Thursday 8 November 2012

High scoring Charlton matches

After Tuesday night I was wondering if that was the highest aggregate score I have ever seen at The Valley and I think that it was. The closest I can remember is a 4-4 draw with Norwich when were 2-4 down not long before the end. To my everlasting disappointment I missed the 7-6 against Huddersfield as we were Christmas shopping in Woolwich, so all I have is the commemorative sweatshirt (which attracted a lot of interest when I wore it when I was living in the States).

Thanks to research by Chalfont St. Peter Addick Richard Sheppard we have found that the last 5-4 was in wartime when we beat Crystal Palace in South A Regional League on 30 December 1939 in front of a crowd of 1,910. Our score included an own goal and a penalty, but we missed a penalty as well.

1960 was a bumper year for high scores. On Boxing Day we beat Plymouth Argyle 6-4 at The Valley in front of a crowd of 11,196, the order of the goals being 0-1, 2-1, 2-2, 3-2, 3-3. 4-3, 4-4, 6-4. Stuart Leary scored for Charlton. We went to Plymouth the following day and lost 6-4. The match went 1-0, 1-1, 2-1, 2-2. 4-2, 4-3, 5-3, 5-4, 6-4. The match marked Hewie's first appearance after his return from South Africa, but he gave away a penalty. Duff was the Charlton keeper.

On October 1st in that year we hadbeaten Portsmouth 7-4 at The Valley. Then a fortnight later we had 6-6 draw with Middlesbrough with seven of the goals arriving in a 17-minute spell. The final Charlton equaliser was scored by Summers in the 89th minute.

Other high scores in the calendar year 1960 were Cardiff City 5, Charlton 1; Charlton 5, Plymouth Argyle 2; Swansea 5, Charlton 2; Lincoln 5, Charlton 3; Charlton 5, Scunthorpe 2; Charlton 6, Portsmouth 1; Brighton 3, Charlton 5.

Duff was the unchallenged Charlton keeper during this period, having been brought in after leaving the Army. Whilst playing for the Addicks he conceded 231 goals. On one occasion he was suspended for 14 days after knocking out Everton's David Hickson. He was sold to Peterborough in 1963.

In 1978 we drew 5-5 with Bristol Rovers away. This was the highest scoring draw in the Football League for 12 years.

In 1995-6 we beat then Premier League outfit Wimbledon 5-4 in the league cup at Selhurst Park. Bowyer became the youngest Charlton player to score a hat-trick in an away game. Among the Charlton scorers was Garland and I remember seeing a video of the highights of the match: his goal might be summed up as 'lucky strike from guy who had eaten too many pies.'

I was among the 9,824 at The Valley for the return fixture. Like the first leg, it was an ill tempered affair with lots of bookings. It was 2-3 after 90 minutes which put the match into extra time. Johnnie Robinson, having earlier given away a penalty, scored the decisive goal on 97 minutes. I think I have a video of that match somewhere. We went out in a 3rd round replay at home to Wolves.

15 comments:

Dave said...

We had the 4-4 at home against the Hammers, a 5-4 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday and a 4-4 I remember at Burnley where we threw away a three goal lead in the last ten minutes....

Derrick said...

I was at the 5-5 draw with Bristol Rovers in '78. Couldn't help but think about those Eastville memories in the last few minutes of Tuesday night's game. So glad I didn't see a repeat!

Gary said...

Typical of my luck, I couldn't get to Tuesday night's game but I do remember beating Southampton 6-2 at the Valley which I think was about 1976. I think this was during the period when we tended to play quite a few of our games on a Friday night rather than Saturday pm.

Anonymous said...

I was lucky enough to be at the 5-5 at Bristol Rovers. I also thought we had a similar scoreline against Wimbledon in the league cup in the mid 90s. It was over 2 legs, but I think the second leg was at the Valley and had a big score. We were drawing but were ahead on away goals. I was the only person celebrating at the end, not realising away goals didn't count until after extra time...

Pembury Addick

Anonymous said...

