Your Charlton Career

dickplumb said:

My Dad first took me in the 1961/62 season. I was fascinated by the shirts of Charlton, white with a red flash on the shoulders. The smell of old Holborn, roasted peanuts and putting the half time scores up on boards. The archaic toilet facilities and the huge East terracing. From my first match I was hooked. It is a habit I have been unable to break in the next nearly sixty years.

Six-a-bag-of-nuts said:

dickplumb said:

My Dad first took me in the 1961/62 season. I was fascinated by the shirts of Charlton, white with a red flash on the shoulders. The smell of old Holborn, roasted peanuts and putting the half time scores up on boards. The archaic toilet facilities and the huge East terracing. From my first match I was hooked. It is a habit I have been unable to break in the next nearly sixty years.

Yeh, same season for me @dickplumb (ps that red flash kit didn't arrive until the following season)
My uncle (did I mention before he was Harry Lennon's grandad  ) took me to the Easter game against Bristol Rovers. 
Sam Lawrie and Stuart Leary scored, although I can only remember one of the goals now.

I also used to like the white shirts with the red shoulder flashes. You occasionally see iconic photos of Mike Bailey and I think John Hewie in those shirts.

70/71 was my first match. Loved the Valley. Just loved being there. Vivid memories of the Preston evening game to clinch promotion. Remember getting in the ground late with my dad and I think we were 1 down. Was at last game v Stoke at the valley. Went through the selhurst park days and great memories but tainted by being away from the valley. Leeds playoff l went to all three games. Helped clear the valley despite by then having moved to Norwich. Seen us three times at Wembley. Two play off finals were amazing for different reasons for me. I lived in chislehurst as a kid and went to kemnal manor school. Don't recall any other supporters there! No regrets. Love being a Charlton fan despite the dissapointments  that we have to endure. Family mostly Charlton to. Still love just being at the valley. Something about it for me. Not sure what really.😃

SporadicAddick said:

Simonsen said:

1,137 games (I don't include friendlies) since 1982.
730 at home (W331 D189 L210) 
407 away (W114 D90 L203)

Seen us most v QPR & Middlesbrough = 28 times each.

Seen us most away at QPR =15 times

Most away wins at Swindon = 7 times out of 11

Least away wins = never seen us win at Everton, Liverpool or Ipswich despite going there 7 times each. 

First home win = Leicester City January 1983 2-1 (Simonsen 2)

First away win = Fulham December 1983 1-0 (Paul Curtis - YAY!) 

Big games missed;

Away to Chelsea 1-1 (Paul Miller)

1st game back at The Valley v Portsmouth (couldn't get a ticket), 

Play off semi away to Ipswich 1998

Favourite game; play off v Leeds at St Andrews

Favourite thrashing; 1-5 away to Man City 1985 

Best ground; the old St James' Park, Newcastle (with the open terracing)

Least favourite; Kenilworth Road (by some distance!) 

Brilliant level of detail - have you kept records since the first game? 

During a period of unemployment 10 years ago I went back and worked it all out. Colin Cameron's book was invaluable, as were the 100s of programmes and Rothmans Yearbooks I had stacked away.

I basically did every game I'd ever seen at non-league or above. I've got about 80 Brentford, 25 QPR and Fulham games in there, with an assortment of Millwall, Palace, Spurs, Orient, Chelsea, West Ham and Bristol Rovers. I watched a lot of London football in the 80s....and a bit of Bristol Rovers. 

Millwall 

Been to a few games.

Fell asleep for whole game against boro

I lived in Lewisham and it was a choice between the Spanners, Nigels or the Addicks.

Dated a bird from Bexley and remember her Dad had a Charlton mug. Made me watch out for their results.

Charlton finished top and got promoted.

The first actual game I watched (Sky televised), was away to Derby (Santa and JJ) in a 2-2 draw. Watched it in a pub in Lewisham.

First game at The Valley was a cup game against the Spuds. We were up 2-0. Ended up losing 4-2.

When the upper north opened, I managed to get a season ticket. First game was the opener against Chelsea. We were up 2-0...ended up losing 3-2.

The first win I witnessed at The Valley was 1-0 against Boro (Euell early in the game from memory).

First away was Boro (1-1 - JJ). Remember Hogan’s in Darlington (70p pints), while we waited for the train to Middlesbrough.

I loved going pre- and post match in The Royal Oak. Great memories.

Left London for NZ in the season we went down. Last game was against Blades (we drew and this was pretty much the nail in the coffin). Remember watching the away defeat to Blackburn in a pub (think we lost 4-1).

Since then, I’ve only been able to watch us once (Scunthorpe 2-2 in 2011), as every time we’ve been back, it’s been in July.

