Walsh wowed em when they returned to The Valley. Charlton Athletic have a rich Scots heritage

As regular readers know for every game on the Road to Wembely from Scotland I am on the lookout for Scots links. My next stop on ‘The Road’ is the Valley on Saturday the 3^rd December and for a team based in London , Charlton Athletic have a very rich Scots heritage. I have already reported on how a Scot won the FA Cup for Charlton in 1947. In the current Charlton squad the only Scot is Tony Watt who is on a season long loan at Hearts but the current youth team coach at The Valley is Scotsman Sergei Baltacha Junior. Other Scots who have served the Addicks with distinction in recent years include Mark Reid, Jim Melrose, Ralph Milne, Stuart Balmer and Colin Walsh.

Now, I know what you are thinking. The name Sergie Baltacha does not sound very Scottish. However Sergie (Jnr) is as Scottish as a fish supper after closing time on a Saturday night in Sauchiehall Street. His dad (Sergei Snr) is from the Ukraine and in the days before the dissolution of the Soviet Union represented USSR on 45 occasions between 1980 and 1988. In the twilight of his career he signed for Ipswich Town in a move that heralded him as ‘the man who has torn down English football’s iron curtain’. He played for Ipswich Town for two seasons before moving to St Johnstone in 1990. The Baltacha family loved it in Scotland and settled there. Sergie Jnr and his sister Elena (the former British number one tennis player who tragically passed away at the age of 30) were brought up in God’s chosen land. Sergie Snr moved on from St Johnstone to Inverness Caledonian Thistle in 1993.

Sergie Snr arrives at Ipswich with wife Olga and kids Sergie Jnr and Elena

Sergie Snr finished his playing career at ICT and then went on to manage the club. Meanwhile Sergie Jnr was starting to make his own way in the football world. He signed for St Mirren in 1999 and played left back for the Buddies for four seasons.

Scotsman Sergie Baltacha Jnr in his playing days at St Mirren

Proud to call himself Scottish and proud to represent his country Sergei won 3 caps for the Scotland Under 21 team in season 1999-2000. In 2003 Sergie Jnr was transferred to Millwall and later settled in London. He is currently the youth team coach for Charlton Athletic and is proud to be developing some good young talent at The Valley. No doubt he will be making sure the Scottish traits of hard work, team work and flair are ingrained in the Addicks youngsters.

Mark Reid also played for the Scotland U-21 team but played some 20 years earlier than young Sergei. Mark was a precocious talent in the early eighties and made 124 appearances for Celtic at left back in his formative years. In 1985 he was transferred to Charlton Athletic and spent six seasons at The Valley.

Mark made 211 appearances for the Addicks scoring 15 goals. At the age of 30 he headed back over the border and finished his career at St Mirren.

Jim Melrose is another Scot who spent some time at The Valley. A striker who made his name at Partick Thistle Jim was a man of many clubs – including Charlton Athletic

During two seasons at The Valley in the mid eighties Melrose played 48 times and scored an impressive 19 goals. Jim’s other teams included Leicester, Coventry, Celtic and Man City and he scored goals wherever he went.

Ralph Milne was a legend at Dundee United but according to my new twitter friends from Charlton he was a nightmare at The Valley.

Ralph Milne: Brilliant at Tannadice - not so good at The Valley

Milne had all of his best years at Tannadice where he played for ‘The Terrors’ for 12 seasons between 1976 and 1987. The attacking midfielder weighed in with 45 goals for Dundee United and played for the Tayside club in a European Cup semi final and a UEFA Cup final. His time at The Valley was short and in season 87-88 he made 22 appearances for the Addicks and despite being prolific for Dundee United did not score a single goal for Charlton Athletic. He later played for Man United under Sir Alex where he was sparingly used as an effective impact substitute. Ralph hung up his boots in 1992 and sadly died of liver disease in his home town of Dundee only last year.

Stuart ‘Sweaty’ Balmer was a Jock who was popular with the Addicks fans. After failing to make the grade as a youngster at Celtic, Falkirk boy Stuart signed for Charlton at 1990. The reliable centre back spent 8 years at The Valley making 227 appearances for Charlton.

No sweat: The elegant Stuart Balmer in action for Boston United

His nickname ‘Sweaty’ is not because he perspired so freely but because he was recognised in South London, as rhyming slang will have it, a ‘sweaty sock’. Stuart also played for Boston United late in his career and I recall seeing him marshalling the Pilgrims defence with Caledonian candour on many occasions at York Street. Stuart has his name quirkily written in the Charlton Athletic history books as he is the only outfield player to have worn number one on his back. When squad numbers were introduced in the 90s the powers that be at The Valley had a great idea (not) to have the squad numbers in alphabetical order!

Last but not least in this mini (and certainly not comprehensive) round up of those Scots who have worn the famous red shirt is Colin Walsh. Colin is regarded as a legend at The Valley and indeed his name will forever be linked to the famous home ground of the Addicks. For a number of years, because of the closure of the ‘old’ Valley, Charlton had been playing their home games at Selhurst Park. After 7 years in exile the Addicks returned to The Valley in December 1992 and on an emotional afternoon Charlton won 1-0 against Portsmouth with a goal scored by Colin Walsh

Colin Walsh scorer of the first ever goal at the 'new' Valley: A legend

After signing from Nottingham Forest in 1986 the midfielder from Lanarkshire played 291 times for the Addicks and spent ten years at the club scoring 30 goals. His emotional ties with the Addicks are strong and he remains a popular figure with the fans. He retired in 1996 and has since been inducted into the Charlton Athletic Hall of Fame. Colin has had a massively positive effect on the development of the Addicks as a club.

There are no doubt many more Scots who have made a contribution at The Valley. I would be interested in hearing of others from Charlton Athletic fans and I look forward to seeing the current Addicks team (albeit currently jock-less) on my next stop on The Road to Wembley from Scotland when they take on MK Dons at The Valley on the 3^rd December.