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NEW ARTICLE: WE'LL BE THERE.........

The good people of Charlton Life, put Valley Floyd Road on your record player, close your eyes and picture The Valley, and then open them and read CHIZZ's barn-stormer of a poignant pIece. COME ON YOU REDS !!

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On 9 June 1905, a group of boys held a meeting in South East London and proudly agreed to form a football club.

We know this, because we were there.

We stood there, in August 1921, proudly watching that club play its first ever Football League fixture. We were there for every subsequent relegation and promotion.

We were there when the club finished in the top four of the Football League, three years running. And we debated with our friends, proud of our club, adamant that we were the best team in England. And Britain. And the world. Probably.

After the war, we were there when we reached the Final of the most important football competition in the world. And we were there the following year when the team rolled its sleeves up and went back and won it.

We were moved by everything. The worry of the financial health of the club; the joy of returning to play proper “home” games again; the sadness of the tragic deaths of players from the first team and the youth team; the wide-eyed pride and awe of the 1998 Play-off final.

We saw great stuff. The thrashing of big London rivals, at home and away; our players being picked for England - chosen as the best in the country; sitting, albeit briefly, at the very top of English football.

We also suffered frustration, dejection, humiliation. Sackings, recriminations, relegations. Blame.

We know all this, and we witnessed all this, because we are fans of one great club.

We also know that none of these incidents could be safely predicted beforehand. Each lurch in fortune has been as unexpected as it is dramatic. That’s what is special about our club: its uniformly unpredictable nature.

And that’s why we know this season’s going to be special too. We’ll lose a few, but it’s how we treat defeats that will shape our season.

We’re hoping that we can punch above our weight.

That Phil Parkinson will under-promise and over-achieve.

That we’ll look back at this season and know that each of us - from fans, to players, owners to staff - gave everything over the course of the season. And we got exactly what we deserved.

Go on Charlton: make us proud again.

Because we'll be there.

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