The Premier League Regulars now in League One | Visiting The Valley | Charlton Athletic Matchday

#leagueone #cafc #thevalley #charlton
Another day, another football wander, this time to London, South of the Thames to the Valley, a beautiful stadium home to Charlton Athletic. This ground has seen it all, from the highs of 7th place in the Premier League to it becoming abandoned for years. I take a visit to see how the stadium looks now and how Charlton is getting on in League One in the EFL.
Enjoy the sights and sounds of this traditional football ground with comprehensive Stadium Review, Pre-Match Buildup and main game highlights.
Ticket Cost: £27.50
Full football stadium and matchday vlog from a fan's perspective as I grab myself a seat in the Alan Curbishley Stand!
If you like this content, Subscribe and comment below the stadiums and teams in the UK and Europe that you would like me to attend and review?
Opponents: Charlton Athletic v Cheltenham - Nov 2023
Stadium: The Valley, London, United Kingdom
Official ticket site below to buy online (not sponsored);
Charlton Tickets: www.charltonafc.com/tickets/o...
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@CAFCOfficial

[@paulfirmani6111]

Supported Charlton for over 65 years now. Charlton also has a great museum that is open for a few hours before each match. It is in the back of the Curbishley stand if I remember correctly. Addick till I die.

[@gottawander]

Cheers for the comment mate, love to hear from lifelong fans like yourself. I missed the museum during my visit but I was always fascinated with the clubs history. Hopefully ye will end the season strong 💪

[@callumalston5755]

Back of the covered stand!

[@Dude0000]

So did Del Boy.

[@creativitycell]

I didn't realise that Charlton was such a big club! 27,000 capacity is very respectable in any League, let alone League 1! 😮

[@gottawander]

That was my thoughts exactly when I saw the stadium first!😄 thanks for watching

[@areguapiri]

They were in The Premiere League for 10 consecutive years.

[@charliezobel511]

The old Valley had a capacity of around 70,000 up until they were forced to ground share with Croydon Rovers in the mid 80’s.

[@MrAdrien1999]

Bolton and derby have even bigger ones!

[@user-qv2xt6rq1k]

Sheffield Wednesday are a league 1 yo yo club who were in League One last season and could be there again next season and their capacity is over 39,000.

[@ec90]

Watford fan here. Such fond memories of away games in the late 00s, but now been ages since we played eachother. My favourite ground as an away supporter! Hope Charlton get back in the championship again soon.

[@gottawander]

Great to hear from other fans and their memories about their away days 👍 thanks for that man.

[@boamato]

Must say you did an outstanding job with video and I thoroughly enjoyed watching your video. Currently living in the USA it was great to watch and you film and talk about so many great aspects of the club and its location! Cheers!

[@gottawander]

Appreciate you reaching out and delighted you found my vid from across the pond 😉 thank you.

[@rafamelo28]

Um típico estádio raiz, gostei demais do vídeo, saudações do Brasil.

[@stuartwallace7536]

As an Addick, i can safely say, it does , as most people who have been involved with the club say, have a 'family' feel about it. The club has always looked after their own, and recognises loyal servants (Curbs stand,Jimmy Seed stand, Bartram bar,etc) Curbishley still commentates on every Charlton game on Charlton TV along with Scott Minto and Steve Brown, both ex -players. The Valley is far removed from what it looked like in the 80's and 90's - which at that time had only 2 covered stands (one was the 'Railway' stand which took up half of the Main Stand , and also 'The Covered End' (which you noticed in your vid) . Since your game i think we went 16 games winless, but now have a very decent manager who has guided us to safety and hopefully into top 6 next season. One thing about The Valley is that you are always welcomed by friendly people - there is never a hint of aggression or violence that you see in most other 'bigger' clubs. There are also always generally quite a few tourists who come along on Saturdays, because of the fact they cant get into the Prem grounds, plus Charlton is close to tourist places such as Greenwich, Maritime Museum, Cutty Sark, GMT and the Thames Barrier. OK, i know im biased but i believe The Valley to be one of the best grounds - and i feel a resurgence to the club is forthcoming .

