|
BORO v CHARLTON BLAST FROM THE PAST
Charlton have really pushed the boat out for tonight's FA Cup quarter-final replay with 5,000 Addicks fans expexcted to descend on the Riverside tonight.
We've not had any luck against them this season but have enjoyed some good Charlton moments in the past. Here's some of them...
A Cam Goes Wandering - Part I
Middlesbrough 1-2 Charlton, 10/11/1990
Can't remember a lot about the match - more of which later.
Instead of setting off from Merseyside, as has been more usual for matches that I've been to, this was one that started off in Newcastle as I was one of the unwashed mass of student-dom at the time. In fact I had been a student for all of a year and a month. To my surprise, in that month I had found a reasonable band of Boro supporters at Newcastle. You got to know them on the X10 every Friday or Saturday, heading home with washing or just going to see the match. This was a Friday encounter - we'd been away for a month at the time and while underwear and socks are no problem to get washed, the shirts I just couldn't get used to. Washing them was fine just ironing the bastards I hated - still do...
Anyway, I digress. I agreed to meet up with a couple of them together with a couple of my mates in the Westminster on Parliament Road. Another mate from Uni - a Stockport fan no less - was going to come down for the match and I was meeting him at the bus station at about 10-ish. We headed straight for the pub.
Now, at this time there was a very attractive brunette working behind the bar. The first words from my Stockport supporting mate were: "I can see why you come here mate", eyebrows raised - a hard thing for him to do as he had NHS specs at the time and looked like he should have been in the Housemartins. Actually it was the O Winston Link photo on the wall that appealed but there you go.
The Smiths Magnets started disappearing at a helluva rate and even more so once the full band was in, indeed at a rate even more scary than watching Ring on your own in a dilapidated house with no lights on. Oh, and apart from a couple of bags of crisps, no food whatsoever. You will not be surprised to hear therefore that the match was a complete blur and the only recollection I have is Me, Mark Page taking the piss out of the Charlton fans with a "you could have come in a taxi" type comment, and Ian Baird scoring late on. I think we got beaten but don't quote me on that.
Retro Barker
Middlesbrough 2-1 Charlton, 09/08/1997
This was the first game back in the First Division (now the bleeding 'Championship') after the heartbreak of relegation. After the Cup Final I vowed on the steps of Wembley, bailing my eyes out, that I would never watch the Boro again - the pain was just too unbearable and the whole three points saga cut me deep.
The season had now ended, I was down in the dumps, university had finished and I didn't have a job. Juninho left, Ravenelli wanted to, and our lass wouldn't suck my cock. Things were at an all-time low. And then my season ticket renewal form came through. The seed had been planted, Boro signed Paul Merson and then the option came: either go shopping on a Saturday with the missus, or watch the football. My application was swiftly in the post.
As the fixtures came out, I knew straight away I was in trouble. I mean come on, who gets married on the first day of the football season? Well my mate Gary did. I had already agreed to be suited and booted for the wedding day - I was even given the privilege of standing up in the church and doing a couple of readings. Things were not looking good.
On the plus side the service was at 1pm. I had a plan, along with my mate Dougie, who was also an ardent nutter who never missed a match (in fact in 1998-99, he commuted from Germany for every home game).
The plan was simple, do the service thing at church, photos etc and then go to the Bluebell for the reception. When the meal was going to start, nip off and get to the match and return hopefully unnoticed. This was a dodgy tactic as the bride could be a bit of a head the ball, so we decided to come clean and tell the groom. He said, "that's OK" but unbeknown to us, he did not have the guts to tell his bride to be.
To cut a long story short, on a gloriously sunny wedding day, as we were greeted by the Newlyweds, Doug and I went through into the dining area to shake their hands and say, "well done". We then did an about-turn and said "see ya". I then heard a voice coming from the Bride, "Why? Where are you going?"
I knew straight away Gary had not told his new wife, that two of his closest mates were fucking off to the match. She was not impressed, not at all. Seriously I still think she still harbours a grudge. Women!
Anyhow, we went to the match in full top hat & tails, rose in lapel etc. I was sat in the North Stand. The amount of comments like "You getting married son" or "you been to a wedding", grated me a bit, but with the alcohol I had already consumed, and topping up from the stag night before, they just passed me by. I think they scored first, then Festa equalised.
Ravenelli was having a bit of a stinker, then he popped up in the last minute to score the winner. I went berserk. I then heard a rip. I looked down to see part of the hire suit trapped in the chair, with the rest still attached to me.
I didn't care, I was pissed. Until the next day, when the groom told me he did not get insurance for the suits. He had really, but the bride wanted payback and made me sweat, until they got back off the honeymoon.
It was a really good day in the end, in fact it was a really good season - that 4-0 defeat at the City ground excluded - but that's another story.
A Cam Goes Wandering - Part II
Middlesbrough 2-1 Charlton, 09/08/1997
Ah, the first match of the season typically ariived with great T-shirt weather and anticipation for the season ahead. We'd even got over the misery of being relegated the season before.
For once I remained stone cold sober for this one. I don't know why but I did. Typical Charlton performance of the time, they scored early - Clive Mendonca I think (Mackem get) - and then promptly put ten men in their box Italian style - which is why there was a particular irony when Festa equalised late on at which point Charlton's time-wasting was upgraded from "bloody infuriating" to "glaciers move quicker than this".
Which is why there was even more irony when Ravanelli scored very late into injury time to get us the win. There was even booing when his name was announced as scorer. No wonder he never showed up at Tranmere a few weeks later.
And while I was sober at the game I got thoroughly pissed that night in the Linthorpe.
Charlton ever since.
Try and avoid watching the games because they're usually so bloody unbelievably boring and tedious.
BACK TO CHARLTON MATCH PROGRAMME INDEX |
|
|
|
