Arthur Wait |
The traditional response of a newly promoted club is to go out and buy a couple of players with First Division experience to help to dig in, but Palace's immediate concern was the building of a new stand at breakneck speed, where once had been a dangerous mound of earth. As a tribute to his own efforts, this was called, with the degree of modesty expected of the Chairman, the 'Arthur Wait Stand'.
Bert Head, as was his habit, went to Scotland to sign three new players, Roger Hynd, Gerry Queen and Per Bartram, and also bought Alan Pinkney from Exeter City. Queen was intended to be a direct replacement for Bobby Woodruff as centre forward, and Hynd was to accompany John McCormick in central defence, allowing Mel Blyth more of a midfield role. Apart from these two changes, it was essentially the same team that had won promotion who lined up for Palace's first ever game in the First Division, against no less a side than the waning Manchester United. After finishing 11th. in the league the previous season, Matt Busby had handed over team affairs to the ill-fated Wilf McGuiness, and the team for his first game in charge was still packed with household names, the front line consisting of Willie Morgan, Brian Kidd, Bobby Charlton, Denis Law and George Best. Although still a glamorous side, it is clear in retrospect that by this time United's best days were behind them. However, it was still an achievement for a mostly unmodified Second Division team such as Palace to earn a 2-2 draw in front of a record breaking crowd of 48,610, after twice going ahead with goals from Mel Blyth and, on his debut, Gerry Queen. A comfortable home victory against Sunderland and a good performance at Everton, despite losing 2-1, seemed to suggest that Palace might be reasonably comfortable in such company, and at least defensively they were looking fairly capable.
Gerry Queen |
The pattern for the season began to emerge in the next game, however, when the opponents were again Sunderland - destined for relegation that season - this time at Roker Park. Just a week after beating them 2-0, Palace concentrated on earning an away point, and despite never being troubled by an attack that had so far failed to score in four games, were content to come away with a goalless draw. Bobby Woodruff was back in the side in place of the injured Gerry Queen, and the Dane Per Bartram came on as substitute for Cliff Jackson; the fact that these four strikers only managed 17 goals between them all season explains why Palace struggled to survive. Jackson and Woodruff were clearly nearing the end of their careers, and this was to be the last season in Division One for each of them. Gerry Queen, although not without both skill and speed, appeared to be typical of the old fashioned inside forward, and would have benefitted from playing alongside someone with a bit more muscle, while Bartram,
Mark Lazarus |
the Danish international intended to fill that role, had problems initially with his work permit, being classified as an alien, and having to report regularly to the police! When he did come into the team, he proved a disappointment, and only played a few games before returning to Morton the following season.
Hence, although Palace were able to achieve a good number of draws against good sides, they only managed five more victories all season, albeit with two of them being against recent champions Manchester City. The defence was still being held together by the good form of McCormick, and the heroics of John Jackson in goal, and Kember was superb in midfield, but nothing too much was happening up front. The year 1969 ended with an appalling run of 10 games during which Palace won only three points, scoring six goals and conceding 23, and bracketed by 5-1 home defeats at the hands of Arsenal, at the start of November, and Chelsea on Boxing Day, when the crowd of 49,498 set another new record. The team selection became even more cautious, with Woodruff and Lazarus departing for Cardiff and Orient respectively, and Phil Hoadley coming into the side together with the reliable David Payne. With injuries to Tony Taylor, Roger Hoy and Cliff Jackson, Bert Head was also forced to use reserve players such as Trevor Dawkins and Len Tomkins, and Palace went into the new year third from bottom, above Sunderland and Sheffield Wednesday, but still looking certainties for relegation. A 3-2 defeat at West Bromwich Albion in the new year left them in the bottom two and surely doomed.
Things began to look up, however, when Bert Head persuaded Bobby Tambling, one of Chelsea's greatest ever goalscorers, to come to Selhurst on loan for three games. Then, after unsuccessfully pursuing several forwards, including Jimmy Greaves, he signed the Scottish International Jim Scott
Jim Scott |
from Newcastle. Although he failed to score in his first 11 games, Scott's inclusion alongside Tony Taylor balanced the forward line, and Palace began to look more of a team as they forced valuable draws at St.James' Park, Old Trafford and Molineux, three of the most intimidating grounds for away teams. They also managed two wins in a row for the only time all season, when they beat both Manchester City and Southampton in the space of four days. The most notable achievement during this period, however, was the victory over Spurs in the F.A.Cup 4th round. After holding them 0-0 at White Hart Lane, Palace won the replay the following Wednesday night against a side which contained seven full international players, including Greaves, Alan Gilzean and Alan Mullery, as well as a youngster in his first season, Steve Perryman. Although Spurs, along with Arsenal and Manchester United, were to finish only in a middle of the table position at the end of that season, they were still one of the best sides around, and Palace fully deserved to win what remains the best Cup Tie seen at Selhurst Park, with a goal from Gerry Queen, and the usual flat out performance from Roger Hoy. Somehow, after that, it seemed inevitable that Palace would stay up, and despite going out of the Cup to Chelsea, and losing a crucial 'four-pointer' at home to Sheffield Wednesday, they completed the season by beating Manchester City again, the only double that year. Palace eventually escaped relegation by just a single point, an outcome that had seemed most improbable at the turn of the year.
A significant factor in Palace's survival was the form of Mel Blyth, who deposed Roger Hynd as John McCormick's partner in central defence, creating a combination that was to last for the next two and a half seasons. The most worrying thing, though, was that the team had clearly not progressed since winning
Tony Taylor |
promotion, and of the new players, Hynd had added nothing, Bartram and Pinkney had failed to make any impression, whilst Queen found himself rather isolated up front. The core of the team which had come up were still playing well enough, namely John Jackson, McCormick and Kember, but unlike fellow newcomers Derby County, their natural home looked to be the Second Division.
Despite some poor football on the pitch, the club was fairly successful at cultivating a friendly atmosphere and a feeling of homeliness in the days before the segregation of rival fans, and the Whitehorse Lane end, with supporters of both teams mixing quite happily, became the natural area for young fans to stand, without having to be designated as such. That this no longer happens at football grounds is the greatest shame of all, and one thing for which one can be forgiven a nostalgic view. Unfortunately, what too many people now become misty-eyed about is the passing of the great players and the great teams, which implies that the game has become inferior. I have never been convinced by the protestations of such as George Best and Rodney Marsh that there aren't the "characters" now that there were in the 60's and 70's. In reality, such players stood out as exceptions at the time, and although few would deny that Best was certainly a wonderful player, to my mind he forgives his own misdemeanours too readily. Every team, in most seasons, will have players who stand out, but they are generally of no use unless they are concerned as much with the team as with themselves.