[@gottawander]

Excellent post, thanks for sharing Stuart. Have to agree, the stadium is amazing, there is massive and loyal fanbase and there looks to be some positivity back since the new man has come in. I will have my fingers crossed that ye become a force once again and start climbing the table and leagues 🤞💪⚽️🔴

[@stevenspraggs4953]

remembey the ground when they had that huge end great club charlton wish them well for the rest of the season

[@Sgt_FoXx676]

Excellent video glad you enjoyed it as much as we lose i love the club with a passion and happy you we enjoyed we seem to have a great manager at the moment maybe stop by again some time

[@gottawander]

I'm liking what the new man is doing as well. Here is hoping your current form continues. Thanks for reaching out, love hearing from die hard fans like yourself who have been through it all and never waver in terms of loyalties💪⚽️

[@user-tm2nd3fs8o]

Brilliant video, brought back some great memories as I live in Spain now. We won, so you're welcome back at any time!

[@gottawander]

Thanks for that, great it brought back nice footballing memories for you. Also v glad I wasn't a bad omen that night for ye😆⚽️

[@user-fx2vl2dh1j]

Fantastic ground

[@gottawander]

Absolutely, I knew it would be good but seeing it first hand was even better. Thanks for watching

[@stuartvaughan4677]

Great video , i miss going

[@gottawander]

Thanks a mill for that Stuart, glad you enjoyed mate.

[@SteveSmith-rm6mu]

I was one of the Cheltenham supporters at this match. Great video 👏. My main criticism of the stadium facilities having travelled down on a cold Tuesday night, was the awful standard of catering for visiting supporters, not to mention the woeful toilet facilities. Not even a bag of chips on offer! Stark contrast to the offering in the home areas. Away supporters always going to get a raw deal I know, but surely there must be something better on offer this day and age.

[@gottawander]

Great insight provided there regarding away fan options...that is a pretty poor offering indeed especially when compared to the options I had available to me that night. Awesome that you were there too and managed to find this vid btw!! Thanks for reaching out 👍

[@SteveSmith-rm6mu]

Thanks for your positive response. Have subscribed and shared with my fellow travellers that night. We're season ticket holders at Cheltenham and travel to occasional away matches. Feel justified in providing constructive criticism when the opportunity arises. All the best with future posts 👍

[@Giuseppe827]

Nice video mate,congratulations, I was at the Valley in 1985 saw Charlton playing

[@gottawander]

Wow, I'd say it looked a lot different in 1985! Thanks for the kind comment and for giving the video a go. 🙏🔴⚽️

[@daneelolivaw602]

A great video, well done, i'm almost ashamed to admit, as a London born boy, that i have never seen a game at Charlton.

[@gottawander]

Thanks mate. A lot of us are the exact same, there are lots of things to do on my doorstep that I haven't done as well 😊

[@ironmonger100]

Great video - you took me to parts of The Valley - and Charlton itself - I've never been to, despite supporting them for 50 years plus. I sense you have a liking for the club.. Appleton turned out to be not the man for the job, now Nathan Jones has brought some fresh optimism, so do come back! Thanks again for a great watch.

[@gottawander]

My pleasure mate. Yeah, it was a fantastic visit for me, I will be keeping a close eye and hope ye can get back to the Championship under the new man's tenure. You die hard fans deserve it 💪🔴⚽️

[@cafcmatt12]

Great video mate

[@gottawander]

Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment Matt, glad you enjoyed the video because I certainly enjoyed my visit 💪⚽️

[@francolive5718]

Charlton were a solid premier league team from 1999 to 2006 and it fell apart when Curbishley left. Always remember Charlton having a bad record in May also.

[@gottawander]

Yeah, they really were a solid top tier team back then. I remember watching a load of their games and thought Curbishley was great, hence why I really wanted to see how things are nowadays. Still an amazing stadium and the fans are a loyal bunch and very sound too, so hopefully under the new man, things will improve. 🍻 Thanks for watching.

[@davidhurst100]

Would love to see Charlton back in the big time, despite the fact that back in 2003 they absolutely MULLERED Wolves at Molineux! That was in Paulo Di Canio's season. Scott Parker got sent off and you still beat us 4-0!

