The Valley: Charlton Athletic 4-1 Coalville Town

Charlton Athletic 4-1 Coalville Town

Coalville Town from the Southern League Premier Central were in the 1st round proper for only the second time in their history, but as in their only other 1st round proper appearance it ended in defeat. The Leicestershire part timers had already played four qualifying rounds to get to this stage. Victories over Shepshed Dynamo, Macclesfield, AFC Sudbury and surprisingly Notts County at Meadow Lane, had the town talking and the big day out to the capital. Just under 1,700 fans from North West Leicestershire headed south, three times the average gate at Owen Street and gave excellent vocal backing surprising many of the south east London locals. The Valley is an all seater stadium which can hold up to 27,000 supporters. For many years, The Valley was one of the largest Football League grounds in Britain, although its highest maximum capacity of 75,000 was only half the capacity of Glasgow's Hampden Park. However, Charlton's long absence from the top level of English football prevented much-needed renovation. Eventually, the club's debts led to bankruptcy administration. A consortium of supporters successfully acquired the club in 1984, but The Valley remained under the ownership of the club's former owner. However, the club was unable to finance the improvements needed to make The Valley meet new safety requirements. Shortly after the start of the 1985-86 season, Charlton left The Valley, entering into an agreement with Crystal Palace to groundshare Selhurst Park, the first official groundsharing arrangement in the Football League in 36 years. In 1988, the ownership of the club and The Valley was again united, and in a "grass roots" effort that harkened back to the ground's initial construction, thousands of supporters volunteered to clean the ground, eventually burning the debris in a huge bonfire on the pitch. By this time, however, the large terraces were no longer seen as desirable or safe. Charlton Athletic supporters then proposed a brand-new stadium to surround the original pitch. However, the Greenwich Borough Council overwhelmingly turned down plans to renovate the ground. Club supporters formed their own local political party, The Valley Party, in response to the council's decision. The party ran candidates for all but two Greenwich Council seats, sparing the two councillors who had approved the new stadium plans. The party won almost 15,000 votes in the 1990 elections, successfully pressuring the council to approve the plans for the new stadium. In 1991, construction began on the new Valley, and the club moved from Selhurst Park to West Ham's Upton Park. The modern stadium opened in December 1992. Since Charlton's return to The Valley in 1992, the ground itself has undergone some remarkable changes. The north, east and west sides of the ground have almost been completely rebuilt, giving the ground a capacity of over 27,000. The Jimmy Seed Stand is the oldest part of the ground, and dates from the early 1980s. This stand is named after Charlton's manager, Jimmy Seed – with whom Charlton won the FA Cup in 1947. This stand has a capacity of around 3,000 and hosts the away supporters at games. It is also the only part of The Valley with a supporting pillar. The East Stand was constructed during the 1993–94 season and fully completed in 1994. As part of the first development to the ground since the return in 1992, it replaced the massive east terrace, which had remained closed and prohibited from use since the mid-1980s after the Bradford City stadium fire. The East Stand consists of a single tier of seats and houses the television gantry, and also has numerous executive boxes. Occasionally, for FA and League Cup matches, part of the East Stand is used to house away supporters if the demand for away team tickets is high. The West Stand was built in 1998 after Charlton's first promotion to the Premier League and is also two tiered. This is the main stand at the Valley with the largest capacity, and also houses the club's offices, as well as the director's box, board room dug-outs, changing rooms and the commercial centre (ticket office). There are also many conferencing rooms in this stand which are used for official and community events. There is a large statue of Sam Bartram, (considered to be Charlton's finest player) at the entrance of the West Stand. The North Stand was built as a replacement for the 'covered end', and is still called by this name. It was built during the 2001–02 season as part of the developments to bring the Valley's capacity to 26,500 after promotion to the Premier League in 2000. The North Stand houses what is considered the most vocal supporters in the ground, along with restaurants and executive suites. It is also the home of the club's band, which includes drummers and trumpeters. The club have ambitions to extend the ground's capacity to over 40,000 by expanding the east side and completely rebuilding the south side, but it remains uncertain if or when the plans will be implemented after the club's relegation from the Premier League in 2007 and from the Championship two years later. Unfortunately the game proved one game too many for Coalville as Charlton won in the end comfortably. Coalville keeper Paul White had already made a couple of decent saves as Charlton dominated the possession and two free headers from Jack Payne and Jayden Stockley had the home side 2 0 up at half time . Payne scored the first and then took the corner which led to the second. Coalville rallied in the second half playing with a bit more confidence and this was rewarded by a goal from former Leicester City youngster Ashley Chambers. A long ball forward was flicked on and Chambers lobbed Joe Wollacott to pull a goal back in 52 mins and revive hope of a possible shock. You felt Towns' best chance of a goal could be a corner or free kick and crucially they got one with 11 mins left. It was therefore frustrating that Chitiza decided against getting the ball in the box for a square pass, which came to nothing as Coalville immediately lost possession. Poor decision making by the non-leaguers proved fateful as 2 mins later Payne s left foot shot from inside the penalty area made it 3 1 and with the visitors tiring Charlton made it 4 1 in the 90th min. Again on the left and this time sub Chuks Aneke firing a low right foot shot past White. The extra fitness of the league one side was clearly evident, Coalville battled hard and many particularly from North West Leicestershire will suggest the score line was a little harsh. However Charlton were worthy winners in a season so far of inconsistency while Coalville Town were given a deserved ovation from both sets of fans in a crowd of just over 6000. The attendance made The Valley look empty but for part time players from step 3 of the non-league pyramid it was a day to remember, a day in which many would not have played in front of an attendance that big and for most of them unlikely to do so again as these opportunities are few and far between.

