NCFC 25/26 • Charlton Athletic (A)
March 21st • 39/46 • 0-1 (W)
I hadn't originally planned go to Charlton as it's awkward to get to, but when I realised it would cap off a run of 10 games from February 21st to March 21st I decided to go.
To get there, I decided I'd drive to Epping and get the tube to Woolwich and walk 40 minutes or so from there. The obvious way to get there would be the train as there's a station nearby, but the journey from Norwich direct to Charlton would have been £44 and at least a three and a half hour journey with 2 changes, and when I went to Charlton for the Chelsea game in the FA Cup, the station was absolutely rammed afterwards, and I didn't really want to have to deal with that. There was an alternative option of going to Liverpool Street and getting the tube which would have cost £74, but it would still been around three hours with two changes, and still required the tube and 40 minute walk. So I decided to just drive and save the hassle of trains and having to make connections.
In the end, the journey was a bit of a disaster. I left a bit late and had to stop on the way for a splash of fuel (no full tanks given the prices at the moment (thanks Trump)) so also grabbed a Burger King lunch. I got to Epping and the car park was completely full - I did two circuits and there was no sign of anybody coming back and leaving. I decided to leave and find somewhere else, drove into town, and managed to find a multi-storey. I'd already realised even before I got to Epping that I wouldn't have time for the 40 minute walk and would have to get an Uber to the stadium, but walking from the car park back to Epping station I realised I wouldn't even have time for that. It was 13:45 and I still had to walk to the station, and even if I managed to catch a train which left straight away and the other tube connections were quick too, I'd have got to Woolwich with only 10 minutes until kickoff, so not time to even wait for the Uber never mind get to the ground. So, I decided to just get an Uber from where I was. It was a £43 fare but I didn't have a lot of choice. It was about an hour to get there but I figured I'd be able to just walk in. Luckily, the driver got me there about 10 minutes ahead of schedule, so I tipped him £12 for saving my ass, and walked for the last 5 minutes or so as the roads were closed.
As I got nearer the ground, I followed two large signs for away fans, to be greeted with an enormous queue getting in.
This was 12 minutes before kickoff. I'd been there for about 3 minutes when I took this and the queue was even longer when I arrived, there must have been 300 people in front of me. We were being herded in in batches like cattle. I was standing there thinking after all I did to get here, I'd still miss the start due to this. Luckily we did start to move, but I looked back at the queue behind me and it was even bigger than it was when I arrived. I got through the gates at about 14:55, so lots of people probably missed the start. The Valley is definitely in need of modernisation, with just this single entrance for away fans and narrow lanes leading to the turnstiles, but I suppose they don't care if it only affects away fans. I finally got through and tried to go to the block it said on my ticket, block F - I went to the lower entrance saying A - F and was told to go to the top entrance. Confused, I went back and asked the other steward who let me in. I still couldn't see where to go so asked someone else and they directed me down. By the time I got to my seat, it was 15:00 and the players were in position ready to go, and the ref blew the whistle to start the game genuinely less than 60 seconds later. It was amazing really how fine I'd cut it, and validated the choice to Uber in - one more red light, being one order later at Burger King, or one more lap of Epping car park before giving up, and I'd have missed the start (but at least I didn't miss the whole game like half of Charlton's fanbase apparently).
It was a good job that I got in on time too, as Norwich were immediately on top and Mattsson bagged his first goal for the club after 5 minutes, with a lovely strike from outside the box. We were generally in control of the entire game, with numerous chances that we just didn't manage to convert. We could have had three or four even by half time.
I had to keep checking my phone to see how long was left as the screen in the ground isn't visible to the away stand, and even though they did have an LED advertising strip the same as at Carrow Road they don't seem to have considered allocating a small portion of that to include a timer and scoreline.
There were a few spells were Charlton looked a bit more threatening and it would have been a little easier on the nerves if we'd managed a few more goals to put the game to bed, but in the end we comfortably saw the game out.
After the loss to Southampton midweek it's likely top six is now a stretch too far, but the fact it's even been a conversation is astonishing. There's a lot of hope for next season and I'm looking forward to it.
It was a little slow getting out of the ground, but at least we weren't held back like we were when I visited before. I now had the 40 or so minute walk to Woolwich tube station ahead of me, which wasn't helped by being sent out of the ground the wrong way, but managed to find where to go and shaved about 10 minutes off the estimated walk time. I had overstayed my parking by half an hour or so and was dreading a parking ticket to add to the unexpected costs of the day, but thankfully there was none. I made another fuel stop at a garage charging 170.9 for diesel despite being 162.9 when I'd driven past it on the way in, which was annoying, but if I'd stopped there before I'd have missed the start of the game, so I figured it is what it is and only put half a tank in before setting off for a quicker than expected drive home.
On my growing list of away days I've done over the past two years, The Valley definitely ranks the lowest. The queues to get in were ridiculous, the concourse and toilets are outside, the path is very narrow and cramped, and while I had a good view on this occasion, the view I had for the FA Cup game wasn't great, with a post getting in the way of the view of the pitch. The away end needs renovation but given the proximity of houses and other buildings nearby, there's probably not a lot they can do.
This caps off my run of 10 games in a month:
Sat Feb 21st - Norwich / Birmingham - 1-2 (L)
Wed Feb 25th - Norwich / Sheffield Wednesday - 2-0 (W)
Sat Feb 28th - Leicester / Norwich - 2-0 (W)
Wed Mar 4th - Aston Villa / Chelsea - 4-1 (W)
Sat Mar 7th - Wrexham / Chelsea (FA Cup) - 4-2 (W)
Sun Mar 8th - Leeds / Norwich (FA Cup) - 0-3 (L)
Wed Mar 11th - Norwich / Sheffield United - 2-1 (W)
Sat Mar 14th - Norwich / Preston North End - 2-0 (W)
Tue Mar 17th - Chelsea / Paris Saint-Germain (Champions League) - 0-3 (L)
Sat Mar 21st - Charlton Athletic / Norwich - 1-0 (W)
Not a bad month really, but I definitely need a bit of a rest. Next up, Pompey on Good Friday after the international break.