The Forgotten Keeper: Sam Bartram’s bizarre night left alone on the pitch

Sam Bartram and his unique story

English footballer Sam Bartram guarded the goalposts for Charlton Athletic for an incredible 22 years. Yet, amid his long and storied career, one moment stands out – not for glory or heroics, but for its sheer, almost unbelievable absurdity!

Charlton Athletic team record holder

Before recounting this strange story, it should be remembered that Sam Bartram set a record in the English Football League, with 500 appearances, on March 6, 1954.

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A decorated veteran

In addition, that same season, at the age of 40 he was runner-up for the player of the year, falling short of the title which went to Tom Finney.

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A loyal player

Bartram (pictured, centre) was the oldest player to wear a Charlton shirt. He was active on the pitch until the age of 42. Loyal, it was only in 1956, after a record 623 games, that he left the team to coach York City.

Tribute to Sam Bartram

The popular goalkeeper now has a nine-metre statue of him outside Charlton Stadium in The Valley, London, which was erected to commemorate the club's centenary in 2006.

Keeper Bartram made history

Thus, Sam left a real legacy, in addition to having played on the fateful day of December 25, 1937. The incident happened during a game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. It was a cloudy and grey day, but that's nothing unusual for December in London.

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Poor visibility at Stamford Bridge

The game started as normal, but in the first few minutes, a thick fog fell on the stadium, which forced the referee to stop the game.

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False alarm?

After a few moments, the fog lifted and play continued as normal, suggesting that there would be no more stoppages.

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The game continued

In his autobiography, Sam recounts the details of what happened: "We were dominating the game up until then, so I thought it was normal to see fewer and fewer players in front of me."

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Where are the other players?

At this point, Sam firmly believed that his team was totally on the attack. The fog intensified again and, although he couldn't see the other side of the pitch, the goalkeeper remained attentive in his nets.

Game permanently stopped

But in fact, Sam didn't hear the referee's whistle, who had stopped the match, definitively, for lack of visibility.

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Sam didn't realize anything!

According to The Guardian, "The game was too quiet, but Sam stayed at his post, trying to see if anyone was coming his way."

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Finally someone appears

Suddenly, Sam saw a man appear in front of him: it was a policeman. Neither of them understood what was happening and the policeman asked him: "What are you doing here? The game ended 15 minutes ago."

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Surprise!

It was then that Sam crossed the field to check that it was completely empty!

Photo: Unsplash/Vienna Reyes

Sam Bartram's Colleagues

Arriving in the locker room, his colleagues could not hold back their laughter, incredulous at what happened. Thus, December 25, 1937 went down in history as one of the most incredible sports anecdotes!

Sam Bartram died, aged 67, on July 17, 1981.

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