Charlton Athletic 1-1 Sunderland

With it being nearly 14 years since our last visit to The Valley, Adrian and I (Ross) thought it was time to revisit where it all began for me back in February 2005. Charlton Athletic verses Leicester City in the FA Cup Fifth Round was my very first football away day which captured the imagination of a young Ross who was inspired by the magic of the FA Cup with Championship strugglers Leicester City beating Premiership outfits Charlton Athletic 2-1.

We left Leicestershire at around 8.30am making our way southbound on the M1 before joining the M25 clockwise towards the Dartford Crossing. We planned to make a couple of non-league ground stops on the way with our first stop at Tilbury who play at Chadfields. Our second and final stop of the day was Aveley who currently share their ground with Grays Athletic. Aveley’s Parkside is a very impressive newly built stadium with a 3G pitch which was being utilised by the youth teams during our visit.

We decided to park the car on a road near Dagenham East Underground Station (also not too far from Dagenham & Redbridge FC) and walked to the station heading Westbound towards West Ham. Our problems began when we heard the train terminated at East Ham, 3 stations before our final stop. We therefore had to take the Railway Replacement bus which took us to Canning Town and from there we continued our journey. We decided to cross the River Thames using the Emirates Air Line cable cars where we enjoyed the views across east London. When we reached the south side of the River Thames by the O2 Arena, we walked to North Greenwich Station before taking the bus to Charlton Station. When we got off the bus, we popped into the nearby Sainsbury’s Local to get some sandwiches before making our way down the hill to The Valley.

