It was at Greenwich station, when I became confused with the whole idea of touching in and touching out; paranoid that if I did not touch anywhere, the full force of the Law would appear at the next station, swoop on me and my offending piece of plastic, and send me off to jail without any argument. The Valley is a strange ground, the home ends seem relatively smart and modern and the away end is the total opposite. There is a five hour free parking period here, giving us time to eat, walk to the ground (about 20 minutes) and return after the match. 1200 supporters really getting behind the team. Mike Keeler informs me; The Club have now got planning permission from Greenwich Council to increase the capacity of the Valley to 30,900. As my train rattled along and I reflected on a much needed three points, I hoped that the match may mark a turning point in our fortunes for the season. 6. It was also former MK Dons manager Karl Robinson's first game in charge of The Addicks, just a day after we had appointed boss Robbie Neilson. It is around a 15 minute walk up the hill from the coaches to a busy shopping area with plenty of food outlets and then down again on Floyd Road before the ground comes into view. 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. It was an even first half, although Shrewsbury missed a penalty. By doing this it leads you toward the away end. Also worthy of note is the history of this proud and historic site; older fans amongst us will recall the sad days when they were exiled from The Valley, forced to groundshare with Crystal Palace and West Ham for much of the 80s and doubtless I wasnt the only one that doubted The Valley would ever see league football again, and even wondered about the long term sustainability of the club. Generation Clipart, Red and White Away Kit: During one moment in the game, when Charlton were being resolute in dinner, the friend suddenly presented two Whispa Gold bars to munch on throughout the game. I bought an Anytime Day Travel Card for this at a cost of 13.10. On the more positive side, The Valley had always been a pleasant away day with no problems in the past with the home fans, stewards, or the police, and one can usually enjoy good football chit-chat with the home supporters on the train both before and after the match. TicketSmarter has a100% guaranteethat you will receive valid tickets for your event just as if you had made your purchase from the ticket office at 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. Once inside and somewhat reluctantly, I bought a pint of keg John Smiths & a pie from the bar at the far end of the Jimmy Seed Stand. 020 8333 4000 Fax: I hadn't been to the Valley since its redevelopment. Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Valley Ground itself? Even the rallying call from the P.A announcer on the team coming out at the start of the game was met with near silence! Charlton had been having a dismal time of it so expectations were high. Both trips involved a visit to the London Bridge area because most reviews said there was a lack of pubs near the Valley. It wasn't helped by the ongoing Northern Rail strike, which meant begging a lift home from Doncaster. In addition, there is only one way in/out so if youre sitting on the right side of the stand youre at the back of the queue when leaving. If anything I'd say it's a very bland club that needs a bit of passion pumped into it. In the first half, the teams cancelled each other out. What you thought on entering the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the ground? Just after WWII they were averaging over 40,000 a game. Went almost straight in the ground since we arrived only a half hour before kick off. The railway station has seen much renovation recently, and seemed well organised. Both trips were by train but the first had an unwanted delay as trains from New Street Birmingham to London were cancelled. In one corner of the stadium between the Jimmy (South) Seed & East Stands is a large video screen. Always a pleasure to visit the Valley, nice to see a win. There is not as much excitement when you are travelling along the A206 Woolwich Road. The floodlights are mounted along the the roof gables of the East and West Stands. Remember hat or sunglasses if the suns out. Many of them observed though with a hint of resignation in their tone that the manager would be the one to carry the can, which within a week was indeed the case. TM & 2019 Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. All pictures are shown for illustrative purposes only. Our aim was to find the designated away pub, which we didnt manage to do, unfortunately. The leisure park has lots of places to eat, we chose Nandos. I've been to Charlton several times before and knew what to expect. A great day out. Possibly due to the reduced ticket price, there seemed to more than the average proportion of younger teenage Reading fans, many behaving as teenagers will and many having difficulty controlling themselves. Required fields are marked *, Please read our Terms and Conditions before submission. They sometimes stock a very nice organic bottled conditioned pale ale. I have not visited the Valley for many years so wanted to see how it had changed. Leave the A102 at the next slip road (sign posted Woolwich & Ferry A206). It also has a front end to keep . Queues can build up quite quickly, especially if there is a large away support present, as was the case when Charlton played Leeds last season. We left with a couple of minutes to go and got away pretty well. Before we arrived at Charlton we stopped off at a service station for something to eat and drink. