Also with the ultras behind the opposite goal theres no banter. Find train times, prices and book tickets with Trainline. I think this was the only football match I've ever been to where the programme cost the same as a match ticket! Supporters Club. Would highly recommend! Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. Plus the atmosphere created in this pretty low roofed stand was excellent, but saying that we around 2,500 fans inside it. The away end was fairly big. A dramatic and somewhat unexpected ending had me on cloud nine, also I got home just in time to see the final quarter of England beating Australia at Twickenham. The match got underway with Preston getting out of the traps early and putting the hosts under pressure which resulted in a promising free kick that Paul Gallacher happily tucked away into the top corner to give us a dream start. Got to Charlton Station only to find what was an easy station to get out of earlier was now like a maze to get into after the game as there were barriers up, bridges blocked off with no directions. From here you can see the ground is a lot tighter than it seems with the stands nice and close to the action. They are located in South London and by the pure volume of football teams in the general vicinity have a few grudge matches. Select from premium The Valley Charlton of the highest quality. Their stadium, called The Valley, was built in 1919, and for many years it was London's largest Football League venue with a capacity of 75,000. But their home drummer created a good carnival atmosphere. It is a traditional London pub which was busy with Posh fans. 5. As usual, I was quite comfortable to engage Charlton fans in discussion, and I noted that none of them blamed the manager for the teams decline, but instead the owners for their perceived paucity with the purse strings. The map is centered to the football ground. Charlton Athletic v Accrington Stanley Sat 11th March 2023 15:00 Sky Bet League One at The Valley Charlton Athletic v Wycombe Wanderers Sat 25th March 2023 15:00 Sky Bet League One at The Valley Charlton Athletic v Shrewsbury Town Sat 1st April 2023 15:00 Sky Bet League One at The Valley Charlton Athletic v Burton Albion Their fanbase is an interesting mix of southeast London and Kent working and middle classes. Angerstein Hotel Facebook Page. The Valley is a short walk from there. Possibly a stupid ambition and it is not an especially cheap exercise. Id be happy to come back again, certainly, although I expect to have to pay a lot more for the privilege next time. This lower area was rammed with fans and getting anywhere near the bar looked impossible so we made our way up the slope which leads to the entrances at the back of the stand and into another bar area which was a lot quieter. The streets leading away from the ground were busy, again with a heavy police prescence. Colin Gilham informs me; Come out Charlton station into Charlton Church lane (all exits lead onto this road). It seemed to take for ever to get to the Blackwall Tunnel-all because it transpires a car had broken down taking out a lane and causing the mayhem for miles back! Although we found ours relatively quickly I'm sure others faired much worse as they seemed to be parked anywhere up the dual carriageway, on both sides of the road! The Charlton fans pre-match were friendly and I didn't see any crowd trouble at the game. We parked up in Charlton Village car park which holds only around 20 cars and there were a few spaces left luckily when we arrived! Guaranteed side-by-side seating unless otherwise stated. That said the whole atmosphere was really good with great singing from both sets of fans. The home crowd had been silenced from very early on in the match, and I couldnt see Charlton getting back into the match unless there was something spectacular on their bench waiting to come on that we didnt know about. How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking? We decided to head to the ground at about 2pm, and was very surprised to see programmes for the game being sold in local newsagents. The pubs in Charlton did not sound anything great so I got off at Greenwich. The only atmosphere in the ground was made by the Leeds United fans. We didnt buy anything from the food and beverage kiosks, having thankfully brought some chocolate bars with us from home. Los Angeles Lacrosse, We walked past a van selling the usual supporter merchandise, including the now widespread T-shirts emblazoned with Keep Calm And Support Charlton, common all over the UK for almost all football clubs. Saphir Super Invulner Waterproofing Spray Canada, It was then another overground train to Charlton. I had gone to the game with very low expectations. The Police seemed happy to let home and away fans mingle, heard afterwards of a few problems near Charlton Station but all in all, there was no bother. Charlton Athletic FC vs Portsmouth FC. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, toilets etc. Getting away from the ground was okay. All the seats are red with CAFC picked out in white in the lower tier of the North Stand. Operational Art Of War 4 Scenario List, Marizanne Kapp Stats, Mike Keeler informs me; The Club have now got planning permission from Greenwich Council to increase the capacity of the Valley to 30,900. All round a cracking day, Theresult helped, met numerous Charlton fans and got on with them both before and after the match. I had to go from Moor Street to London Marylebone but this wasn't a problem in the end as I was one of the lucky ones to get a seat. With both teams having solid back fours, I was not expecting too many goals. You may want to get a bus along the A206 towards Greenwich, and there are multiple bus routes available on this route. Current transfer record: -825Th. The single-tiered East Stand compliments the ground well. Why you were looking forward to going to the ground (or not as the case may be): I'm glad I went to both games even though we really needed a win in the league to keep us above the chasing pack. Only negative is people walking up and down the aisle may obscure your view. Well worth a visit. Once we got past the turnstiles it was very crowded in the concourse. Appalachian Pronunciation Map, The manner of Argyle's defeat was disappointing to take, but the Valley is a pleasant ground to visit as is the surrounding area. It was a mild and sunny September evening, and I did not have any time commitments. Although we were told to sit anywhere, the upper part of the stand was blocked off by stewards. There was a short wait while the crowd dispersed and we were soon on our way. First, that Charlton survives until then. I still viewed Charlton in the crucible of Matt Holland, Darren Bent and Darren Ambrose, as well as the quiet, folksy but world weary personality of Alan Curbishley. Required fields are marked *, Please read our Terms and Conditions before submission. Okay. The ground can be seen from the main road by the railway station and entrance to the away turnstiles is down a back street. It was an even first half, although