The Valley is an all seater stadium which can hold up to 27,000 supporters. For many years, The Valley was one of the largest Football League grounds in Britain, although its highest maximum capacity of 75,000 was only half the capacity of Glasgow's Hampden Park. However, Charlton's long absence from the top level of English football prevented much-needed renovation. Eventually, the club's debts led to bankruptcy administration. A consortium of supporters successfully acquired the club in 1984, but The Valley remained under the ownership of the club's former owner. However, the club was unable to finance the improvements needed to make The Valley meet new safety requirements. Shortly after the start of the 1985-86 season, Charlton left The Valley, entering into an agreement with Crystal Palace to groundshare Selhurst Park, the first official groundsharing arrangement in the Football League in 36 years. In 1988, the ownership of the club and The Valley was again united, and in a "grass roots" effort that harkened back to the ground's initial construction, thousands of supporters volunteered to clean the ground, eventually burning the debris in a huge bonfire on the pitch. By this time, however, the large terraces were no longer seen as desirable or safe. Charlton Athletic supporters then proposed a brand-new stadium to surround the original pitch. However, the Greenwich Borough Council overwhelmingly turned down plans to renovate the ground. Club supporters formed their own local political party, The Valley Party, in response to the council's decision. The party ran candidates for all but two Greenwich Council seats, sparing the two councillors who had approved the new stadium plans. The party won almost 15,000 votes in the 1990 elections, successfully pressuring the council to approve the plans for the new stadium.

In 1991, construction began on the new Valley, and the club moved from Selhurst Park to West Ham's Upton Park. The modern stadium opened in December 1992. Since Charlton's return to The Valley in 1992, the ground itself has undergone some remarkable changes.

The north, east and west sides of the ground have almost been completely rebuilt, giving the ground a capacity of over 27,000. The Jimmy Seed Stand is the oldest part of the ground, and dates from the early 1980s. This stand is named after Charlton's manager, Jimmy Seed – with whom Charlton won the FA Cup in 1947. This stand has a capacity of around 3,000 and hosts the away supporters at games. It is also the only part of The Valley with a supporting pillar.

The East Stand was constructed during the 1993–94 season and fully completed in 1994. As part of the first development to the ground since the return in 1992, it replaced the massive east terrace, which had remained closed and prohibited from use since the mid-1980s after the Bradford City stadium fire. The East Stand consists of a single tier of seats and houses the television gantry, and also has numerous executive boxes. Occasionally, for FA and League Cup matches, part of the East Stand is used to house away supporters if the demand for away team tickets is high.

The West Stand was built in 1998 after Charlton's first promotion to the Premier League and is also two tiered. This is the main stand at the Valley with the largest capacity, and also houses the club's offices, as well as the director's box, board room dug-outs, changing rooms and the commercial centre (ticket office). There are also many conferencing rooms in this stand which are used for official and community events. There is a large statue of Sam Bartram, (considered to be Charlton's finest player) at the entrance of the West Stand.

The North Stand was built as a replacement for the 'covered end', and is still called by this name. It was built during the 2001–02 season as part of the developments to bring the Valley's capacity to 26,500 after promotion to the Premier League in 2000. The North Stand houses what is considered the most vocal supporters in the ground, along with restaurants and executive suites. It is also the home of the club's band, which includes drummers and trumpeters.

The club have ambitions to extend the ground's capacity to over 40,000 by expanding the east side and completely rebuilding the south side, but it remains uncertain if or when the plans will be implemented after the club's relegation from the Premier League in 2007 and from the Championship two years later.

A proper old-fashioned game of football this, no quarter given, two sides playing with confidence and a great advert for League One, played in a good atmosphere in front of the biggest crowd of the season so far at The Valley.

The last time these two sides met here was for a Premiership match in 2005 and a lot has happened to both clubs in the interim as they look to return to higher echelons.

We had an explosive start to the game with Sunderland taking the lead in just 90 seconds. Luke O’Nien volleying home at the far post a brilliant cross from Reece James.

Sunderland were dominating the first half of the game, Aiden McGeady firing over, Max Power shooting just wide and Charlie Wyke shanking a ball wide when in a good position in the penalty area.

Lyndon Gooch was desperately unlucky when his fierce shot smashed the cross bar, Wyke heading the rebound over.

The visitors could and should have killed the game off but they allowed Charlton back into the game, 18 year old Albie Morgan finally able to test McLaughlin on 35 minutes, it was the home sides first effort on goal.

