FAN MEMORIES | “The atmosphere was classic”

On December 5th 1992, Charlton played their first match back at The Valley following seven years away from their spiritual home. 

Twenty-five years on, the club have been asking supporters for their memories of that special day, in which the Addicks earned a 1-0 victory over Portsmouth thanks to Colin Walsh’s seventh-minute goal. 

One of 8,337 supporters in attendance that day was Tony Farrell, who is now the Fans’ Forum representative for the Charlton Athletic Disabled Supporters’ Association (CADSA). 

And Farrell, a fan since 1978, describes a phenomenal atmosphere. 

“There have been bigger crowds, in the Premiership days particularly, but the atmosphere around that time when we first came back was classic,” he said.

“I remember it was difficult to get tickets because it was a smaller capacity and the enthusiasm for Charlton being back made it difficult to get into the ground, but I managed it.

“It always seemed to be a packed house because it was a smaller ground and it made for a great atmosphere and the team was doing well too.”

Saturday's edition of Valley Review will feature four pages of supporter memories and fans who would like to send in their own memories can email them to website@cafc.co.uk.

Tickets for Saturday’s match against Portsmouth, which will see the club celebrate the 25th anniversary of its return to The Valley, remain on sale with adult prices beginning at £20.

Seats are on restricted sale meaning that supporters need to be on the club’s ticketing database and have a purchase history in order to buy. To purchase online, log in to your account, refresh the page and the match will then appear. Please click here to buy online

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