No Greenwich Union, no Cutty Sark Inn, not even the Rose of Denmark off Woolwich Road and actually in Charlton, where some mates were waiting to buy a pint or two.
Work had eaten into a Saturday morning and when your a freelance, no work means no pay, and no pints, and with away journeys to Exeter and Huddersfield on the horizon, the dosh has to come from somewhere.
So off to North Greenwich on the Jubilee Line to pick up some tickets from the 02, not to see the Michael Jackson Experience, though they have a mean roller coaster next to it, and a few other rides, at four quid a go!
Three buses to choose from and fifteen minutes later, after catching a nice Fullers pub near the venue for future concerts, I'm having a Bovril in the Valley at a reasonable time for me of 14.40.
First time at the new version of the Valley, first time in Charlton for 13 years if truth be told, and a nice job they've done, plenty of leg room in the away end while son of mate winds me up with tall tales of a 25-1 bet that Barnard would score first, and he should have done, but I doubt you would have got those odds.
The game itself is far better described here: www.southendunited-mad.co.uk/news/loadnews.asp?cid=TMNW&id=476007, however it was a game to cause the travelling faithful, over a 1,000(?), to end up leaving the ground in frustration.
A great pass by a half-fit Laurent, poor Damien will never seem to get a run unless there's some suspensions amongst the strikers for a change, put in Lee who seemed to have to just stroke it home, but credit to their keeper for a superb block.
The Charlton winner was a soft goal and, yes, we deserved a point but until we learn to shoot, lower lads lower, this sort of result will continue, hopefully not against Hartlepool though.
The loanees looked good, some unfair stick for Malone I thought, yes his reputation for being a dead kick specialist doesn't seem justified at the moment, but he has plenty of skill, a good awareness of what's going on, and at 18 a great future.
Hard to believe Morrison is the same age, yet he had his best game for the club and with M'Voto destined never to return after his surgery I hope we can keep the Swindon boy until January. Poor Joycey if that happens, just the one reserve game left this year, home to the Farmers next week.
As for the Parkinson comments about the fans criticism about Bailey, a story that once again Sunday readers here got 24 hours before the rest of the pack, www.southendunited-mad.co.uk/news/loadnews.asp?cid=TMNW&id=476093, well my colleague said enough and I got the Addicks feedback
, thanks westfield.Had to edit a couple of comments, 'thick' and 'idiot' are for the message boards, (did he mean player or the manager, or both?), not that I'm a touch sympathetic, as one fan accused us of 'sour grapes', of what? Bailey going to Charlton?
He's a fine player, we expected him to attract interest, it was he said 24 hours before the Posh game in August last year, the opening game of a new season, that upset most Shrimpers.
Just ask Derby, Gillingham or Huddersfield fans what reception Chrissy Powell, Kevin Maher and Clarkey got when they returned with their respective new clubs, an outstanding one!
Parky knows full well what went on and there's a line between supporting your players and slagging off the opposition fans, and he didn't just fall over it, he jumped over it and went into another dimension.
Anyway, all that Walker justification, what about the cheers when they heard Palace and Millwall losing, and they've never booed a player returning to the club. Give it a rest Phil.
Still, if they keep what they served up against us Parky could be in the play-offs and then, as Leeds have found twice, is anybody's game. Good luck lads.
Now if it took a quarter hour to get there, it took nearly an hour to get back as the traffic decided not to move, well, maybe an inch or two every five minutes!
Then when we finally got back to the O2 there was a signal failure at Waterloo that hit the trains going north. Not that bothered most Shrimpers going three stops to Stratford, well done guys.
With the rain now pouring ground I got off at White City feeling a bit low, yet not as bad as the QPR fan who by now had obviously had a few beers and was tearing his ticket up in disgust muttering how shit the Loftus Road club were.
I guessed the game had not gone well for him.
"Now how it feels mate, lost as well."
"Not 5-1 at home to Middlesborough."
Ouch!
See, keep smiling, there's always someone worse off than yourself!