[@gottawander]

Great comment and great memory too ⚽️🔴

[@turbotiger82]

I'm not a Charlton fan but I have a big soft spot. Hope they can get back to the Prem soon.

[@gottawander]

I know Matt, would love to see them back in the Championship at least to restore confidence and get bigger crowds in again at that magnificent stadium.

[@johnsalvatore9203]

You ask why there is a section of the East (Alan Curbishley) Stand cordoned off for home fans. I think the simple answer is that a required gap is required between home and away fans. By chance there were very few Cheltenham fans in the away end at your game but if the Jimmy Seed stand is full (as it was for a recent game v Portsmouth) then the away fans would be in seats very close to the end of the East Stand hence the statutory segregation gap. Great video, enjoyed it. My first game at The Valley was 1962 and I've been going regularly ever since despite leaving London in 1969.

[@gottawander]

Thanks for the info John, great stuff. Glad you enjoyed the vid, especially coming from a lifelong fan like yourself. 🔴⚽️

[@Daislark]

Your best vlog yet, Paul. Superb, exciting and thoroughly interesting. With vlogs like these you should be getting millions of views. I also used to collect football stickers when I was young. Those stadium lounge meals are very reasonably priced and I would have gone for the curry but your steak pie looks amazing too. Never heard of the waffle chips. You had a good seat and a great view. Here in Portugal I've never been to a match but I have visited both Benfica and Sporting stadiums, to take an AirBNB guest from Colombia who was drop-dead crazy about football and stadiums. AirBNB has kept us so busy over the past 8 or 9 years. We hope to do it again in Ireland. Write a vlog about Nepal where I spent most of my life ! But of course you need to go there to do it. Best from Anthony

[@gottawander]

Nepal would be an amazing visit, maybe if my channel continues to grow, I might make it over there one day and experience its beauty. Glad your enjoying the content and going on these wanders with me and our small community of avid explorers 💪 if you ever set up an Airbnb in Ireland, let me know and I will be sure to one of your first customers! 🇮🇪

[@Daislark]

I will defiinitely do that, Paul. And if you go to Nepal one day, let me know so our two nieces can welcome you to Kathmandu.

[@siglo2764]

When I think of Charlton athletic I think of hales and Flanagan and Bradley wright Phillips as a Cheltenham town fan I'm pissed that you signed Alfie may and now we are heading into league 2

[@adamk1924]

I went to the Valley in 2001 watching Everton, i always remembered it not being far from millenium dome now 02 Arena. But yeah that’s a good fan bar area for a pint & something to eat that and for free ! Especially if you’ve got kids, looks better the ground now though since 2001 would pass for a PL stadium.

[@gottawander]

Yeah I agree Adam, really felt like a premier league ground. Pretty cool you got to see them playing live in the Top flight too. Cheers for sharing 💪⚽️

[@armanitaylor2992]

I was at that game

[@gottawander]

Ah brill. It was a good match to attend! Lets hope for the same result tonight now 💪

[@mikeyfama9409]

Awesome video, lovely stadium and bars! At 22:11 it said 1-1 but it should have been 2-1 :D

[@gottawander]

Ah balls!! 😆😆 Good spot Mikey, I swear I do proof read!! Lol. A few typos do still end up slipping through in some of the vids! Appreciate you watching and for taking the time to comment mate. 👍🍻

[@caterham555]

Great stadium. Owned by a former owner ,the despised Roland Duchalot.

[@gottawander]

Yeah, a truly great stadium indeed, hopefully seeing Championship football with large crowds at every game in its near future.

[@redd605]

Use to be one bus fare from selhurst station no 75 bus now it's the 122 from crystal palace

[@rogerward3390]

Great video...lovely to watch a video with no annoying spotty teenager prat over talking about nonsense! Great video my friend 🎉😊😊

[@gottawander]

Thanks Roger, glad you enjoyed this style of video. 👍🍻

[@pauldavenport9427]

Really enjoyed this. I'm a season ticket holder for my sins, in the lower tier of the Covered End . At the time of that game Cheltenham (without the goals of Alfie May, who Charlton had bought in the summer) looked dead certs for relegation, but they changed their manager - and results - and have a decent chance of staying up. Charlton on the other hand wouldn't win another league game for almost exactly 3 months, during which time their manager also got the push. Thankfully things are calmer now as the season approaches its final month but the Valley will spend at least another season as a third tier stadium which is invariably less than half-full. Frustrating.

