Читать книгу To Cap It All - Kenny Sansom - Страница 23

It was a very special night indeed at Selhurst Park. A massive crowd of 52,000 were anticipating a match where both sides’ prize for victory was top-flight football – something the Palace fans had been dreaming of for years. The noise on the terraces was as loud as I’d ever heard, and there is no doubt in my mind that anyone there that night still treasures the memory.

A goalless draw would have seen us promoted to the First Division after 6 years of exile to the lower ranks. But that wouldn’t have been good enough for us – we wanted to go up in style. We wanted a spectacular win.

We attacked without success during the first half. Then Vince Hillarie found the head of Ian Walsh from the wing and suddenly we were one up. The crowd went wild. You could smell victory in the air.

We attacked straightaway and almost scored another, but it floated just wide of the goal mouth. Burnley’s defenders were unable to clear the ball and then Jerry Murphy shot a cracking ball that flew agonisingly across the goal mouth. That bloody ball just didn’t want to go in.

Eventually, the winning goal came from a midfield break and seconds later Dave Swindlehurst had notched up yet another goal to his already brilliant tally.

Terry Venables was standing proudly in the wings, holding his arms aloft in triumph. My God, it was brilliant. I threw my shin pads into the crowd and other players stripped off their shirts and threw them.

Elaine and the rest of my family, who were in the stands, said they had never experienced anything like it. Fans rushed onto the pitch, but this was one invasion everyone welcomed; we were all in terrific spirits. As far as the fans were concerned, Terry Venables had brought success to their club and financially it had cost next to nothing.

We had won the Second Division championship in style and we were very happy. The Burnley players made a quick exit, just in time to escape the south London revellers.

We were going up, and were getting a bonus – we were glad all over.

I just have one more thing to say about this fantastic and historical night. I walked into a shop in Bromley many years later and the shop owner’s eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw me standing there. ‘Kenny? It is you, isn’t it? My God, it only is you. I’m a big Crystal Palace fan and I’ve got your shin pads at home.’

Now, even more years later, I’d like to know if he’s still got them. So if anyone reading this knows the bloke in Bromley who has got my shin pads, can you tell him I want them back now to sell on eBay, ’cos I’m a bit broke.