[Help] Some personal news and then reflection for all

[Brovion]

I am two bottles of red down now, but mum was a champion swimmer and dad was a champion ship diver they met I south Norwood swimming baths. Each had no interest in football, tacking me to football ( first game v stoke) was boring to them but has been a life long love to me. Thank you mum xx

All the best to you buddy, rivalry means nothing at a time like this. I don't know if you read my post where I said that if I'd followed my Dad I would have been a Palace fan as both him and my Grandad were Palace fans from Thornton Heath, indeed my Grandad used to watch Palace before they moved to Selhurst Park at a ground called The Nest. (You probably knew Selhurst wasn't Palace's original home). And like your Mum my Dad remembered being woken up and taken out so see the glow of the Crystal Palace burning down.

Once I'd moved down to Sussex (my parents got divorced and we went with my Mum to her parents in Lancing) and had started watching Brighton my Dad did make a half-hearted attempt to turn me into a Palace fan. Him and my Grandad took me to Selhurst Park a few times in the Bert Head era, but one of the things that put me off was that they would moan constantly about how useless Palace were! (This was something my father kept up for the rest of his life, indeed I don't remember him saying a single good thing about them!) Until the rivalry started I did have a bit of a soft spot for Palace, obviously that's gone now!

Anyway, all the best to you at this sad time.

EDIT: Just wanted to point out that Palace weren't useless at all as they got promoted to the old Division One in this period. You should have heard my Dad when they were really rubbish!

 

[Reddleman]

My dad was round at my house yesterday and we watched the game together. It’s the best performance either of us have ever seen from us.

Living in Scotland all my life for many years the only games I saw were away trips to Carlisle, Darlington, Hartlepool etc. Grim journeys to grim places to watch crap football where we almost always lost. He kept taking me though.

To watch that yesterday was vindication of all of that. He’s getting on a bit now but given we will talk about yesterday game for decades to come it was lovely to have that memory locked in of us watching it together.