Have had some amazing (and incredibly depressing) times following this club and my interest hasn’t declined, although it’s been pretty rough, since I left (apart from 2011/12 and Wembley last year).

Strangest experience was watching us play Brondby behind closed doors at The Valley (Hugo Z Hackenbush managed to get me in). Might have been 2003 or 04?

Started up a little supporters club (Auckland Addicks) and currently seven of us meet up to watch the games on iFollow.

Simonsen said:

ElfsborgAddick said:

Simonsen said:

Just had a look and it looks a bit like Jefferson Louis' Wikipedia career records! 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Louis

Charlton      1,137
Hendon          185
Brentford         84
Dulwich           26
QPR                 22
Fulham            21
German           17 (non-league various, mainly around Hamburg & Lubeck)
HSV                 16
Orient               5
Millwall             5 (George Graham era)
Palace               4 
West Ham         4 (Frank McAvennie era)
Internationals   4 (Yugoslavia x2, Holland & Italy at Euro 96 & 2000)
Spurs                3 
QPR Reserves    3 (all v Charlton)
Bristol Rovers    2
Chelsea             2
Hayes                2
Tempo Overijse 2 (Belgian Div 4 at the time)
Arsenal             1
Notts Forest      1 (v Wimbledon with a load of Charlton fans, after our morning game v Notts Co.)
Lierse                1
Ghent                1
Anderlecht        1
Dorchester        1
Sudbury            1
Hampton           1
Harrow Boro      1
Slough               1
Welling              1
York City Res     1

1,556 games and a lot of money but I bet that's about half as many as Elfs. 

What year was the Nottingham double header mate?
Where did QPR reserves play their games? Surely not Loftus Road?

I think Forest double header was 1985. We were rained off at Notts Co (we'd all got to Nottingham station and we were told it was off) and the pre-arranged game was a Sat morning 0-0. We watched Forest v Wimbledon FA Cup game at 3pm and that was also 0-0 (but much better). We bunked back on the Wimbledon supporters train.

Yes, the QPR games were all at Loftus Road. First one was 1983 one afternoon and I bunked off school in Northolt to see us get cained 5-0 on the astroturf. Bloke called Tony Simmonds got 3 for them and there was a fella welding the crash barriers behind the goal all through the game!

The 2nd one was early 90s and I bunked off work and I think we lost 3-1 with Steve Brown scoring.

The last one was an evening. Think we lost 1-0 (not sure). Majid Bougherra and Scott Wagstaff were definitely playing, so I think it was our first season back down in the Championship. 

Majid Bougherra, what a footballer.

I first saw him play for Wednesday v Birmingham in our relegation season(my mates 50th birthday, he's Wednesday). The geezer had a blinder and all the Wednesdayites were raving about him.
I was so pleased when he came to us, a shame it did not work out.

Beginning: Dad sat me on the wall at the back of the East Terrace when I was four. My guess is that would be the start of the 63-64 season. In truth I can’t remember a time when I didn’t go to Charlton games. 

Background: Grandad, Dad, me, brother, nephew and sons all lifelong Charlton supporters. None of us have lived ‘south of the water’, although I often walked to The Valley when living in Silvertown. Got first season tickets in 1974 having missed only three home games in ten years. (One of those a punishment for misbehaviour - a rare win, 3-0 v Norwich!). Had a season ticket ever since. Didn’t miss a ‘home’ game at Selhurst or Upton Parks, despite living and working in Sheffield for four years. Seen Charlton play at 135 different grounds.

Highlights: Wembley; beating Preston for promotion; St Andrews; Battle of the Bridge; Carlisle three times; wins at Anfield, Old Trafford, Highbury, Stamford Bridge... Woolwich Town Hall.

Lowlights: Conceding seven goals at Luton, Brighton, Burnley; FA cup quarter finals; the League Cup every bloody year; relegation this season; owners. 

Disappointments: finishing 3rd in 68/69; selling our best prospects; Scott Parker’s decision costing me the opportunity to see us play in Europe. 

Undoubtedly we are, right now, at our lowest ebb. Several times in the eighties I thought I might be seeing our last ever game. I get that same feeling now. 

Would I change any of it? Nah!  It’s made me who I am. I right miserable, pessimist old fart.

DiscoCAFC said:

First game - February 1993 at home to Sunderland - lost 1-0
Season ticket from 1994/95 season to 2015-17 season

Seen us at Wembley twice
Sat in most areas of the stadium - West Lower and Upper, East stand, North Lower and Upper

Been to loads of away games
Sponsored Paul Mortimer for 2 seasons - lovely bloke
One of very few Charlton fans to have played with Jorge Costa on Cape Verde beach haha
Mascot at home against Barnsley 1995
Played with Peter Garland

Played with Peter Garland you say?

