CHARLTON ATHLETIC |
Charlton had a sticky time of
it when they were first formed in 1905, playing on Siemens Meadow. They
went rough and made Woolwich Common their home, before a big money move
to Pound Park and then the hardest pitch on Horn Lane. They even managed
to win two leagues in one season - Division Two of both the Woolwich
League and the Lewisham League. It wasn’t until 1919 that they moved
into the old chalk pit that became the Valley. It was one of the biggest
grounds in the country for many years with vast, steep, mountainous
terraces, packed with fans every other week, but it could have been very
different had a move to Catford been successful. However, the home
ground was to play a big part in their future.
In 1921, The Addicks (a nickname taken from a local fish and chip shop in the vicinity) made it to Division 3 (South) and this preceded a period when they were one of the most feared sides in Britain under the leadership of former Spurs player, Jimmy Seed. They took the odd step of moving out of the Valley to Catford in the middle of the 1923-24 season, but soon moved back at the end of the season. In 1935, they came second in their league and in ‘36 were runners-up in Division 2, the same position they filled the following season in the top flight. Their FA Cup zenith was reached after the War, when they featured in consecutive Finals - losing 1-4 to Derby County in 1946 (with Bert Turner scoring for both sides) and winning in 1947 - a 1-0 win over Burnley. Seed managed to break the lid of the trophy when celebrating and that is why they now have the ribbons tied to it - to stop the top falling off. In their victorious run to the final, their 5th round tie against Blackburn Rovers was the first to be shown live on television. The ball burst in both finals too! Famous Sam Bartram was a loyal servant to the club. So much so, that during one game when fog descended and enveloped the pitch, he remained at his post thinking the match was continuing. It was only when a Policeman threatened to arrest him for loitering with intent that he realised all the other players had departed. Staying the course seemed to agree with the South Londoners - trailing 5-1 with 28 minutes left against Huddersfield Town in 1957, Charlton came back to win 7-6 !! Relegated from the top division in 1957, a few "original" ideas were considered to spice up the old club. 1959 saw a push to become London Athletic and in 1966, when football was at it’s peak in this country, Charlton became home to the London Broncos rugby league side!! This bucked the current trend of the times. Another innovation Charlton took to was that of substitutes, when Keith Peacock became the first one use din the Football League in 1965. In 1972 the Valiants were sent down to Div. 3, but by 1986 they were back in Division 1, with Lennie Lawrence leading them in their annual relegation fight. Before that had happened, Athletic had scooped the world by signing Barcelona and Denmark star Allan Simonsen - 44 years after they nearly scooped the football world by trying to sign Stanley Matthews. Having to leave their home ground in 1985, meant that they were forced to share Selhurst and Upton Parks until the Valley Party won votes in the local elections and inspired a return to Greenwich in 1992. The new Valley was a breath of fresh air and the team won the 1998 promotion play-off on a penalty shoot-out after an exciting 4-4 draw with Sunderland. Unfortunately, Charlton returned to Division One the next season. Without wanting to become a yo-yo club, the Addicks raced to the 1999-2000 First Division Championship with a terrific run of results from Christmas to Easter. Manager Alan Curbishley had his work cut out to keep the team up in the top half, but by floating the club on the Stock market, money should be available to produce purchases to share in the benefits of the Premier League. His side have floated accordingly, despite some fans concerns about end-of-season slumps. Having decided to call it a day at the Valley in 2006, Ian Dowie, Les Reed and finally Alan Pardew all tried to keep the Addicks up once more, but failed in the end and then could not rise back to the top flight at the first attempt, leaving them a tough task to get promotion and the side slipped even further down the ladder with relegation to League One, where they have found it tough to escape from. Under manager Chris Powell, the team powered to promotion back to the Championship and celebrating 30 years back at the Valley in December 2012, the Addicks drew against Brighton & Hove Albion to sit comfortably smack in the middle of the division ... with some home comfort too. FAMOUS PLAYERS : - Sam Bartram, Allan
Simonsen, Norman Brothers (one of the Charlton Brothers), Derek Hales,
Harry Dale, Richard Rufus and Chaka Khan. |
Formed | 1905 |
Turned Professional | 1920 |
Became a Limited Company | 1919 |
Former names | - |
Previous grounds | 1906-07
Siemen's Meadow 1907-09 Woolwich Common 1909-13 Pound Park 1913-20 Horn Lane 1920-23 The Valley 1923-24 Catford (The Mount) 1924-85 The Valley 1985-91 Selhurst Park 1991-92 Upton Park |
Nickname | "The ADDICKS", "The VALIANTS" or "The ROBINS" |
Club Colours | HOME
: Shirts - Red Shorts - White Socks - Red AWAY : Shirts
- White |
Record Football League Win | 8-1
v Middlesbrough Div. 1 12.9.1953 |
Record Football League Defeat | 1-11
v Aston Villa Div. 1 14.11.1959 |
Record Cup Win | 7-0 v
Burton Albion FAC R3 7.1.1956 |
Record Fee Paid | £4.75 million to Wimbledon for Jason EUELL (July 2001) |
Record Fee Received | £16.5 million from Tottenham Hotspur for Darren BENT (29 June 2007) |
Record Football League Appearances | 583 - Sam BARTRAM (1934-56) |
Record goalscorer in a season | 32
- Ralph ALLEN (Div 3(S), 1934-35) |
Record all-time goalscorer | 153 - Stuart LEARY (1953-62) |
Most goals in a match | 5
- Wilson LENNOX v Exeter City Division 3
(South) 2.2.1929 5 - Eddie FIRMANI v Aston Villa Division 1 5.2.1955 5 - John Summers v Huddersfield Town Division 2 21.12.1957 5 - John Summers v Portsmouth Division 2 1.10.1960 |
Record Attendance (all-time) | 75,031
v Aston Villa FA R5 12.2.1938 |
Record Premier League Attendance | 25,893
v Ipswich Town 1.1.2002 |
Record match receipts | £201,711 v Queens Park Rangers FAC R5 8.1.2000 |
Record total of goals in a League season | 107 - Division 2 1957-58, 42 games |
Record League points total | 2 points for a win
: 61 Division 3 (South) 1934-35 3 points for a win : 91 Division 1 1999-2000 |
Most Capped player while at club | 19 - John HEWIE (Scotland) |
Youngest player | Paul KONCHESKY - 16 years and 93 days v Oxford United 16.8.1997 |
Address : The Valley, Floyd Road, London SE25 6PH
Telephone
: 020 8333 4000
020 8333 4010 (Ticket Office)
09068 121 146 (News)
Fax : 020 8333 4001
Capacity
: 20, 043
Pitch size : 111 yards x 73 yards
Official website : www.charlton-athletic.co.uk.
Unofficial websites : Forever
Charlton
Where Were You
Addicks Online
Pics From The Past
Charlton Till I Die
Fanzines
Goodbye
Horse
Voice of the Valley
Full results history of Spurs v Charlton Athletic
Transfers from Charlton Athletic to Tottenham
Transfers from Tottenham to Charlton Athletic
Spurs v Charlton Athletic Notes
Spurs v Charlton Athletic match reports
Spurs v Charlton Athletic Reserve match reports
Spurs v Charlton Athletic Youth match reports