I am currently working with Willie Duff's cousin who has been living in Australia for thirty odd years and has still retained his Scottish accent! I remember Willie Duff as a very brave keeper despite that high scoring season 1960-61 where I believe the goal difference at the end was 97 - 94. I also remember Willie Duff starting and playing a whole game against Bristol Rovers with a damaged hand (I guess the manager did not have much faith in the reserve keeper). I was present at the 6-6 Middlesbrough game (Brian Clough and Denis Edwards scored hat tricks), and the 5-3 Brighton and Lincoln games. Great season!!!
Behind Enemy Lines

Mike BARRY said...

Wyn: I am prettuy sure that somewhere among the archives you will find a 6-6 home draw that I'm sure I witnessed, probn, in the '60;s, which I thinmk was against Middlesborough. This would normally be a task for Richard Redden!

Anonymous said...

P.S. To my last comment - there is another high scoring game during the Willie Duff era which will not be remembered so fondly. Aston Villa 11 Charlton Athletic 1. Duff was injured and carried off in that game and cannot bee blamed for that score line. It was the days before substitutes were allowed. Aston Villa only lost a couple of games that season as they romped to the 2nd division title - one of those games was the reverse fixture at the Valley where Charlton won 2-0 in a game featured on Match Of The Day!

Behind Enemy Lines.

Mike BARRY said...

Apologies: now without the typo's

Wyn: I am pretty sure that somewhere among the archives you will find a 6-6 home draw that I'm sure I witnessed: prob, in the '60's, which I think was against Middlesborough.
This would normally be a task for Richard Redden!

Mike BARRY said...

I recall the Villa Cup game and the steam train supporters' special to it.
I also recall a speedy "SM" who before the game took the ball from the centre spot and carried it in rugby style on a scintilating run into the goal past about 5 Villa supporters.
Those were the more friendly fun days before the riots, when both sets of supporters cheered on all the participants in this pre-game inncoent frolic (but it was good we came out on top, the only point in the game).

ChicagoAddick said...

I was at the Southampton 6-2 game and think it is the only time I have seen us score 6.

It was an era as I wrote in my blog that we used to often say that we needed 5 to win and we were on the end of quite a few hammerings.

I remember losing to Luton 5-1 (75/76) and they beat us at their place a couple of seasons later 7-1.

That Bristol Rovers 5-5 was in the same season I think that we lost 6-1 at Preston and 5-3 at Newcastle.

Knew at the time we'd laugh about those results one day.... ;-)

Wyn Grant said...

Thanks for all the additional high scoring matches that have been discovered. In March 1946 my mother and father went by train to the FA Cup semi-final at Villa Park. 97 goals scored and 91 against in 1960-61. Richard Redden talks of a pattern of 'attacking strength marred by defensive weakness' in the late 1950s/early 1960s. I don't want to blame Duff for that, though.

Really old git said...

Was at The Valley for Charlton 8 Boro 1 in September 53. S Africa (O'Linn,Firmani Leary)scored six and Gordon Hurst the other two. Rolando Ugolini "kept" goal for Boro. Until today I thought he had been an Italian POW, but discover that he lived in Scotland from age 3. Scottish goalie, Scottish goalie, hello, hello!

Anonymous said...

Was at a game against Sunderland on a Boxing day Brian Clough was giving Willy Duff a hard time and lots of lip. During a late Corner Duff went for the Ball and acidentilly punched Cloughy and knocked him clean off his feet. To much Glee from the covered end.
It was said at the time that the manager used to have to collect Duff from the local Pub just before the game willy would have all his strip on ready and a rain coat to cover up. any truth

Anonymous said...

Like ChicagoAddick I was at the 6-2 Southampton and the 1-5 Luton games at the Valley. I seem to remember a 4-3 at home to Brighton (when Peter Ward was playing for Albion) in the 70's. I think it was in the late 60's
when I saw us beat Fulham 5-3 at the Valley with midfielder Graham Moore scoring a 25 yard thunderbolt!

Really old git said...

Apologies for these Dark Ages memories, but Feby 62 at Kenilworth Road - Luton 1 CAFC 6. Stuart Leary and Ronnie White played like Di Stefano and Puskas that day.
Re Willy Duff - two posts above - I wonder whether they got him out of the train buffet the day Villa got 11 against us. Of course, the redtops said it would have been 15 without Willy.