Charlton Athletic 1 Brighton & Hove Albion 3

Football took second place today at an anarchic Valley as Addicks upped the protests against Pinnochio, Judas and Roland Rat. 5,500 Charlton and Brighton fans marched on The Valley before the game in a fantastic show of fans being united against a noxious owner. The game was less than 30 seconds old when it was stopped for 7 minutes after hundreds of black & white beach balls were thrown onto the pitch as thousands of balloons of the same colour floated around the stadium.

Of course in true Charlton style, Brighton then scored in the 8th minute, which was really the first!

There was another slight delay later in the half as a second truanche of beach balls found their way into the pitch. The second half kicked off a good 10 minutes behind the rest of the country and was soon stopped again as water balloon’s and good old fashioned 70’s toilet roll rained down from the stands.

We then equalized, only our 2nd goal in 5 matches, JBG scoring, but normality was returned not long after when Albion went back in front. A goal greeted by all four sides of the ground. With constant anti-Duchâtelet songs sung loudly around the ground by both sets of supporters throughout the whole game, the heat was turned up on the smug Meire as a large number of fans attempted to get into the west stand directors box.

A loud and angry group took stewards by surprise, managed to stay on the right side of the law, but made the end of the game very uncomfortable for Meire, who was finally escorted out by security. Richard Murray was getting lots of abuse as well, and he too left his seat early.

During this later stage of the game a red flare was thrown on the pitch and the game had another lengthy delay. In the 8 minutes of added time (that’s quarter of an hour altogether) Brighton sealed victory from the penalty spot.

Post game Brighton and Charlton fans joined each other around the back of the west stand to continue to hit home how unwelcome Duchatelet, Meire and Murray are. The Rat of course had slunk down his drainpipe after being in SE7 until yesterday afternoon leaving his putrid CEO to face the music. Murray must have thicker skin that one of Pinocchio’s handbags.

I can’t remember ever saying this in my 40+ years as a Charlton fan, but I am glad Brighton won today. Their fans, a couple of whom were my mates giving me regular updates from inside the ground, were absolutely fantastic today and I truly hope they go up. Proper club, proper fans.

As for us the fight will go on until we are free of the owner and his puppets. I was really pleased the protests were upped today and they must continue to be raised until we get these villainous, inept and hateful nobodies out of OUR club.

Tonight Charlton fans again took the fight to Belgium and disrupted a STVV Belgium play-off match getting kicked out of the ground. Earlier in unison with STVV fans they marched with a coffin to Stayen, but after unfurling a large banner in the stadium and signing anti-Duchatelet songs they were removed by obviously ready stewards.

Burnley has to see another increase in hostilities. The lower west could be busy.

Fans United at The Valley: Hungry Ted; Drinking During the Game; Stickleback; Chris Powell’s Flat Cap.