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc.. As previously said, the facilities were very basic but they were good enough. It was a really enjoyable day. Buy EFL Cup tickets for upcoming performances at The Valley in Charlton, GL. 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! One last interesting point worthy of note is that the Charlton Athletic Museum has been open since this January (I advise people to check the opening times on the Club Website). The Valley ground is less than five minutes from thestation. Manufacturer:Hummel Home Kit: So much so that it makes the walk from Ipswich Station to Portman Road, look almost like a marathon! The jests were taken in good spirit by the stewards and it happily diffused the scenario for all concerned. The pre-match was good and as they were doing tickets for a fiver, the attendance was good. The whole outside ground atmosphere had a Goodison Park feeling about it. The ground is a short walk from Charlton Railway Station, which is served by trains from Charing Cross, London Bridge and Waterloo East stations. It welcomes away supporters and also has 21 accommodation rooms. Getting home took forever as the Blackwall Tunnel was very busy. It would be hard to pick a football ground that is easier to get to really; Charlton station is literally a hop, skip, and jump from the stadium itself and well served by trains from both central London and rural Kent. Packers Raiders 2020, Your email address will not be published. I had enjoyed my previous visits and as a Neutral fan I have a bit of a soft spot for Charlton and their fans, especially when you look back to their well-publicised Back to The Valley campaign in the early 1990s and their 7 year stint in the Premiership in the early 2000s, during which they claimed some notable scalps in punching above their weight and beating teams like Chelsea and Arsenal. Alternatively when leaving the railway station turn right at the traffic lights and there is a bus stop a short way down on the right. We were supposed to occupy our allocated seats and a few futile half-hearted pleas over the PA for everyone to sit down were ignored. It was certainly a game of two halves with Bradford City dominating the first one and Charlton doing the same in the second. I have not been to the Valley for over 15 years so I looked forward to coming back again since it was always a good day out. Both sides were equally poor and showed with the appalling finishing why where both in the lower half of the table. There were a few Charlton fans drinking in there. In this area, there's also a statue of Charlton legend Sam Bartram. There was very little legroom, especially for a largish chap such as me! I found it a lot of fun, but if I was a Charlton fan, I would desperately want a bit more cutting edge up front for my team. It was busy but they have crowd controls so the platform does not get overcrowded. The pub was very busy with quite a few Barnsley fans in. Not a bad away day despite the result. Banging View great stadium I watched a young student walk out of a barber shop, gentling patting his shorn hair with the desperate hope that everything had gone alright in the chair. It was my first visit to the Valley to watch Plymouth and a relatively easy and straightforward day out for Argyle fans from the West Country. We had a good view of the action when the game started; too good, in fact, since Charlton tore the Spireites apart for the first half hour and took a 2-0 lead which looked likely to develop into something embarrassing. The Rangers fans were very noisy to start off with but they got more quieter as the game went along as their team gave a very poor showing. Getting away from the ground was no problem at all and in spite of the result the whole day was an enjoyable one. So we decided to give it a miss and had a drink inside the ground instead. Bristol City had sacked their manager a few weeks previously and it was anticipated that they would name Lee Johnson as their new manger before this match. Their 3rd goal was scored by the same man again, after he sped past Huddersfield players to finish with some aplomb. Write a review. Living in South East London, and with no Millwall fixture this season, this is the nearest away game to me, The Valley is one of my favourite grounds, partly because they are team of my father, uncle and many of my cousins. Once inside, the Valley is one of the best grounds I have visited. Great value as you could use it on the Tube and Train. Overall I very much enjoyed my visit to the Valley and would certainly go again. If you dont want the hassle, the simplest travel option is to take a train from London Bridge going towards Woolwich. Hitting the outskirts of London is always an eye-opener and crossing the Queen Elizabeth Bridge over the Thames near Greenhithe is impressive