Charlton started to gain confidence, Bielik (on loan from Arsenal) hit an excellent right foot shot just wide as the half drew to a close.

In the second half, Charlton continued an improved tempo and were rewarded with an equaliser on 50 mins. Lyle Taylor found space on the right and his low cross into the box was diverted into the net by the Sunderland defender Reece James for the leveller. It was a horrible deflection giving him no chance 1-1.

It was now all Charlton but like Sunderland in the first half failed to convert their numerous chances.

Pratley headed a free kick wide, Taylor denied by the legs of the keeper, Grant failing to score from a right wing cross by Dikjsteel.

Sunderland brought on the lively Duncan Watmore with 20 mins left and he started to get them further up the field.

He had a cross shot headed away by the Frenchman Sarr and fired over at the death.

So honours even which was probably fair, both sides created many chances but neither could make them count to win the game.

A good game played at one of England’s historic grounds. The stadium may have changed but you can’t change the history and the aura.

At the final whistle, we made our way for the exits and back up the hill towards our bus stop via the narrow-terraced streets surrounding the ground. By the time our bus (which was heading towards North Greenwich Station) arrived, it became rather busy at the bus stop however we all managed to pile on making the 10-minute journey towards the O2 Arena. From North Greenwich, we joined the Jubilee Line heading towards Stratford however we only stayed on until Canning Town on the other side of the River Thames. We took the railway replacement bus from Canning Town to East Ham where we re-joined the District Line which took us back to Dagenham East. So far, a very long journey however it was to get longer as we crawled across North East London heading towards Epping Forest before eventually reaching the M25. We made our way around London before joining the M1 Northbound. We briefly stopped at Northampton Services for some food before continuing our journey back to Leicestershire.

Overall an enjoyable day out in the capital topped off by a decent game of football however a very tiring and awkward journey to and from The Valley.

Charlton Athletic 1-2 Leicester City

My (Ross) first away game and what a day to remember!
This was the FA Cup 5th Round and around 4,000 City fans travelled down the M1 hoping for an FA Cup upset against Premiership, Charlton Athletic.
We travelled on one of the official coaches leaving the Walkers Stadium at 9am and after a break at South Mimms services, we arrived in South East London at just after 2pm. The coaches were all being directed into an industrial estate which was to be the bus park.
The Valley has had a very unusual history. Charlton left The Valley for 10 years in 1982 as they couldn't afford to improve the ground. They eventually moved back in 1992 which started off the building of the East stand which was completed in 1994. This was the first stand to be re-built of many. The next stand to be re-built was the West stand which was built in 1998. The final stand to be re-built was the North stand which was completed in 2001. The Away supporters are housed in the small unchanged Jimmy Seed stand which dates back to the early 1980's. This stand is the oldest of the four.
As for the club itself, in their 10 years away from The Valley, their fans were forced to watch home games at Selhurst Park and then Upton Park.
From a City fan’s point of view the day was one to enjoy following relegation from the Premier League the previous season meaning we had very little to cheer for up until our trip to The Valley.

Underdogs Leicester triumphed 2- 1 to reach the Quarter Finals. Headers from Nikos Dabizas and Dion Dublin gave City a deserved victory and although Charlton did equalise through Shaun Bartlett, Dublin’s late late goal shocked the home faithful. A tactical victory for Craig Levein.
City fans were in great voice throughout the game which created an excellent atmosphere and the journey home was to be a happy one, although slow at times as we weaved our way through South East London and across the Dartford crossing.
I thoroughly enjoyed the away day buzz and my stadium visiting curiosity was born.
Adrian had already done his 92 in the late 70s and 80s which inspired me to continue to complete my 92.
A growing number of people have done the 92 plus more now that there is promotion from the conference, but I wonder how many father and son partnerships have achieved this fate.

Charlton Athletic 4-1 Coalville Town

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