Valiant 1,001
Kai Enslin’s inclusion in tonight’s BSM game at home to Bromley meant he will be the first player on the road to The Valiant 2000.
Enslin joined the Addicks academy when he was 13 and did well I thought and played with a lot of energy on the left side of midfield, and almost scored. The 19-year old has both Japanese and English citizenship and I’m looking forward to seeing him again.
It took 103 years to reach 1,000 Valiant’s, listed only since Charlton turned professional in 1921. Goalkeeper Joseph Hughes has the privilege of being no. 1 and I know it’s only a listing but it saddens me that Danny Hylton became Valiant 1,000 when he made his debut at home to Wrexham recently.
Nothing against Hylton, but it’s a shame neither academy prospect Alan Mwamba (998), Jamaican youngster Kaheim Dixon (999) or Enslin (1,001) couldn’t be featured in the record books as our 1,000th professional player over a journeyman 35-year old striker and friend of the current manager.
A full list of the 1,001 players can be found on the excellent CAFC Facts & Stats site, which is always worth whiling away some time.
I love stuff like this, but it says a lot about how the game has changed that it took 12 years to get from Valiant 400 Tony Burman to Valiant 500, the inimitable Scott Minto. Yet only 4 years from Valiant 900 to 1,000.
1. Joseph Hughes (debut 1921)
100. Henry McCracken (1926)
200. William Barron (1938)
300. John Saunders (1963)
400. Tony Burman (1976)
500. Scott Minto (1988)
600. Jason Euell (2001)
700. Kyel Reid (2010)
800. El-Hadji Ba (2015)
900. Akin Famewo (2020)
1000. Danny Hylton (2024)
Only Minto and Euell stand out as legendary Addicks from the list above but I was at Tony Burman’s debut at The Den over Christmas in 1976. He scored a late equalizer and memories sadly are more of us fearing for our lives outside than Burman’s actual goal.
Burman only played 21 games for the Addicks, but has long been associated with Dartford as player, manager and director.
So, how long then until we reach the Valiant 2,000? It won’t be 103 years that’s for sure.
* By the way you can buy Ian Wallis’ Valliant 1,000 on Amazon. He has released two of three volume’s.
I didn’t realise we were playing in the pointless trophy last evening. Until ‘Flashscore’ told me!
It seems it was yet another turgid performance in a long list of turgidry.
Oh! and it appears the ‘Messiah’ got sent off. Pity he wasn’t sent back to Luton or even better, Wales.
Kai Enslin looked good (is he our first Japanese born player?), a bit more confidence and maybe he would have taken that goal. He certainly grew into the game and it looked a good idea to give him a full 90 minutes rather than an hour or so that a 19 year player making a starting debut would normally get. In the second half he shifted into an attacking central midfield role from playing wider right and got into the game a fair bit.
It was a nothing sort of game though, Bromley played a B team and bar a couple of shots on goal never really competed or looked like they were having anything more than a run-out so they can concentrate on the league.
We seemed to be playing 3-5-2 but didn’t really push the full backs up the pitch, it looked as though we were doing what we needed to do and nothing more but the game opened up a bit on the second half. Anyway job done and 11 days off until the next league game.