There should be a special welcome for Portsmouth fans next Tuesday in recognition of their extraordinary generosity in collecting over £7000 towards a permanent memorial to Norman "Headphones Norm" Barker.
On his way home from the abandoned fixture in December Pompey fan Craig New was reflecting on the events of the day and had the idea of launching a GoFundMe page. Within three weeks an amazing 582 Pompey fans had contributed to the fund and before kick off in the match at Fratton Park on December 29th Craig and his daughter Isabella presented CAST board members Richard Wiseman and Jade Hannan with a cheque for £7170. Supporters of both clubs then joined in applause for Norm and Pompey fan Alec Lumb who had died at Fratton Park in January 2025.
CAST are now working with the club and Norm's family to find the most appropriate way to remember and celebrate Norm at The Valley.
If you have any doubts about the meaning of the word hubris you should find analysis of the match at Fratton Park very helpful. After Harvey Knibbs's late equaliser Charlton fans were in the middle of a full-throated rendition of "We never lose at Fratton Park" when Portsmouth went up the other end to win the game with the last kick of the match. Dropping a point was disappointing to say the least but it felt like the two points gained by the hosts might prove to be much more significant.
Portsmouth's home form has been quite good this season with six wins and four draws including victories over Middlesbrough and Millwall. If they can get three points from their home game with Sheffield United on Saturday, they can open up a gap on Leicester and Blackburn and still have games in hand. Away from home, however, they have not impressed so much. Since their opening day win at Oxford they have only won once on their travels - and that was at Sheffield Wednesday. They have recently lost 0-5 at Bristol City and 0-1 at Preston, although they did manage a draw at Watford last month.
Charlton's new recruits have helped put the despair of the Millwall defeat into perspective and we now look a well-balanced team with strong options from the bench. However, the attendance (14,836) for the Stoke game was disappointing and we can be certain that travelling Pompey fans will make plenty of noise in the Jimmy Seed stand on Tuesday. Now is the time for Charlton supporters to recognise the team's efforts and achievements and give the players some well-deserved first hand encouragement. It may well be another damp and rainy evening but please do your best to get to The Valley.
Come and witness Conor Coady's calm assurance and Lyndon Dykes's combative flick-ons. Marvel at cool Amari'i Bell and relish Tyreece Campbell on the front foot. Make sure you can tell your grandchildren that you were there when Collins Sichenje made his debut for the club.
Be there !
Photo by Rhea Spencer-Newell