8 August 2009 and Wycombe Wanderers pitch up for the season’s opener at The Valley. Despite a nervy end, the Addicks won their first Third Tier match for nearly 30 years 3-2.
134 matches – excluding play-offs – later, they finally clinch promotion back to the Championship. In between, there has been despair, frustration, anger even, but also a lot of memories that will last forever.
Thus far, Charlton have faced 35 different opponents during their stay in League One, used 68 players, won 65 games and scored 207 goals. On a personal note, the journey has seen me travel around 35,000 miles.
They are the bald facts, but what will stay in the memory are some of the opposing fans and grounds. Unpretentious, no Premier League type glitz and glamour, just genuine football people who love their club. No glory hunters amongst the rank and file in League One.
The first away trip was to Hartlepool where goals from Deon Burton and Nicky Bailey sealed the win. A warm but windy August day, but then it is always windy on the North East coast.
Last season’s scheduled trip to Victoria Park was postponed due to the December snow. The game was eventually played on a cold Tuesday night in February. Trying to heat fish and chips by the sea wall, in the teeth of a near gale force wind, was all but impossible. The conditions were not to the team’s liking either as they tumbled to a 2-1 defeat, the first of Chris Powell’s embryonic managerial career.
Yeovil is a place that many will remember, so wet was it on Charlton’s first visit, that some bought new clothes after the game. The marquee at the ground, where home and away fans freely mingle, is a real bonus at Huish Park.
The quaint old St James Park is another memory. Exeter look as though they will be going back to League Two this season which is sad. Last season, I travelled through the night to reach our holiday destination in Cornwall before catching the train back up to Exeter. The journey along the coast from Plymouth was spectacular.
Equally unforgettable was the return train trip to London this season. Johnnie Jackson was on board, buying drinks for the fans at the train’s bar, then chatting to them all as they walked down the platform after arriving at Paddington. Don’t get that sort of thing in the Premier League do you?
Spotland is a ground where the most modern stand houses the visiting fans. There is an excellent chip shop opposite the away turnstiles in Willbutts Lane. You can even park in front of the entrance and do a three-point turn after the game!
Rochdale are a side that look like returning to League Two after just a couple of seasons in League One. Their first season will be the highlight for many of their fans, Dale had spent 36 years in the basement division before their promotion in 2010.
For obvious reasons Carlisle will be fondly remembered by Charlton fans. It was only a few years ago that the Cumbrians dropped out of the League but but they have returned to enjoy promotion plus trips to Wembley in consecutive years to contest the JPT final. Their push for the play-offs looks to be fading but they will hopefully be involved next season.
These are just a few of the highlights of travelling the country these past three years. It would be nice if some of these clubs could reward their loyal fans with a successful campaign next season.
Time for Charlton to move on, hopefully lessons have been learned and the club will not be in the lower reaches of the League again. In years to come, we may all look back at this period with some affection.