When one thinks of Charlton’s cup history they are immediately transported back to the 1940’s and that famous black and white photo of the cup being paraded around post war Wembley in the arms of legendary skipper Don Welsh.
But since then Charlton and cup runs go together like chalk and cheese (or Chris Powell and contract negotiations), right?
Maybe of late, but it hasn’t always been that way.
As Charlton prepared to move from the Valley to the Mount in Catford, 1922-23 saw Charlton reach the heady hights of the fourth round (equivalent of today’s quarter finals) losing to the eventual winners, Bolton 1-0. Bolton’s 2-0 final victory over West Ham was watched by up to 300,000 people at London’s new Wembley Stadium. In 1930 Charlton managed to turn two rounds of the cup into five games, requiring a replay against QPR and then three attempts before finally being beaten 1-0 away to Middlesbrough. It took Aston Villa three attempts to beat Charlton in 1938 during those archaic days before extra time, penalties and atomic weaponry had been invented.
The Second World War stopped any hopes Charlton may have had of making it beyond the fourth round, however all true fans know that as soon as peace was declared in Europe the Addicks were making plans to take the Cup by storm, and boy did they. 1946 saw Charlton dispose of Fulham, Wolves, Preston and Brentford (all of which required a replay!) before beating Bolton in the semi-finals but ultimately falling at the final hurdle when Derby comprehensively ran out 4-1 winners at Wembley. However it would not be the undoing of Jimmy Seed’s side and the following season Charlton needed no replays as they brushed aside Rochdale, West Brom, Blackburn, Preston and then Newcastle in the semi-final. The final against Burnley was a tight affair with Scotsman Chris Duffy scoring the Addicks winner in the 24th minute of extra time as Charlton became the first and only South London team to lift the hallowed trophy.
The following year Charlton’s cup defence ended in 5th round at the hands of Manchester United and since the glory days of the 1940’s the pickings have been slim, however there have been some highlights to keep us cruelly tantalised along the way.
1956 saw Burton Albion crushed 7-0 at the Valley in the 3rd round (the first round of entry). In 1969 the fourth round brought a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. The less said about Charlton’s performances in the FA Cups of the 1970’s the better, and the 1980 competition brought more heartache with a 6-0 hammering from Wrexham at the Racecourse Ground. The following year brought some relief, with third tier Charlton making it to the fifth round (after starting in the first) where we were beaten by Ipswich but the following year reverted to type with a first round defeat to (not so Leyton) Orient.
In more recent times there was a quarter final appearance in 1994 which ended in a 3-1 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford. 1996 and 1997 saw plum draws with Liverpool and Newcastle respectively where the Addicks battled bravely in vain. The turn of the millennium brought renewed hope, with Charlton once again making it as far as the quarter finals before losing out to Bolton at the Reebok stadium.
Since then Charlton’s already poor record has looked decidedly abysmal with elimination at the hands of Walsall, Gillingham (when we were a top flight team) and most embarrassingly a defeat to Northwich Victoria broadcast live to the nation sandwiched in between another run to the quarter finals, this time ending in a 4-2 replay loss to Middlesbrough at 2006’s ill fated “Operation Riverside” - marking the last time Charlton would reach this stage of the competition before Sunday’s game at Bramall Lane.
Whilst Charlton’s cup form has left much to be desired over the years, Sunday’s game provides the best opportunity for the Addicks to return to Wembley since Don Welsh proudly paraded old big ears in that famous photo, and over 5,000 Addicks who are making the journey to Sheffield and countless others around the world will be hoping they can do just that.
C Sloman