Crystal Palace, Dad and me: Special memories that will live with me forever

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It has been almost a year since my dad, Andy, and I last watched a game together — a drab goalless draw between Palace and Bournemouth on April 19, 2025. The football itself might best be forgotten, but the shared experience of going together was something we both cherished. It had become a rarity since I started covering Palace for The Athletic in August 2019, swapping that seat in the Whitehorse Lane stand for one in the press box. He had experienced declining health, too, which meant it became increasingly difficult for him to go to Selhurst. That Bournemouth game was already special, but it ended up the last we would watch together. My dad passed away over the Easter weekend. He was 71. On Sunday, I returned to those seats for Palace’s home game against Newcastle United with the matchday programme, a Mars bar and a cup of tea to keep me company — mirroring my dad’s routine for all those years. Glad All Over blared over the public address system as the players came on to the pitch and it suddenly all felt so real. We had shared this moment hundreds of times, and now he was gone. I was emotional, but grateful, remembering all those days we spent in each other’s company; sharing something that meant so much to us both. He would have loved Palace’s winner in stoppage time at the end. My dad had first been taken to Selhurst by his dad, Denis, and his uncle, Jack. Trips had become less frequent of late, and Dad’s last game was back in November, a 2-1 defeat by Manchester United which he attended with his brother David. The pair of them had not been at a game together for around 50 years when they returned for a match in 2024, and they had accompanied each other a few times since. Sometimes he’d tell me about the times he travelled on the supporters’ coaches to northern away games — to Middlesbrough, Carlisle, Newcastle and Sunderland. There would be midnight departures for some, arriving in Middlesbrough early enough to go to the cinema to pass some time before kick-off. He recalled the time Palace fans were told to hide under seats after Leeds United fans threw bricks at the bus leaving Elland Road, and when the ‘football special’ train broke down en route to Sunderland, meaning he missed the start of the match. He collected pin badges, too, from all the different grounds he visited, which I have now at home. In the early days, we would drive to Selhurst and park in Dagnall Park car park, a short walk from Selhurst station. Other times we would go by train, my dad popping into the Two Brewers pub in Selhurst Road, not far from the stadium, for a half-pint of bitter. For the few years we did not hold season tickets, we gladly snapped up any offer of a spare to go to games in person whenever possible. We got to know those around us — Roy, who has been going for longer than my dad, and whose stories are always a wonderful part of the matchday experience, as well as Peter and Stuart among others. On the way home, we would dissect the game and listen to BBC Radio London’s post-match coverage if we were in the car. I remember him spending hours on the phone trying to buy tickets for one of Palace’s many play-off semi-final home legs, only to be cut off just after reaching No 1 in the queue. That meant another trip to the Selhurst box office and a long queue in person. But he was undeterred and, obviously, secured our tickets.  Things became more difficult when he became unwell and had major surgery to remove a lung in 2007. But he was never going to stop watching Palace, and pushed to go as often as possible as he recovered. We continued to go together until I joined The Athletic, and then he went by himself. But the Covid-19 pandemic stopped games in March 2020. It coincided with a further deterioration in his health and he was not able to return until May 22, 2022. Wilfried Zaha scored as Palace won 1-0 against Manchester United. He enjoyed it very much. The winning goal was even scored at his end. I still made the effort to sit with him once a season and, while it was different to how it once had been, it was still just as meaningful; maybe even more special in a way. It was too much for him to attend the FA Cup final last season, but he watched from home as Palace beat Manchester City to win their first major trophy. I video-called him as the final whistle blew in an attempt to help him experience the incredible, joyous atmosphere. European nights at Selhurst were impossible for him, too. But we would exchange messages and, although he was unable to speak too much for too long, on the phone or in person, I shared with him my experiences of covering this first major European campaign: what the stadiums were like, the atmosphere, the performances and the disappointment when I realised European clubs didn’t seem to produce matchday programmes I could give him as a memento. We may not have been able to share the bond that Palace helped to give us so intensely in recent years, but it never waned. His health problems never diminished his enthusiasm for going to the game. If anything, they made him even more determined to enjoy the experience, whatever the result, whenever he was in attendance. The tifo at Wembley that day last May was of the late Mark Wealleans and his two sons, whose story I told in 2021 because I could relate to that feeling of what it means to go to football with someone you love. I knew so many others could, too. Next time you go to a game, please, if you can, take a moment to tell the person who first took you, the person or people you go with, what it means to share that experience with them. Football has an almost unique power to connect people and bring them together. Watching Palace with my dad was special. It has helped in the most difficult moments of my life and, on Sunday, it did so again. The memories it has given me will stay with me forever. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Matt Woosnam is the Crystal Palace writer for The Athletic. He also covers topics surrounding climate and environmental sustainability in sport. Matt previously worked as a freelance writer for the South London Press and MailOnline. Follow Matt on Twitter @MattWoosie