Cover Story: Fans relive promotion party & the story of Jacko's jumper

Programme

29 Jan 2025

When Anthony Davie opened a recent Crystal Palace matchday email, it was to his great surprise that he saw not only kick-off timings or opposition data – he also saw himself and his late father.

Anthony, a 64-year-old postman based in Northampton, but born and raised in Thornton Heath and South Norwood, was one of several fans who saw themselves featured on the front cover of the match programme.

The Southampton programme cover in question, illustrated by the brilliant Dave Flanagan as part of our season-long Selhurst Park centenary celebrations, depicted Palace’s squad cheering in the stands after securing promotion in the penultimate match of the 1969/89 season.

And whilst the likes of goalkeeper John Jackson, manager Bert Head and Chairman Arthur Wait could be seen on it celebrating with Will Hughes – transported back in time as our feature interviewee that issue – so too could Anthony, who contacted the club.

“You think: ‘hang on – that’s me!’” he laughed. “And there’s Jacko! I copied and pasted it and enlarged it, and I knew it was me – it felt fantastic!

“I was so excited. You know when something really makes your day? And then, of course, the memories come flooding back!

"Kids, young kids, might not understand it, but it’s history – forever. You can’t change history – history’s there!"

Anthony and his father are the two supporters circled on the programme cover below.

Anthony takes the opportunity to share with us a photograph which shows four generations of his family attending Selhurst Park, before recalling his own story.

“My first ever match, my Grandad took me – he was Chelsea, so he took me to see Chelsea against Man United on a Saturday in March 1968. My Dad obviously wasn’t happy with that, so he took me on the Wednesday night to see Palace against Millwall!” Thankfully, a 4-2 win for Palace.

“Dad took me to the Middlesbrough home game over Easter, and then we went to Preston North End away – we had to get the coach at 6.30am in the car park – and then, obviously, that decisive Fulham game."

Recalling the incredible afternoon later that season, when Palace hit back against Fulham to secure their first-ever promotion to the top-flight, Anthony’s memories came flooding back.

“My daughter said to me: ‘do you still remember that day?’ and I said: ‘yeah, I do.’ I was eight, but I remember it because it was such a fantastic day, beyond my dreams.

“In that fantastic artwork, it was all my Dad’s old football team that used to meet in the enclosure in what we used to call the ‘Old Stand’. They were called Sell Park Rangers and were all his old football friends – so that’s where we used to go.

“I remember there being a bit of chuntering when we were 2-0 down at half-time! People were saying: ‘it’s all gone wrong again!’ But then they came back and made it 3-2.

“After the game, everyone was so excited and jumping about. And then when the players came out to celebrate, they were literally above where we were standing in that artwork!

“My daughters are in their 30s and they even took the mickey out of me, because the artist who drew that cover has even got my double crown!”

It was not only Anthony who spotted himself on the cover, however, with Mike Grierson – father of our recent media star, Chris – and his friend Mike Gidley also identifying themselves.

“It was a surprise, after all these years, to be on the programme cover!” Mike Grierson laughed. "Chris's father-in-law, Julian, gets the programme online, and he recognised it because he'd already got the photo, so he matched it up to that.

"It was a very historic moment for the club, to reach the top-flight for the first time. We'd been to Preston the week before, hoping we might be there when it happened, but it was delayed a week [after the two teams drew 0-0].

"I’m sure anybody who was there [against Fulham] would remember it because of all the emotion, the drama of being 2-0 down at half-time. 'Are we actually going to throw it away at the last minute, losing at home to a relegated club?'

"It's just totally symbolic that Johnny Byrne was on the pitch [for Fulham] at the same time because, [with Palace] starting from the fourth division, it had gone full circle.

"That particular photo was taken because we've all got our hands raised, because the players were starting to take their shirts off – so it was a scramble to try and catch the shirts as they were thrown thrown over! It was in the paper at that time, but it was difficult, with the quality of the paper, to spot who was who!"

Covers aside, Anthony also possesses a very special keepsake from the encounter.

“My Dad held me in his arms, and with his other hand, he was bang, bang, banging on the side – like you can see in the photo. Jacko looked down and saw him, and saw a little boy in his arms, and gave me his jumper!

“I always remember my Dad shoving it up his jumper inside his jacket, because he was a bit worried that someone else would fancy it on the walk home!

“I remember it had a scuff of mud on his chest, and I wore it non-stop – I used to wear it in bed, I used to wear it everywhere! I also got one of David Payne’s shinpads, but I don’t know where that went!

“Eventually I went away somewhere, and my mother decided to wash it for me – I was absolutely devastated!”

Nevertheless, it wasn’t the last seen of Anthony and Jacko’s jumper: “In the ‘90s, I was Hornchurch Football Club’s reserve team manager, and the first-team had nicked the ‘keeper so I had to play in goal – and I wore it!

“We lost 8-1 away at Billericay – and I wore that jumper in goal! I remember the Billericay reserve forward said: ‘Unlucky, ‘keeper – and get yourself a decent jumper!’”

Since then, Jacko’s jumper has lived in Anthony’s cupboard, and he plans to donate it to Palace upon completion of Selhurst Park’s new Main Stand.

For now, though, it is his history that we are celebrating.

Got a Selhurst story to tell? Let us know by emailing selhurst100@cpfc.co.uk !

This interview was initially published in the Crystal Palace v Brentford programme - you can buy the matchday programme by clicking HERE.

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