July 1 2001

Crystal Palace

Every Palace fan has their own story about the time they saw the light and became an Eagles fan...

Petealiator

I'm a West Norwood lad, and I always was a weird kid, so, much to my undying shame, I supported QPR as a boy (coz I liked Stan Bowles) and I wanted to be different from all my mates (who were ALL Palace fans).

I used to get dragged along to Selhurst quite a bit by my mates, can't remember the first game, but it would have been about '1975 I think.

When I became a teenage skinhead, I got singled out at QPR by the police and got kicked out of the ground about five times on the trot before half-time, for nothing at all, (although when everyone else in the Loft sang the West London song, I always sang the South London song, and believe me, I've got a bloody big gob!).

I started getting sick of dragging my arse across London for that; QPR with its west London wally fans, silly coppers and crap football team. I started reluctantly going to all the Palace home games instead, then I started going to all the away games, and then I was hooked.

The next time I returned to Loftus Road was as a Palace fan, and guess what... Yes, you guessed it, we bloody lost! Bloody Palace!

When I moved away from London to East Anglia, my support of Palace became an emotional extension of who I am and where I come from, so I got the badge tattooed onto my leg and going to a game these days is REALLY special, win, lose or draw.

Believe me, you lot that still live near the ground and take it for granted, don't realise how lucky you are. When we lost the replay at Wembley against the scum of all scum, I sat next to a bloke that had travelled all the way from South Africa (his dad was a Palace fan from Croydon), and I cried like a baby when we lost, I sobbed my heart out.

I just couldn't believe life could be THAT unfair! Palace are a very special football club, and one day, we'll all be rewarded for not being boring predictable glory-hunting sheep. Nuff said!

Lions For Dinner

I started supporting Palace at the tender age of three! My very first match was the first home game in the 1988/89 season.

I can't remember who we played, but that season was the year when we finished third in the old Division 2, then beat Blackburn Rovers 4-3 on aggragate in the play-off final.

I remember my first game really clearly because I remmber I was sitting on my dad's shoulders for the whole match. It was the best ever.

We were in the old Holmesdale Road end. Later on that season, my dad bought me my first shirt. I was so happy, and basically I have supported the Eagles ever since then!

Sussex Based Fan

I first went to a Palace game in 1976 with my dad. My Brother (Barcelona based fan on HOL) also used to come along and it really all started from there and never I looked back. There was never any other team that got a look in.

Living in Thornton Heath who else could you support. There were never loads of Chelsea glory hunters out there in them days. I now travel one hour to every game it is is worth every minute.