NEWS SHOPPER'S picture desk guru is a life-long Charlton Athletic fan who dreams of scoring a goal at The Valley.

Having won a competition, he got to play at on the sacred turf but did he score a goal? ROB LAVERY takes up the story.

HAVING been a season ticket holder for 10 years I jumped at the chance to step foot on the hallowed turf and play a full 90 minutes.

I was part of a Charlton Athletic team made up of fellow winners against an England team made from employees from competition organisers T-Mobile.

We arrived about two hours before kick off to stroll around the pitch and take in the sheer size of a Premiership stadium.

Just quite how it feels to play in front of a full house, which sadly it wasn't, we could only imagine.

But standing in the centre circle you get some idea of the scale something which is not possible when you're sat in the stand.

Soon we were called to the home dressing room to change into a Charlton kit made especially for the occasion.

Warming up on the pitch made everything feel real and all of us could sense the excitement as the big kick-off approached.

Then it was a quick team talk back in the dressing room before the bell rang to signal the moment we'd all been waiting for.

We lined up in the tunnel alongside England and sneaked a crafty glance to size up the opposition before the officials led us out into the sunshine and, in my head, a roar from all corners of The Valley.

The match was a scrappy affair but with our team having only met each other that morning it was going to be little else.

Playing in the centre of midfield I saw a lot of the ball and almost forgot where I was as the game engrossed me and my teammates.

We broke the deadlock early on and suddenly I realised I was not only playing at The Valley, I was on the winning side.

However, England equalised close to the break and we went in level at half time.

For the second half I was pushed up front to maybe get the all-important, once in a lifetime, chance.

The truth is we were outplayed for virtually the whole 90 minutes and when England scored to make it 2-1, we thought it was one of those days and The Valley would witness a Charlton defeat.

But then all of a sudden I was running on to a ball hit over the top of the defence.

I took it in my stride and was one on one with the keeper.

Would I ever get a better chance to score at The Valley let alone play at The Valley?

As I bore down on the keeper, he committed himself early and I slotted the ball past him but I had no idea where it went as I tumbled under the goalkeeper's challenge.

However, the reaction of my teammates said it all and from my grounded position I saw the ball nestling in the back of the net.

I was mobbed so this is how Darren Bent feels? It was a strange feeling as I did not really celebrate, but I can now say: "I have scored a goal at The Valley".

The game finished 2-2 and we decided to settle it with the dreaded penalties.

I took the first kick while facing the North Stand where I've seen Bent score many times this season.

Pundits often say it's a long walk from the centre circle when you're about to take a spot-kick and I can readily vouch for that even in the friendly atmosphere.

I placed the ball, stepped back, heard the whistle and struck the ball to the keeper's right and disaster.

As I'd dreaded, the keeper guessed right and saved talk about wanting the ground to open up and swallow me whole.

Now I have sympathy with anyone who misses a penalty although I am sure there won't be a deal to advertise pizza in it for me.

Fortunately we went on to win the shootout and at least I wasn't the only one to miss as a couple went high into the North Stand.

The whole experience was what dreams are made of and someone must have been smiling on me as scoring was the icing on my cake.