| Ground
Reviews |
| "Needs modernising" |
The Valley is a fairly decent ground looks wise, 3 of the stands are all attached and give it that "new bowl stadium" look but the away end is detached and is very cramped. No leg room, herded like cattle and very poor turnstiles that took ages to get through, make sure you get to the ground early. Admittedly this was a local derby I attended so it was a full house but organization was terrible and you had to shuffle up to the turnstiles where they then seperate you in to Isles like at a theme park as you approach the turnstile. It took so long to get through the turnstiles that we missed the first 15 minutes of the match.
Once inside the ground you'll find the concourse is very basic, programmes sold out at lightening speed although this probably wouldn't be the case on a normal match day. There is a hot dog stand just inside the turnstile which has one lady serving 50 odd people so don't even bother trying. There is another burger bar establishment by the entrance to the stand, that was rammed as well but at a glance the prices seemed reasonable. Toilets were the smallest toilets I have seen at a ground beaten only by the porter cabin at Cardiff.
The stand itself as I said earlier is very cramped. It seemed as though they had over sold our allocation and there were about 11 of us crammed in to 6 seats, being a derby match we were all standing anyway so it wasn't too bad but reminded me of being on a terrace. With the low roof you are able to build up quite an impressive sound that carries extremely well. You are close to the pitch and sometimes feels like you are right on top of the action.
I would like to see what The Valley is like when it isn't Derby day as i got the impression that it is probably quite lifeless, the Charlton fans were hardly heard by us until they scored half way through the second half. This goes for outside as well, I would imagine that on a normal match day it's quite laid back walking away from the ground but on this occasion and again, being derby day, it was quite malicious and you had to have eyes in the back of your head, Police were on hand but were quite heavy handed so don't wind anyone up!
Not a bad stadium overall but really cramped and the away end needs some serious modernisation! |
| Fan:
Swanny32 |
Date:
2008-02-11 15:04:39 |
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| "Needs modernising" |
Date
Added : 2008-02-11 15:04:39 |
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| Travel Information to The Valley |
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| Directions by Car |
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Exit M25 at junction 2 and follow until the road becomes A102(M). Continue along to the A102(M), until you reach the exit sign posted Woolwich Ferry. Turn right onto the A206 Woolwich Road. At the first set of traffic lights turn right and Floyd Road is the 2nd turning on the left. |
| Fan:Swanny32 |
Date:2008-01-10 16:39:19 |
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| Parking |
Street parking but limited
There is street parking available however you'll have to be early to snag a spot. Follow signs to Charlton train station and turn right when you get the chance after the station. You'll find a whole host of side roads which on a mid week game appear to be good for parking but there are loads of cars parked either side of the road making it difficult to progress down the road. |
| Fan:
FSG |
Date:
2008-02-11 15:19:27 |
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Parking for a fiver.
If you follow the A206 towards the ground look for "Victoria Way" on the right hand side. Turn up Victoria Road and you'll see a decent sized car park on the right hand side after about 1/4 of a mile. It costs £5 to park, did take us 10-15 minutes to get out of afterwards but its far enough away from the ground for your car to be safe and you are on the right side of the stadium to make a quick getaway.
The walk to the ground is about 10 minutes. You can either go down to the A206 and turn right following it all the way to the stadium or you can turn right out of the car park and walk up Victoria Road till you get to 'Fossdene Road' on the left at the end of Fossdene Road turn left and follow the road round on to Delafield Road, continue straight and you'll see the stadium in front of you.
To get to the away end, go straight down 'Floyd Road' (Floyd Road is opposite Delafield Road) and turn right at the bottom. The away end is there on the left. |
| Fan:
FSG |
Date:
2008-02-11 15:16:07 |
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Look for the Industrial areas around the ground as they provide the best places to park, there is very limited street parking. |
| Fan:
Swanny32 |
Date:
2008-01-10 16:39:19 |
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| Rail And Tube |
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Charlton Train Station is a minute walk from the Valley. Exit the station to Charlton Church Lane, and across the road you will see a row of shops to your right, turn down the road to the left of them, and the Away Stand is down the turning on the right. |
| Fan:
Swanny32 |
Date:
2008-01-10 16:39:19 |
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| Bus |
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The following London Transport buses stop near or at The Valley... 161, 177, 180, 380, 472. Charlton do offer a free bus service if you live in the Kent area, please contact the club for more information. |
| Fan:
Swanny32 |
Date:
2008-01-10 16:39:19 |
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