Year ends badly for Charlton

So the last game of the year ended up with 1-0 loss to the Orient. The Charlton keeper was sent off very early in the game so there's an excuse. The shame is both Sheffield teams got three points. A win at home to Brentford is very much needed tomorrow.

I have to add I have a soft spot for Orient. Many years ago I had an invite to their directors box for a pre-season friendly against I think Grimsby. It was during the very early eighties and at the time there were quite a few more mature players finishing their careers for the O's. The ones I can remember are Stan Bowles, who had sent an apprentice down the road to put a bet on, Ralph Coates and Mervyn Day. Also a young winger called John Chiedozie was playing who promised so much for the future.

What made my day was the minicab driver taking me over to the game. I would have been in my late twenties or early thirties. I dressed up for the occasion with a blue velvet jacket and a nice pair of strides. I looked the part, and even though I was smoking with the window open, the driver was convinced I was a player. This was helped by the fact that the entrance to the directors box was via the ground's players entrance. That was the one only time I ever been mistaken for an athlete unfortunately.