Ten Years Ago: Leaburn brings victory

A fourth minute Leaburn strike gave the Addicks a 1-0 victory over Portsmouth at The Valley on 11th March, offsetting a 2-1 defeat at Bristol City on Tuesday. It all seems to have gone off in the second half. After Guy Butters have been booked in the 58th minute for fouling Keith Jones, Sweaty Balmer was booked a minute later for fouling Gerry Creaney. Morts was then booked for dissent and scuffle following Balmer's booking. On 79 minutes Kit Symons was booked for obstructing Leaburn, no mean feat in itself.

On the way down the M40 I saw lots of Wolves fans heading for Palace, as well as a Barnsley coach going to Reading. It was a warm spring day in contrast to the previous week: 'the cut grass and the weather awakened a vague, indefinable childhood memory.'

The linesman on the East Stand side kept making dubious offside decisions to the indignation of Steve from Sidcup while referee David Orr kept giving unexplained fouls against us. 'Portsmouth came back after two substitutions and it was a relief when the final whistle blew.' The Bloke Behind Me and his fellow whingers kept up a chorus of complaints, mainly directed at Robbo for some reason.

In the programme Jamie Stuart modelled the new purple and green third kit which would be worn for the first time on April 24th for Bob Bolder's benefit match against Sheffield Wednesday. I still have a shirt in these colours and a friend recently bought one off E-Bay.