LEFT TO BE RIGHT

Charlton Athetic had been relegated from the "Old" First Division, the top one at the time in 1956/7, having conceded 120 goals. The opening game of the following season in Division One, proved that they had not improved or learned any lessons in defence over the Summer. They had been 3-0 up at half time at Leeds Road, against manager Bill Shankly's Huddersfield Town however his team replied with three second half goals, to force a draw. It was a spectacular come back, but there was more excitement in the return fixture.

The teams met again just before Christmas, at The freezing, Valley Stadium, when in the first part of the match, there was little action to suggest that a similar score was likely after 17 minutes. Then Derek Ufton, Charlton's captain, dislocated his shoulder and with no substitutes available in those days, the home team played 73 minutes, one man short! and by half time Town had scored twice. Just after half time Charlton's left winger, Johnny Summers, pulled a goal back but Town scored three more with half an hour to play making it 1-5. Athletic responded with two goals in two minutes, the second scored by Johnny Ryan from a Summers' cross and the third by Summers himself, 3-5. Summers having completed his hat trick, scored a fourth on 78 minutes. The teams were level at 5-5 though not for long, as three minutes later Summers scored a fourth as the score raised to 6-5. Huddersfield managed an equaliser with four minutes left on the clock but Charlton had the momentum and on 90 minutes, Summers crossed for Ryan who notched, sealing the greatest comeback in Football League history. No team had scofred six goals in a League match and lost. It later transpired that the heroic Summers had changed into "new" boots at half time as his old ones had "fallen" apart. As a notoriously one sided, left footer, he had score all five of his goals with his RIGHT FOOT!

Johnny Summers played for Norwich, Fulham and Millwall, prior to his Charlton career. He made his debut for Millwall in 1954 in the opening match of the 1954–55 season, against Brighton and Hove Albion,, in front of a 25,000 plus crowd at The Den. In a 2–0 win, he disappointed the fickle crowd and after a few weeks disappeared into the Reserves, surfacing again the following January, as a left winger. From that time, he never looked back, and was one of the most fearsome and lethal forwards seen at The Den in years. His transfer to Charlton Athletic, for their last season in the old First Division, was regretted by Millwall fans, but seen as inevitable.

He died at the age of 34 in 1962 of cancer. 

Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1949–1950	Fulham	4	(0)
1950–1954	Norwich City	71	(33)
1954–1956	Millwall	91	(41)
1956–1961	Charlton Athletic	171	(100)
Total		337	(174)