Wednesday 19 March 2008

Something To Talk About

This is it, the first post from the Charlton supporter who dragged Kelvin down to The Valley to share in the experience. The first match I took to him to was the 2-0 victory over a very poor Leicester City team this season and he has come along to most home games after that. Good on him. I probably wouldn’t have gone to too many more games having watched us get thumped by Burnley and Sheffield United in successive weeks, but he has stuck with it. Good job because I’ve needed a shoulder to cry on quite a lot this season.

I started supporting Charlton back in the 1996/1997 season when a friend from school introduced me (I still meet up with him on match days) and my Dad obliged when I asked if he would take me along. The first match I went to was a 1-1 draw with Luton (Kim Grant scored for us), sitting in the Jimmy Seed Stand with just a bit of plastic meshing separate us from the away lot. Not a great game of football, but I loved it and somehow managed to convince my Dad to take me to some more games that season. And the season after, which ended one sunny May afternoon at Wembley … My attendance at The Valley was a bit patchy for a few seasons after thanks to university and a couple of stints working abroad. I’m now firmly ensconced in London though and have a season ticket in the North Upper.

Such is the strength of the Charlton blogging community, it is difficult to know what Kelvin and I can really add. For me, I guess it’s just an opportunity to put down my thoughts into something tangible rather than just reeling it off to disinterested friends and family. So here goes …

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