[@gottawander]

Glad you enjoyed the vid as a home fan. Thank you. I absolutely loved my visit to your ground. I can imagine it's frustrating for sure though. I couldn't believe the bad run of results after this game. So glad your showing some form now and getting the points on the board. For a club this size, I really hope ye can push for a playoff spot in the next few seasons. Fair play for keeping with the team through thick and thin, a true loyal supporter which is needed during these times 💪🔴⚽️

[@pauldavenport9427]

@@gottawander I also have plastic scouse affiliations so enjoyed your recent Anfield vlog (which is how I came to your channel). Not sure I'd fork out 300 quid though! I went to Charlton's game at Fleetwood Town on Saturday and 'did' hospitality there. £70 - decent value I thought. You should try that if you get the chance!😀

[@gottawander]

@@pauldavenport9427 300 was a fairly hefty sum alright! Thanks for the recommendation. Hope to get to many more UK stadiums next season and more in Europe too.

[@benwatkins6513]

People forget curbishly was there 10 years I think and I remember players like mendonca and Martin Pringle 😂

[@gottawander]

Such a long time when you think about it. 10 years. Extremely rare these days. I remember those days as a very young football fan and watching Charlton often on the tv back then so getting to visit after all these years was great for me.

[@davidcorcoran5463]

It sure doesn't look anything like the ground I frequented in the 1950s.

[@gottawander]

Wow, 1950's...football really is a lifelong passion, isn't it. Dont mind about me, I bet you have some awesome matchday stories to share! 😎⚽️ Thanks for the comment

[@davidcorcoran5463]

@@gottawander We played Arsenal at The Valley and the media said that there were over 80,000 there. The ground was only supposed to hold 75,000. When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobing along, along.

[@NZExperience]

Bit of a stretch to say they were first flight regulars but yes it is a shame.

[@thebomb78]

Empty! 😂😂😂😂

[@JP-oe4ry]

Why not condense fans in to all lower sections?.. creating better atmosphere and looks less pathetic

[@PatrickMapper]

We haven't won since this 😬

[@gottawander]

It's such a shame man. I have been following the results and watching a few games since my visit and god, it's disappointing what fans are seeing on the field at present.

[@catsquirrel3270]

@@gottawander Much improved in the past few weeks, bit of hope for the future with a manager who can lift the playing side of things to a higher level. As a Charlton fan living outside the UK, thank you for this warmhearted and sympathetic look at our club.

[@gottawander]

@catsquirrel3270 Yeah, its great to see the turn around in form recently, long may it continue. Also, your more than welcome, it was a joy to see the beautiful stadium and enjoy a game there 😎💪🔴

[@manonthemoon2912]

Charlton Athletic Premier League regulars?

[@adambartlett6277]

You are correct indeed. It is very much the "turd tier"

[@gottawander]

Yup, just like your comment 👍

[@NRM09508]

Unfortunately Appleton didn’t do to well however Nathan jones has done much better! Up the addicks!

[@gottawander]

Spot on. The new man has done very well. Hopefully he gets the funds this summer to build from here, but really good signs so far 🤞🔴⚽️

[@NRM09508]

@@gottawander I sure do hope so 🤞

[@smallsmalls3889]

Turd tier.

[@OpenDoorEnglish]

Premier League regulars???

[@gottawander]

Absolutely 😜 Yeah, for me they were regulars when I was watching the premier league as a teen. It's fair that you and some others may question it and may not think the same though! Especially in recent times 👍⚽️🔴

[@shars23]

2-1 😂😂

[@gottawander]

Good spot 😆👍

[@LondonCAFC]

the turd tier indeed

[@gottawander]

Absolutely, turd turd turd😀👍

[@paulmilner8452]

as i put it back in 2004 when almost every club voted to try bankrupt leeds ...... it's karma now that these very same clubs are struggling some even worse than charlton