Glory Years: David Payne recalls his debut aged 17

All this week, as we look forward to welcoming our heroes from 68/69, 78/79 and 88/89 back to Selhurst Park for the Everton game this Saturday, Crystal Palace will be looking back at the anniversaries of those three glorious promotion campaigns for the Eagles.

Born a stone’s throw away from Selhurst, how did your debut for your local club come about?

Ron Heckman, a former Palace player, was the football coach at my school in Catford and he arranged a game at Selhurst Park one evening against a trialist XI. Arthur Rowe was in the stand and he must have been impressed with what he saw from me at 15-years-old. The manager at the time, Dick Graham, then signed me as an apprentice at the beginning…