Shrewsbury missed a penalty. I could only ever envisage myself using any other method of transport for fixtures at The Valley if the railways were non-operational for whatever reason. The Club operates a category system (Gold and Silver) for matchday ticket prices, whereby the most popular games cost more to watch. What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the ground? Just proceed straight up this road (going across one small roundabout) and at the end, turn left and the pub is just on the left. I've been to the Valley several times so I knew what to expect. The facilities in the away end were basic. With their off field issues and us hitting form at the perfect time I was confident of a win going into the match. When I lived away from the Greater London area, I always had this thought that the city ran a full and comprehensive public transport service throughout the weekend, and travellers could go from any A to any B, with minimal changes and hassle. Championship football is meant to be deliciously unpredictable. It was very amusing walking out the ground as there is a tower block right near the away end. 4. I had never been to this ground before and it was a game of two teams who are fighting to get out of this league so it was a big fixture. Getting away was as quick and easy as getting there, unlike long drawn out waits such as at Brighton. However, Im not a fan of this one. I had been to The Valley twice before, many years ago in the 1960's when it was almost all uncovered terracing and again about 6 years ago. I went by train for this match. There was only a few mouthy QPR fans trying to stir things up but the local Police moved them quickly on. Kiosk staff very friendly. This was our first visit to The Valley so I was looking forward to the game. Write a review. The stewards are friendly but capable of dishing out justice when they need to do so and the home fans seem happy to enjoy the game without indulging in any naughtiness at all. Free shipping. We took the 486 bus from near the station to North Greenwich, with no problems. Away end is ample for most away support and has great acoustics, however, unless on the front few rows you can not see the goal line! Outside the ground, there is a statue of Charltons legendary former goalkeeper Sam Bartram. Johnny Orlando And Mackenzie Ziegler Relationship, 1978 New York Jets, Nice and close to the pitch. Although the food and beverage kiosks were well manned with staff, queues were still quite long. Charlton's support was vocal and they seem a good bunch of supporters, who sadly have been through a lot in the past decade. The away end is a bit inferior to the rest of the stadium as each side have large two tiered stands with the corners all seated linking with the stand again two tiered behind the goal, in short the Valley is a lovely stadium. I found the stewards to be helpful and pleasant, dealt with a couple of smoke bombs very well, without wading into the fans where they had been set off. 2. Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Valley? . Getting away from the Valley after the game: As my friend was heading back to Central London, I went in a different direction to him when leaving the ground. Although access is quick, you dont see the stadium until youre very close to it as its partially obscured by terraced houses. Charlton started the match brightly and were clearly the best team in the opening half hour. Charlton station appeared very busy, so with it being a pleasant evening we decided to walk up to North Greenwich and the O2. Luckily my memory served me well as even though it was after 2pm there wasn't the usual throng of crowds to latch onto and follow! The Valley has changed a lot in 35 years! Bad points the view from the stand, and the one way in/out of the ground. Only took 30 minutes to walk to the O2. The home sections were sparsly occupied and aside for a brief part of the game, when the dreaded football drummer decided to make some noise in an attempt to rouse his fellow fans, they weren't audible at all. and turn right and cross over to the other side. I should be used to Barnsley losing away from home. Final score Charlton Athletic 1 Sheffield Wednesday 3. This is another good example of how players have unlikely career trajectories in this crazy modern world of football! They are in an uncovered area with little space around them. The game itself was a bore finishing 0-0. Premier League, 17th September 2005. Matthews kept out a header from Bauer as Charlton looked to pull further ahead. After exploring the pubs and the attractions in Covent Garden and Leicester Square we arrived at London Charing Cross for the 13:35pm train to Charlton and arrived there an hour before the 3pm kick-off. The stewards were the friendliest I've ever encountered there. We set off from Leeds at 8am, by official supporters coach, which seemed ridiculously early for a 3pm kick-off. What had been so special about The Valley? On one side of this is a police control box. The passage is actually quite wide, and not dangerous as hundreds of fans were walking in the same direction as me. Great view, near the entrance/exit, also not near the big supporting pillar. Leave the A102 at the next slip road (sign posted Woolwich & Ferry A206). Passed a couple of others which were home fans only but I cant really have any complaints about that. As a Maidstone fan its a reasonably local ground that I hadnt got round to visiting yet. Another ground ticked off but I wouldn't rush back. Walking up to the ground we spotted people with black and white scarves on which was odd and a little worrying in case I'd taken us the wrong way! I thought Charlton was a great day out and to be able to tick off a new ground and come away with the three points and a clean sheet was fantastic. The long journey down south on a Tuesday night was a killer, but it's definitely worth it. Alternatively, alcohol is available in the away end in the form of; John Smiths (4 pint), Fosters (4 pint), Bulmers Cider (4 bottle 330ml) & White Wine (4.50 miniature bottle). I had no reason to doubt that this evening would be any different, and I joined my train at Chatham looking forward to having a few pre-match beers with an old school colleague who is like myself exiled in the south-east. Thankfully we came out in the second half with more intent but sadly the finishing skills of an under 7's team! We drove down via the M11 and A2. Charlton scored a tap in early in the second half to make it 2-0. Like many 'old' grounds, the ground is within a residential area although there were a few shops and a chippy which seemed very popular. Anyway whinge over, we made our way up the slope to the bar area on the other side of the stand which was a lot quieter. It must be an original stand and as well as having a roof supporting pillar to block your view its quite shallow meaning that about two-thirds of you cant see the goal line at your end due to the other fans in front of you. Inside, you realise just how big the club can be. 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