I went to it. We should have won. Outside the ground those oh so sporting Liverpool fans beat up numerous Palace fans. It was very nasty.

And it was 54 years ago yesterday when as a 3rd Div team we were unluckily defeated 4-3 at 1st Div Villa. Our quality of football was superb with 2 goals from the great Johnny Byrne and 1 from Dennis Uphill.

4th goal luckily floated over Vic Rouse who only plated a few games after giving way to Bill Glazier.

lo Selhurst silva felix, lo Selhurst cara nutrix, viget, vigeat, vigebit! Best team:- Jackson; Gilbert, Evans, Cannon, Sansom; Hughes, Kember, McNichol; Byrne, Holton, Wright.

I was there.

Horrible place to be in those days.

There were alleys outside the ground where all sorts was going on, Liverpool fans with Stanley knives , chaotic.

Who remembers the Palace fan that ran on the pitch before the game ? He ran in front of the Kop and set fire to a Liverpool scarf. He got chased around the pitch by some Liverpool fans, one eventually caught him and dished out a mean right hook.

I saw the guy at London Bridge on the way to the replay, very proud of himself and what looked like a broken jaw !

Old, Ungifted and White

I was there as a spotty 14 year old with my step-dad,soon -to-become-brother-in-law and a few of his pals(Piggy and Ricky were two of them).Got off the train at Lime St. Got chased into the shopping mall,kicked and punched by grown men,sought refuge in a sports shop. Got chased again,more punches and kicks. After the game,an avalanche of bottles rained upon us and by this time lots of Everton fans having a go at us! Got onto a bus back to the station, more aggro,had to run the gauntlet from the bus to the station and more punches and kicks aimed at us! Lots of Palace with black eyes,bloodied noses and ripped clothing on the train home.It was the same the previous year when we went to Roker Park and Elland Road AND Stamford Bridge. Ollie's Dad,Ash.

Red and Blue Army!
LONDON BORN PALACE BRED LIVE AND DIE FOR BLUE AND RED
Football is not just a game, its a religion

18 y.o.and travelled up in my first car, a Cortina Mk 1 GT. On the Friday night before the game, me and 2 mates were talking about it, in The Victory in Thornton Heath. Two older guys (mid-20s) heard us talking and said they'd tag along. We looked up to these blokes- I can't remember if the 'Wilton crew' was around in 1977, but I'm sure they would have been in it.
So, we got to Anfield about 20 minutes after the game started. Parked up on a side street close to the ground (the old Cortina was red so it fitted in well with the street decor). We left our Palace scarfs in the car and wandered towards the noise.
It was as scary as has already been described by others. No ticket required, pay at the turnstile in those days. Every gate that we went to had a contingent of gimlet-eyed Scousers looking and listening for any hint of Southern softness. I recall a gang of about 10 of them running straight past us, calling out that some 'Cockney c***s' had been spotted elsewhere.
Kev and Chris and I decided to chance our arm and we ran the blockade. Somehow, we ended high up in a seated enclosure (with the Kop to our right). We were in amongst Liverpool fans, but they were family types. Incredible atmosphere. It was very exciting for 3 young lads.
Our 2 older travelling companions had already decided that discretion was the better part of valour. They went back to my car and sat out the game there. They weren't so 'hard' after all. But they were still hard enough that we didn't tell anyone about it down at The Victory.

We are the goon squad and we're going to town. Beep Beep!