Given the median age of this forum is circa 55 I allow myself to occasionally reminisce about travelling away with Charlton in the late 80s was a real 20 hour day. Meeting at Woolwich Arsenal at 7am then get to Euston at say 8am to go to say Shrewsbury. Have a Maccy at the station. Meet pals (5 of us went regularly) laugh at pals clothes for one hour. Get off at destination. Find a pub. Drink till merry. Go to ground, on way laugh at northerners clothes. Buy hotdogs or hamburger plus chips. Watch a decent but not skillful game of football. Get train home, have a pasty. Get to bexley Villiage and go to the George for 9pm. Get taxi to Ts in Erith or the tunnel club, buy a kebab, get home by 3am. Total spend £100 great days didn’t do me no harm.
@Typical part 2 Easy to forget there was no internet or mobile phones in those days. Many, many times I turned up at Euston, St Pancras and Kings Cross on a wing & a prayer, and Paul Elliott emerged from the mist with a precious handful of subsidised train tickets for a Northern journey. Two particular away trips in the 80s have just sprung to mind . Losing 1-0 to a last min goal at Anfield. Catching the “Royal Mail train” from Liverpool Lime St at 1am, which stopped 36 times before pulling in at Euston at 5am. A Charlton fan in our small carriage spewed his curry sauce chips soon after leaving Scouse -land, making this an unpleasant journey I will never forget. 2. Being desperate to tick off Northampton away mid week. Driving into London about 5pm and parking on a yellow line near Scotland Yard in Victoria St. Jumping on a tube & train & making the game. Anxiety at record levels as I returned nervously to my car at midnight, only to joyously find no ticket, no clamp …nothing. Can anyone imagine that happening today. The joys of the 1980s
