Years ago, a Crystal Palace side dealing with administration issues took on Wolves in an FA Cup replay at Selhurst Park. Neil Warnock made a brave and unusual decision by playing right-back Danny Butterfield as a striker, simply because his wife Sharon had dreamt the night before that he would score the winner.
What happened next was remarkable. Butterfield scored a perfect hat-trick in just 6 minutes and 48 seconds, leading Palace to a 3-1 win.
Unbelievable 😂
🗣️ Guessand: “He [Lacroix] told me before the game ‘if we win, I’m going to bring you to the fans to do the celebration!’
“It was really fun. They taught me how to do it and then I know for the future.
“The more we do it, the more it’s good!”
ECHOES OF SELHURST 🏟️👩🏻🎨now available on marinasperoni.com
Celebrating 100 years of Selhurst Park — where history changes, passion doesn’t.
Built by time. Carried by fans.
Fair play to the Palace fans at Macclesfield today, they applauded the home side off after their famous upset against the holders.
They might not have got the result they came for, but that’s a touch of class by Palace fans!
👏
This is Steve Coppell. He's 70 years old and played for Tranmere Rovers, Manchester United and England.
nytimes.com/athletic/69110…
He spent the first few years of his professional career studying at Liverpool University — effectively a part-time footballer. He even played for commerce and economics in the university's inter-department league on Wednesday afternoons while playing for #MUFC at the weekend! "It would never happen now," he says.
He went on to become one of the best wingers in the English game before his career was ended by injury — initially caused by a horror tackle in a World Cup qualifier against Hungary in 1981.
Devastated at having to hang up his boots at 28, he considered going back to college but was unexpectedly being offered the manager's job at Crystal Palace. He went on to have an outstanding managerial career, particularly with #CPFC and Reading. He still likes to watch Palace, but also enjoys going to watch non-league sides like Chipstead, Dorking Wanderers and Merstham. "When you’ve lived your life around Saturday 3pm, it’s hard to break away from that,” he says.