and the first view of the Metropolis of London in the far distance makes you realise just how vast the city is. I am on a continued quest to visit as many football grounds as possible in my lifetime. Men's Comfortable Shoes, The game was a good spectacle from a Shrewsbury point of view, as was the atmosphere from what was a large following for Shrewsbury (1200+). It was then just a short five minute walk from where the coaches dropped us off to the ground. Once we got off of the train the Valley ground is easy enough to find with the police directing supporters towards the away end. However, today there were simply too many people to fit in comfortably, which was one indication the match would be a sell-out. 2 further rows are in front of row A. A1 & A2 are not marked on the steps. Miami Dolphins 1998 Schedule, 1989 Rams Roster, The stadium obviously yearns for the return of Premiership football. The Valley was a new ground for me and is one of the biggest stadiums in the league. Milano Moda Donna September 2019, Last time the game was postponed due to weather. Not sardine-like but still crowded enough to make you want to get out the area in a hurry and into the seating areas. Drove down from Leeds setting off at 7 am, found some street parking on Eastmoor Street (SE7 8LW) and then it's a 15-20 minute walk to the ground. A plenty simple affair. Operational Art Of War 4 Scenario List, After the break though it was all Cardiff and we should have won but it ended 2-2. 1. 15 minutes from time the Spireites pulled a goal back and it was end- to-end stuff from then on but in stoppage time, with our lads committed to attack, the homesters broke away and notched a killer third goal. So it was a fixture I had been looking forward to for sometime, plus it would be an away trip to London. It had been many years since I last visited the Valley, when I was in my early 20's as a single lad. Which surprise Surprise they scored one. Charlton Life I didn't have any food inside the ground but the coffee was good and reasonably priced. Find The Valley Charlton stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. Leeds came in on a bad run, if you can call it that, with frustration high after last weeks dropped points at home to Derby. Online, Daily Mass, However I got served fairly quickly & after forcing my way back through from the bar found a spot out of the way with a good view of the televised game been shown on the big screen. I was eagerly looking forward to this game as soon as the fixtures were released as I had never visited The Valley previously and was aware that it was once one of the biggest grounds in the country. Adam Hodson a visiting Stockport County fan adds; There is a decent fish and chip shop at the top of Floyd Road, which you pass on the way to the away fans entrance.. I was planing to drive to Dartford station, then catch the stopping service on the north Kent line to Charlton, as Charlton station is no more than a couple of minutes' walk from the ground. The wait is never long as there are regular trains back into central London. At least the second trip had more Baggies on the train. Onehour in total. Town are doing well this season, although that is not a special reason for going to see the team, in my case anyway. and turn right and cross over to the other side. Children with Cancer UK Kit by | Sep 22, 2020 | Uncategorized | 0 comments. The West Stand is these days the most impressive; a double decker affair that boasts the club crest on the cladding on the roof gable. The toilets, on the other hand, were large and clean. I think the owners need to check their history on how Charlton came to return to The Valley. The Valley has changed a lot in 35 years! Some fellow Coventry fans did get stuck behind as the police controlled the gates on the platform only letting a certain number of fans on at a time. One alternativeis theAngerstein Hotel on Woolwich Road, which is around a 15minute walk away from the Valley, going towards Greenwich/Woolwich. 3. Then I got the Tube to Blackfriars and caught the train to Charlton. Appalachian Pronunciation Map, I didn't really get a chance to speak to the home fans but they seemed friendly and jovial enough. Tickets are available to purchase, with Adults at 10 and Concessions at 5. It looks like you're new here. I enjoy away games in London as they are easy to get to from Cardiff. As we nipped out to grab a half-time pint, I felt confident that we could secure the 3 points at the end of the match, such was the vibe of the evening. It is accessible to coaches, although no parking is available for them at the pub. 