It probably helped that the score that day was 5-0, but what hooked me was the atmosphere of the crowd, unlike anything I had known before, and the fact that everyone there was having fun. Best of all was the moment when "Glad All Over" came on the tannoy, and all around the ground hands stretched out and pounded the advertising boards in unison; I soon joined in.

My purpose in writing this book is not to produce a definitive statistical record _ for that I would recommend "The Crystal Palace Story" by Roy Peskett and the recent book by Mike Purkiss - but rather to set down my own subjective memories of the last 21 years, and my opinions of the characters involved. Some of what I have written you will agree with, but most of it you probably won't, since we all see the game in different ways, but I simply hope that you will recognize the sentiments that lie behind what amounts to a labour of love.

As well as covering the events of each season from 1969 - Palace's first ever in Division One - to 1990, when we nearly won the F.A.Cup at Wembley, I have also chosen an imaginary team from everyone who has played for Palace during that time. I give my thoughts on the best players in each position in the final chapters, but for quick reference the team is as follows:

Finally, thanks are due to Keith Andrews, Roger Dickson and Ian Weller and to my wife, Barbara, for their invaluable help with the production of this tribute, and to all the players who I have so enjoyed watching and moaning about.