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That was the play off final that was

Kap10Kap10
in General Charlton
Forget Wembley, this was truly Charlton epitomised. I was living in Sutton Coldfield at the time but could not get to the match. My son had just been born and when we took the lead I almost threw him into the ceiling.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/that-1980s-sports-blog/2015/may/22/first-football-league-play-offs-1987-charlton-swindon-aldershot

Charlton the first ever play off winners and the best ever play off winners

Comments

  • adsads
    Good article, funny to read the Leeds fans comments at the end, still bitter about it now
  • TelMc32TelMc32
    I wasn't able to get to Birmingham for the game because of work. Finished late that evening and was persuaded to go to the Gillingham game by a mate who supported them.

    All night was spent trying to work out what was happening at St Andrews and I had the tears welling up as we left the stadium and someone said we were 1 down with just a few minutes left of extra time. By the time we got back to the station, St Peter had got 2 goals and the news got through to me. I was grinning like a mad Cheshire Cat, forgetting myself in amongst all the Gills fans, including my mate, who were desolate at their defeat and getting a bit narked that I was so happy! Got home to see the highlights, which I am sure we're on/around/after midnight and had the most one sided commentary I'd ever heard! Great night!! :smile:
  • AddicktedAddickted
    "Small pocket".

    They certainly knew we were there when Shirtliff scored the winner.
  • ElfsborgAddickElfsborgAddick
    Apart from Portsmouth in '92, St Andrews was THE game in our history.
  • cafcsingercafcsinger
    Excuse my ignorance but why did why only have a few thousand fans at St Andrews?
  • ricky_ottoricky_otto
    Not a bad turn out considering the gates we used to get at Selhurst.
  • HardyAddickHardyAddick
    Was a Friday night. Could not get time off work. The previous game at Elland Road was electric with hard head Leeds fans waiting outside for when we left. Don't know what it would have been like had we won or drawn that game!
  • CatAddickCatAddick
    Was a student at the time so gave myself time off to go. As ricky_otto said,not bad for the Selhurst years. Certainly felt like we had a few there when we scored but scarily outnumbered!!
  • TelMc32TelMc32
    Worth watching...

    http://youtu.be/rWY_hlJowno
  • AddicktedAddickted
    Still have one of Bob Bolder's Gloves from that game.
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  • BrentfordAddickBrentfordAddick
    We didn't have a few thousand. We had about 1800. Some stood behind the goal, some sat down.
  • Big WilliamBig William
    I still think that if we'd lost at St Andrews Charlton could have disappeared within the year.

    I went to all of the play off games that year, I think you could describe the atmosphere at the Leeds matches as "lively". And then some....
  • Kap10Kap10
    edited May 2015
    Billy bremner said to Lennie Lawrence when he arrived at Elland Road, something like "I hope your boys have brought their armour!"

    Leeds had two of our promotion winning tea, mark Aizelwood, who had a tempestuous relationship with Charlton fans and john Pearson who was lethal in the air at tier 2 but could not cut it in the top flight.

    Oh and Leeds had a certain Mervyn Day
  • SimonsenSimonsen
    I don't think I've ever experienced an intimidating atmosphere in an all-seater ground, so for newer fans, they might not be able to appreciate what it was like. Luckily Elland Road had terracing in those days....and the atmosphere was red hot. Memorable night and the noise after they scored was fierce but we saw the game out well.

    Ps....Bring back terracing!!!!
  • ElfsborgAddickElfsborgAddick
    Big William said:

    I still think that if we'd lost at St Andrews Charlton could have disappeared within the year.

    I went to all of the play off games that year, I think you could describe the atmosphere at the Leeds matches as "lively". And then some....

    A pretty accurate post.
  • Anna_KissedAnna_Kissed
    It was the opening night of the Greenwich Festival and I was nervously pacing about down by Cutty Sark, trying to watch a fireworks display. When news came through on Radio 2's Sports Report that we'd won, there were some very happy Addicks bouncing around. Got home just in time to see the highlights on TV. Interviewed after the game, Peter Shirtliff, born in Yorkshire, said that he'd never scored two goals in a match before. What a plucky team we had, marshaled by the fantastic Lennie Lawrence.
  • BlucherBlucher
    We outplayed Leeds over those three games and justice was most certainly done. After the tight and tense game at Selhurst Park, I thought we were very much the better side at Elland Road. As Simonsen says, it was an extraordinarily loud and intimidating atmosphere, wih continuous singing from all four sides of the ground ('Marching on together..'etc). We moved the ball very well throughout and just lacked the cutting edge and bit of luck up front to put them away. I remember Peter Shirtliff coming back after a very, very long absence and he was a hugely reassuring figure - absolutely immense.

    Likewise the game at St Andrews. We were far the better team and, as well as standing up to (and besting) Leeds physically - I recall Shirtiff kneeing that twat Baird in the head after an attempted assault on Bob Bolder (thankfully not spotted) - we played much the better football. A tremendous blend of class, steel and sheer guts saw us deservedly through. A marvellous night and one which - given the cumulative struggles we endured staying out of the bottom three in the old Division 1 that season and battling through the play-offs - is, for me, on a par with the magnificent 1998 Wembley Final.
  • MuttleyCAFCMuttleyCAFC
    We didn't have so many fans then. Pre Airman Brown days. I was there though.
  • thai malaysia addickthai malaysia addick
    I missed the Sunderland final but this was the best game I have ever been to.
  • ViewfinderViewfinder
    I was there with two London mates; I had lived in Birmingham a few years previously and knew the city well, so the game was prefaced by a massive pub crawl of back-street boozers.

    I watched the extended highlights about a year ago posted on this forum by, I think, Aliwibble. What struck me was how bloody good we were: full of running and strength and skill - all this at the very end of a gruelling season.

    Makes our football these days look slow and weedy in comparison.
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  • Henry IrvingHenry Irving
    edited May 2016
    TelMc32 said:

    Worth watching...

    http://youtu.be/rWY_hlJowno

    Always worth watching again. Never a dull play-off final with Charlton. Stick your lesser finals over this weekend featuring no mark clubs because this is where it all started

    Certainly one of the five most important games in the club's history, arguably the most crucial.

    29 years ago today.

    Must do something for the 30th anniversary next year.

  • Henry IrvingHenry Irving
    image

    Hero
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