Having a beer with Keith Peacock 🍺
2️⃣1️⃣ Recently I passed my 21st year of writing this Blog, which if I stop to think about it, is actually quite crazy. I ran a couple of 20th birthday series to commemorate that landmark, and I plan on doing a couple of different things to acknowledge getting the key 🔑.
To celebrate 21 years I am going to pick 21 current or former Charlton players from the beginning of my time of supporting Charlton in 1975 that I’d love to go for a beer with and talk Charlton.
Who better than to do that with than none other than Mr. Charlton himself, Keith Peacock.
Keith was captain when I attended my first ever Addicks’ game in the 1975/76 season. He had made his league debut over 13 years before that as a 17-year old, also against Sunderland, and played up until the end of the 1978/79 season. That was 16 seasons, 591 appearances and 107 goals.
There cannot be a human being alive who knows more and can tell better stories about Charlton Athletic than Keith Peacock. Assistant manager, caretaker manager, director, ambassador, community trust and chairman of the former players’ association. 80 years young and still to be found in and around The Valley at games.
After he finished at Charlton, Peacock lived his ambition of the moving to the United States briefly playing in Columbus, Ohio before decamping to warmer climes and joining old friend Gordon Jago, who had just been appointed as manager of Tampa Bay Rowdies, just up the road from me now.
The Rowdies were one of the most iconic U.S. soccer teams at the time. Peacock played a few times but became Jago’s assistant and got to work with players such as Rodney Marsh and spent two successful years in Florida.
Keith returned to home in Kent and was manager of Gillingham from 1981 to 1987 where ultimately he was sacked after being unable to get the Gills out of the 4th tier despite consistently battling for promotion and being really popular with supporters, He was also responsible for unearthing players such as Steve Bruce and Tony Cascarino.
There was a 2-year spell as Maidstone United manager and after that ended he was reacquainted with the Addicks and worked for Curbs of course. There was a little dalliance with the Hammers, but for Captain Peacock home has always been where the heart is.
Keith and I would sit one afternoon in a quiet pub in Bexley Village and I’d want him to tell me everything about his Charlton life including that substitute appearance up at Bolton in 1965. His best memories from almost 600 games with a sword on his chest, life in Florida back then, sixty years of favourite Charlton players and what were Andy Nelson, Derek Hales, Rodney Marsh, Gordon Jago, Alan Pardew and Brian Moore really like?
2️⃣ Keith Peacock 📍Bexley Village 🏴 🍸Gin & tonic
I remember watching Keith during his first season in the first team. The pitches and the weather were appalling. In one game, the ball came to rest in a divot that had filled with water and bobbed around, floating on the surface. Peacock and a defender rushed towards the ball and the defender took a kick at him, Whereupon some wag on the terrace advised Peacock to “hold him below the surface”. Remembered because it was the only light moment in the game
I agree nice man. I met him at gillingham after winning face in the crowd competition. My reward was a free game and changing room visit with the team. My guest was my dad who was a good footballer who played for Chelsea 51/52 and they chatted about their footballing experiences.
Recently at the Northampton home game in the 1905 lounge, I had a chat with him and he signed my grandson’s Charlton shirt and so did Paul Elliot, Carl Leaburn , Paul konchesky and many others.
So enjoy your pint with him. Ps once he starts talking it takes time to stop him , all interesting topics.
What a good choice! Being the age I am, I watched him from his very beginnings at CAFC. I cannot think of a fairer player, despite him being kicked and bullied throughout his days on the wing or at inside forward. He was a gentleman on and off the pitch and was always good humoured. I would think that The Kings Head or The Railway Tavern might be his sort of pub.
Definitely the Kings Head.
I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Keith Peacock twice.
Incredibly the first time was 1980 in Florida where me and wife (to be) were on holiday. Thanks to Freddie Laker opening up the USA to us Brits.
We went to a Tampa bay Rowdies V Fort Lauderdale strikers ‘soccer’ match. It was so hot that at half-time I went in search of water and bumped straight into KP.
I told him of my allegience to CAFC and we chatted for a few minutes.
The second time was at the Valley for a hospitality birthday experience that my son organised for me (and him) Once again KP appeared and we chatted again. I reminded him of the first meeting. He listened politely, but I suspect his memory of was rather dimmer than mine 🙂
Absolute diamond of a man.
Brilliant. Love the Florida meet up. Ft. Lauderdale and Tampa Bay was the big, mostly manufactured, rivalry back in those days.
If he was responsible for signing Steve Bruce then he’ll have to take the flak for letting another Geordie lad slip through his fingers. Bruce and this other player came down from Newcastle for a week’s trial – they had been on the books at NUFC’s academy but were released. Half way through the week’s trial this other player was told he could get a lift back to Newcastle with the scout who was going that way to look at a player and he took up the offer of a free ride. And so Gillingham missed out on signing Peter Beardsley.
I think Gillingham sacked him on Christmas eve or something.
KP was though a true gentleman and I too can remember him playing in the first teams I saw, he was genuinely talented and probably could have done better than play at Charlton had he wanted.
I had the privilege of meeting Keith at Crown Woods School in the early 1960’s where he took my class for football coaching one afternoon a week just as he was becoming established in Charlton’s first team.
Keith has always been a gentleman, I can never recall him losing his temper or showing any sign of petulance either on, or off, the football pitch.
As a football coach he was probably too nice and not ruthless enough with us – I was probably a lost cause in any case on the football front, however Keith did spark my interest to the degree that I took up the whistle and progressed to Class 1 and County level semi-pro matches.
KP is Mr. Charlton and epitimises the values that the club holds. Keith has never had the glory that his long career deserves, but there again, it was always about the team and the club, never himself.
My abiding memory of him was that photo with Curbs on the bench at Wembley with his head in his hands not able to look when Micky Gray took that infamous 16th. penalty, he left it to Keith to pass on the news that Sasa had made the save of his life!
May Keith have many more years in front of him – there are not many left in the game like him….
Oh I’d forgotten that shot of Curbs and Keith at Wembley. What an enduring image that was. Great story, thanks Mike.