Bolton away. What was the score? 1-4 When I don’t have a cat in hells chance of finding out the Charlton score, I am pretty good at blocking out what is going on 4,000 miles away on a football pitch. I never used to mind, it used to occupy my mind to the detriment of whatever else I was doing but I have got a lot better with age and a realization that there are other things in my life and a weekend in Bermuda is not a bad alternative.

So Saturday after watching the wonderful smiling dolphins at the Royal Dockyard I was waiting for a ferry to cross from one side of the Island of Bermuda back to the capital Hamilton where we were staying when my phone buzzed in my pocket. It was a text from Chris at the Reebok. “We are playing shit, 2-0 down. Kiely has let another free kick in on his near side. Bartlett & Lisbie are up front! Murphy is the only bright point.”

I looked at my watch and it was half time. Great. My mood dipped, we got on the ferry and my girlfriend looked at me with that well known ‘its only football look’.

Towards the end of the game, my phone shook again. “4-1, 15 minutes left,” said the text. Typical bloody Charlton I thought. I relayed the message to my girlfriend who asked if we should beat Bolton, “yes, well maybe, we are away though, maybe not, oh I don’t know.”

And that was that really. The first game of the season, the start of a 9-month journey that we all know will ebb and flow, but began like it did last year with a sound thrashing – as described rather succinctly by BBC World on Saturday night.

Reports from those who were there: Inspector Sands; cafc.co.uk; The Independent; Wyn Grant.
  ¶ 23:22