1am !!
  • Spurs on a Tuesday night when I was a soap dodging student. i'd just got my overdraft extended and thought why not. I got the train from Northampton down to Euston with the plan of having a few cans on the way before getting cross London to the Valley. Except the train pulled up just short of Milton Keynes and didn't move... for four hours! By the time an Engineer turned up and the train was cancelled we got to Milton Keynes and it was nearly 7.30 we just turned round and went home. I got my picture on the front of the local the paper holding up my wasted ticket.
  • Forest away when about a mile from the ground the coach we were on crashed, had to walk the last mile then after the game had a two hour wait for a replacement coach to take us home.
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  • My dad took me to Port Vale in the early 70's and in those days we didn't have a car that went more than about 30 MPH. I remember getting up in the middle of the night, setting off and as we got further north it started hammering it down with Snow. Got into the ground only for it to be called off 5 minutes before the scheduled KO time. My old man was not best pleased. That would never happen in this day and age :-O
  • Grimsby away on a Friday night in promotion season....left Greenwich at 1pm to drive up the A1, got to Grimsby at 9pm just to see the sides come out for second half due to worst traffic ever seen on that road...coach got there later than me... The only things in my favour were a) we won (4-2 / 5-2, can't remember) and b) I was heading north for the rest of the weeknd, so only had a further hour to drive, rather than all the way south again...
  • Tried to go to a home match against Barnsley once and just sat on the A2 for ages. I eventually crawled to an exit at 3:25 turned round and went home not actually getting to the game at all!

    I was well pi$$ed off that day!
  • edited October 2006
    [cite] Southendaddick:[/cite]Leeds away in the cup 91/92 we broke down somewhere on the A1 cos my uncle filled his car up with dodgy Jet petrol (never used it since).

    LOL! Was this you're uncle Del?
  • [cite] Al the Addick:[/cite]Forest away when about a mile from the ground the coach we were on crashed, had to walk the last mile then after the game had a two hour wait for a replacement coach to take us home.

    I was on a coach just in front. Lucky escape. Think it was Operation Yellow that day.

    If the NHS did as many Operations as our club and supporters, the health service would have no problems !
  • when we were on the 5.30 KO at Newcastle a few years ago, we got the train up in the morning and got there just after lunch. Friends were on the train an hour behind, a tree fell on the line and they didn't pull into newcastle until 20 mins into the second half, having been on the train 8 hours.

    they watched the last 20 in a bar and were seriously unimpressed.
  • Carlo's debut at Newcastle back in 86 or 87, I was taking a roundabout route anyway and had to change at Sheffield, had things worked out I'd have just made it, as it was the train was late in arriving and even later in getting to Shefiield and wasn't going to arrive in Geordieland until second half kick off, if I was lucky....

    So I missed Carlo's debut and his first goal.
  • Mine was largely self inflicted, so I can't really complain. 3 years ago, one of my friends got married in New Zealand, and it's the one place I've always wanted to go, so after much grovelling I persuaded work to let me take a month off to go to the wedding and spend a bit of time travelling around. My leave dates were such that I was due to arrive back at Heathrow at 8am on the day we were playing Newcastle at home, which should have been plenty of time to pick up my stuff, dump it at home, grab a couple of hours kip and then head off on the tube to the game.

    Unfortunately, it was around the time the tanks had been stationed at Heathrow, so when we stopped off at LA to refuel, we had to take all our stuff off the plane, go out through customs and immigration, back in through security again ("I've been on a plane for 12 hours, are you sure you want me to take off my shoes so you can inspect them that closely?"), hang around in a holding area for a while, and then get back on the same plane we'd vacated more than 3 hours earlier. We arrived at Heathrow at 11am, 28 hours after we'd left Christchurch, but then had to hang around in baggage claim for nearly 2 hours because the conveyor belt had jammed. As the flight was late in, my parents very kindly vounteered to pick me up from the airport, so we finally left Heathrow at about 1:15, chucked my lugguage in the boot and bombed it round the M25, and got to the ground at ten to three.

    Can't for the life of me remember anything about the game though.
  • When we lived in Andover our first trip to Selhurst Park had it's problems. For some reason my sense of direction has always deserted me in Croyden but with the Lass being a good map reader I said "direct me to Crystal Palace", so she did to Crystal Palace parade where the buses turn round and the big TV aerial is situated. At 2.45 after a "discussion" we eventually found our way to the ground, eventually found somewhere to park and arrived at the ticket office just after 3 to be told there were only tickets in the away end - we were playing Liverpool - we went home!
  • I don't think anyone is going to beat this. Why don't Charlton do this for loyal fans. Sort it out!


    "Three Russian football fans have been given a new car by the club they support. They drove 10,000 miles to see their team Zenit St Petersburg play Luch-Energiya in the Sea of Japan but had to take the train back after their car broke down. (The Sun)"
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