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Birmingham weekend report 23rd/24th January 2010
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The Charlton lads were excitedly huddled up outside Jonny Nelson's house waiting to get on board the minibus for the away trip to Birmingham. It was time for the long awaited EDF Plate quarter final. After an unfair loss against Everton as we had 10 men for majority of game and in which they still needed a penalty and a slice fortune to win 3-2.

When we got on the road it was only 2 minutes when fan Mark Culver committed his first offence of the weekend! "Oh Shite I left my iphone on my dashboard". Nelson did his customary handbrake turn and hurried back to Mark's car. The journey was relatively uneventful up until breakfast time. Mainly cos Jon Neal had not yet got his dream women criteria list out yet! He is not a morning person! Neither is Chris Drew who stated "don't talk to me I get travel sick".

We stopped for breakfast and Tom Mulloy suggested that we fill up with fuel AFTER breakfast. Rowley and Wynne in true Nazi gestapo style forced the group into a "no bacon or sausage" rule. Beans on toast with fried egg and tomatoes all round! I think Matt Durant did smuggle a sly sausage when nobody was looking.

We then set along the road with a new driver who assumed that the petrol gauge was faulty when he saw it. For full breakdown of blame read the Jon Nelson statement of blame at the end of the news report. Thai Rickford announced that the bleeping sound was "about half an hour ago" which meant we had half an hour's worth of petrol half an hour ago. It does not take a maths professor to work out we were about to run out of petrol any minute.

After the panic and screams subsided various iphones and blackberrys were furiously tapping away to find a nearer petrol station than the advertised 14 miles to next service station. We pulled out of the motorway and happened to break down on the slip lane! Fortunately in the not too far distance we spotted a Nandos and Tescos. Wynne and Rickford the saviours of the moment darted across the traffic risking life and limb to return back 20 mins later with a can of diesel and a very broad grin!

Once we filled up and made our way to Birmingham negotiating our way through the spaghetti junctions much to Chris Drew annoyance that Nelson was not overly familiar with his inadequate sat nav display screen. We arrived and thumped the Brum 5-1. See our match report for details.

Now the football was over we were now looking to the REAL reason we all came along! A night of debauchery was in store for the lads (apart from Jason Coombes who was ordered home by the wife).

Checking into the travel lodge and deciding sleeping arrangements went just as well as expected. Tears and tantrums with plenty of kissing and making up (or was it making love?). We then walked the shortish distance to Birmingham Cultural Centre where we were greeted with plenty of smiling faces and a plate of egg chips and beans. Trust a few disgruntled faces to pipe up "where is the sausage?". This Charlton obsession with sausage seems never ending!

A few drinks later we headed into town and onto the notorious Broad Street! Having it large in true South London stylee into the wee hours along with veteran Charlton defender Ryan Marshall who came along with a couple of friends from Sheffield and another fan in the shape of Glen Flindell from Australia.

Thai Rickford won a boxing contest against a few hearing locals and Charlton lads and was the hero of the hour! This is not to be confused with Duncan Stevenson and Jon Neal's karate match. Only Ali Halil knows who won this karate match cum love session between these 2. Jamie Chang ventured out of travel lodge after 2 hours to get ready and met us rather late in the bars. Some of us ventured onto the nightclub and others into the kebab houses to sober up!

The next morning we all rose quite early and nobody had to be dunked in water to be roused! An achievement in itself! We then had a large full English at the pub next door. We finally got the sausage we had been craving all weekend but horrified faces!! They were square sausages!

Home time and plenty of happy memories! With 2 or 3 more trips away this season we have plenty more to look forward to!

The official published statement on the depleted petrol saga -

I did indeed know that we were in need of petrol (Diesel in fact) as soon as we set off on the trip. As we were not paying for the petrol (the petrol is paid for by the bus company and we pay a mileage charge) I decided to fill up whenever convenient I.E. at a service station. When stopping for breakfast I do recall someone saying "its Charlton tradition to fill up AFTER breakfast not before. I think this was one Thomas Patrick Seamus Mulloy.

After breakfast Mark Culver offered to drive for a while so I went back into the bus and took my mind off the driving duties etc. Mark Culver did notice the petrol was empty but decided to assume that the gauge was broken and drove on. Thai Rickford heard the beeping alert to warn of low petrol but he assumed that Mark Culver was aware of this. It was not until 25 miles later Thai decided to inform Mark that he heard the alert "some 30 minutes ago". I was then asked to confirm if the petrol was low. It was at this point a few Charlton players undergarments were turning a liquid shade of brown.

I do accept some responsibility for forgetting to refuel but I do think that if I was to carry on driving I would have refilled as they light and beeping would have reminded me. The fact of the matter is that I have to take some responsibility but I do feel that Mark Culver, Thai Rickford, Thomas Patrick Seamus Mulloy and Chris Drew ought to accompany me to "La Guillotine."

Liberty! Equality! Fraternity! or death! The last, much the easiest to bestow, O Guillotine!

The bus broke down on the slip way!	Thai with the fuel he ran thousand miles to get! See how red he is:p
Paying undivided attention ensuring no wastage is being made!	Ali and Steven posing! :D
As you can see, majority of the team agreed that the fault is Jonny entirely.