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 Valley is carved into a hill surrounded by residential buildings, so it doesn't really come into sight before you're at the turnstiles, really. A combination of tightening their belts and safety red flags at the Valley meant they spent the best part of a decade playing their games at Crystal Palaces and West Hams stadiums. Straight away and the police directed us a quicker way to the station which is only 5 minutes from the away section. The stewards were friendly and helpful and even joined in with some fun and banter with the away support. Give priority to those supporters with the highest win ratio at games they've attended.Implement an Im not going today scheme- so that those who are entitled to attend can transfer their place to someone if they cant attend.Sorry but I can't see this happening unless there is a vast majority approach that we simply don't care about a certain number of COVID cases and COVID deaths anymore. A long wait for abus then two came at the same time! There's a quite small servery for the whole of the stand staffed by friendly but rather inefficient servers. In 1992 though, they moved back home. But we found it okay and entered the ground shortly after the turnstiles opened at 1.30pm. I like London games (especially Saturday 3pm kick offs) as there are always places to go for food and drink. A very subdued journey home for our coach but the Valley has plenty of character and is a decent enough away day. Courtney Brown Facebook, Wrap up warm and recommend scarf and gloves in winter. Very poor from Leeds. Some Argyle fans stopped at a beer festival in Deptford. The away end looked very dated, poor food and drinks service leading to crushes and bumps and bangs trying to get to the toilet. Very friendly home fans. Once we got past the turnstiles it was very crowded in the concourse. The Valley is a 27,111 capacity sports stadium located in Charlton, London, England and has been the home of Charlton Athletic Football Club since 1992. Charlton missed a penalty and Rochdale held on to win the game.. The home fans were friendly enough and there was no aggro. A club merger was on the cards but failed meaning there was just a one year hiatus away from the Valley. See bus route map (PDF document). Mounted Police directed away fans to their coaches or the station. Even getting a good view of the exterior of the away end is limited due to approaching the outer gates side ways on! 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice, but calorie needs vary. 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! The ground was surprisingly quite hidden away. It was as smooth and simple as that. Didnt try a pie but got great comments from the man next to me, who was enjoying his. I was very pessimistic. There are various nail bars, barbers, petrol stations, the seemingly obligatory Tesco Express and pubs that look like the Queen Vic in Eastenders. Between 1905, when the club was formed, and 1919, when The Valley was built . Well, that's not going to happen. See the view from your seat at The Valley. The stand which was out of place was the away end with very basic facilities. One of the best away days yet and there will be no doubt at all to attend in future. Our seats were in the Central Block of the North Stand Lower Tier behind the goal in Row S, about 20 rows from the very front. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2023 Football Ground Guide. There is also a Ladbrokes betting kiosk inside the ground. Although we were told to sit anywhere, the upper part of the stand was blocked off by stewards. Six Flags Great Adventure Safari Discount Tickets, A good day out spoilt by an abject performance by the Derby players. Charlton started the match brightly and were clearly the best team in the opening half hour. Johnny Orlando And Mackenzie Ziegler Relationship, Bad points the view from the stand, and the one way in/out of the ground. 4 5 reviews. Click here to guarantee your spot your spot on the coach for every home league game by purchasing your season passes for our 2022/23 campaign on our season tickets page. Once we got through the short journey into South London was pretty straight forward. Whilst overlooking Blackheath itself is the CAMRA Good Beer Guide listed Hare & Billet. Having originally intended to attend a Championship game that those helpful folk at Sky switched to a Monday night I had to settle for this east London derby and I had one of the best days out for ages. Added to that fact, former Charlton Athletic legendary Player and Manager Chris Powell was returning to the Valley as Huddersfield Town Manager, almost a year on from his controversial sacking as Charlton boss. We had been pushing hard for a goal throughout the half and were finally rewarded when Tim Dieng scored two minutes before the break. To add to the above, something unusual happened on my previous two visits to The Valley. Xavier Johnson Nba, In total it houses 9,000 fans. The pub was packed full, with both set of supporters mixing without any trouble. This resulted in our driver having to double back & block the road until the Police took an interest in us! If clubs and authorities want their people to travel to football matches by public transport, they have got to make it easy and attractive. To be fair from then on it was pretty much one way traffic. I had liked what I had previously heard about the Valley and also from what I seen of the stadium on Football League shows. 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. However public transport is good. I was now intrigued how we would fare in a few days time down at the south coast at the runaway league leaders , Brighton. 2019-2020: 18,017 (Championship League) So as you can expect, the chants were funny! Which arrived about 1.15. 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