On This Day – 11th January
11th January 2003 saw Chelsea play Charlton Athletic on a pitch at Stamford Bridge that looked more like a beach than a football pitch!
Chelsea ran out 4-1 winners and Charlton were aggrieved at the state of the pitch. Their manager Alan Curbishley said “It reminded me of a piece of land about to have a patio laid on it”.
They requested a replay to be played on a grass surface as they had no time to practice on a similar surface. They also complained that they didn’t have the right footwear to play the game either.
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