ElfsborgAddick said:

DiscoCAFC said:

First game - February 1993 at home to Sunderland - lost 1-0
Season ticket from 1994/95 season to 2015-17 season

Seen us at Wembley twice
Sat in most areas of the stadium - West Lower and Upper, East stand, North Lower and Upper

Been to loads of away games
Sponsored Paul Mortimer for 2 seasons - lovely bloke
One of very few Charlton fans to have played with Jorge Costa on Cape Verde beach haha
Mascot at home against Barnsley 1995
Played with Peter Garland

Played with Peter Garland you say?

DaveMehmet said:

Simonsen said:

Just had a look and it looks a bit like Jefferson Louis' Wikipedia career records! 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Louis

Charlton      1,137
Hendon          185
Brentford         84
Dulwich           26
QPR                 22
Fulham            21
German           17 (non-league various, mainly around Hamburg & Lubeck)
HSV                 16
Orient               5
Millwall             5 (George Graham era)
Palace               4 
West Ham         4 (Frank McAvennie era)
Internationals   4 (Yugoslavia x2, Holland & Italy at Euro 96 & 2000)
Spurs                3 
QPR Reserves    3 (all v Charlton)
Bristol Rovers    2
Chelsea             2
Hayes                2
Tempo Overijse 2 (Belgian Div 4 at the time)
Arsenal             1
Notts Forest      1 (v Wimbledon with a load of Charlton fans, after our morning game v Notts Co.)
Lierse                1
Ghent                1
Anderlecht        1
Dorchester        1
Sudbury            1
Hampton           1
Harrow Boro      1
Slough               1
Welling              1
York City Res     1

1,556 games and a lot of money but I bet that's about half as many as Elfs. 

I did the Notts County away game. Was contemplating the Forest Wimbledon game too but didn’t bother. Their supporters train pulled in while we were waiting for ours home. 

I seem to remember out game was re-arranged at the last minute and only found out about it the day before?

One carriage was it?

My father took me to my first game August 65. Plymouth home. 1-1 Bailey equalising Mike Trebilcock’s opener. Later he signed for Everton and scored twice in the fa cup final.(Mike not me dad)
Since  then I’ve  seen us play at 125 different grounds and seen us play in six different countries.
Been nicked twice, let off once.
My father is a season ticket holder and regular away traveller at the age of 92. 
I wonder who the oldest active supporter is.
Blackpool72 runs him a close second.

First game attended was Feb 14th 1981, the 5th Round FA Cup match against one of the top sides in Europe at the time, Bobby Robson's Ipswich. Given I've spent over half of my life in Norfolk it's rather ironic that my first match was over the border.

I had a season ticket whilst we were at Selhurst, which was when I started attending on a regular basis, and did a lot of away matches then - normally on Betty Hutchins' coach from Bexleyheath but occasionally by train. As I was a regular traveller on the Supporters' Club coaches and trains at the time I think I may have "forced" one of the main organisers to include his middle name when he was a subscriber to Richard Redden's history of Charlton book as we shared the same name.

I missed the Boleyn Grounds years as I was at uni in Norwich and wasn't able to get the homecoming match either.

I restarted my season ticket in the 1999-2000 season in the Covered End, travelling down from Norfolk every other week and have continued to this day. When the top shelf was added I moved upstairs and am now happily ensconced on the back row looking down the East Stand touchline.

I've seen Charlton at Wembley twice: 1987 and 2019.

I have seen Charlton beat Man Utd, Liverpool, and Arsenal more times than I've seen us win over the Spanners.

My all-time favourite Charlton player is John Humphrey, my favourite during the Premier League era was the Big Bad Bustling Bulgarian Radostin Kishishev.

I took my seven-year-old grandson to his first game in February; he managed our last three home games before lockdown ("I thought I was going to be a Norwich supporter but I'm going to be a Charlton supporter now"). All he wants to do is go back.

Not very exciting, but here is my contribution:

Dad took me to The Valley in 1953 (I was born in 47) to see the icon of football at that time, Stanley Matthews. Saw my first solo live game in 55, to watch the top team at that period, Wolverhampton Wanderers. 

Other childhood memories were the 7-6 Huddersfield game, going to an away FA cup in 1960 at Bristol C. 2-0 down hf time, but a second half hat trick from the deminutive winger,Sammy Lawrie sealed a next round away trip to Wolves ( we lost 1-0)Wolves went on to win the FA cup and runners up in the league.

Spent the late 70s/80s/mid 90s referring, so seeing little of Charlton. Was fortunate, very fortunate, to be appointed the reserve match official for Charlton's return to The Valley in Dec 92. Easily the best footballing day of my life!