Half a century of Palace - because of Johnny Byrne

by David
(Caterham, Surrey)

I first saw Johnny Byrne when I attended my first Palace match (v. Southend) in 1958. I was 10, and the impression he left on me that day immediately cemented a lifetime of support for the club.
He was fantastic, and over the next few years, along with great players like Ronnie Allen and good solid professionals like Vic Rouse, Alfie Noakes and Terry Long, he continued to entertain crowds which very few clubs in the lower divisions ever commanded.
The match which stands out, however, was actually a defeat. The FA Cup, 3rd round, away to Aston Villa on January 6th, 1962.
Within a few minutes Byrne had headed us in front against one of the best teams in the country and who had actually won the cup only five years earlier. The match was an end-to-end classic, and with only a few minutes to go, stood at 3-3. Then a tragic misjudgement by Vic Rouse in goal (another deserved hero at Palace) saw a winner by the Villa in the dying seconds.
On the coach home, we were gutted. But on the radio, suddenly Eamonn Andrews who compared the BBC sports round-up, stated that the unluckiest fans of the day were Crystal Palace supporters who deserved at least a replay.
Over half a century later, I still consider we were the luckiest - purely because we saw the emergence of Johnny Byrne playing against the highest level - and giving a clear sign that he was destined for much greater things.