How former Premier League ground was left abandoned for seven years and fans even had a bonfire on the pitch

CHARLTON’S ground The Valley was left abandoned for SEVEN YEARS before the inception of the Premier League.

The Addicks moved into the stadium in the 1920s – a venue which once held 75,000 people for an FA Cup game in 1938.

Getty

The Valley was abandoned in the 1980s and early 1990s[/caption]

Getty

Fans made the most of the ground by playing football on the pitch[/caption]

Getty

Rubbish was dumped outside the grouund[/caption]

Getty

It made for a rather apocalyptic scene[/caption]

Getty

The Valley now looks like a superb stadium following its renovation[/caption]

But a lack of investment and safety fears saw the South-East London side vacate the ground in 1985.

They ended up sharing Selhurst Park with Crystal Palace.

And they were also forced to spend a season splitting Upton Park with West Ham.

New investment in 1992 eventually saw Charlton return to The Valley – where they have been ever since.

But during that seven-year spell away from their home, the ground became a cesspit.

Pictures from back then show the turf overgrown, rubbish scattered outside the entrance, and even a trolley on the pitch.

There are also images of locals playing football on the abandoned pitch – and starting a bonfire on the field of play.

It is a remarkably different scene to how The Valley looks in 2023.

BETTING SPECIAL – BEST SPORTS BETTING APPS IN THE UK

Since returning to the ground, Charlton have redeveloped three of the four stands inside the 27,111-capacity venue.

They also have plans to develop the ground into a 40,000-seater.

Charlton returned to the top flight in 1998 for a first season in the Premier League.

But they were immediately relegated back to the second tier, before a seven-year run in the Premier League between 2000 and 2007.

Relegation down to the Championship 16 years ago was followed by a drop down to League One in 2009 – where they still are now despite two promotions back up to the second division between 2012 and 2019.