Continuous family support at one end of ground

[Pete’s Picture Palace]

Today marked the day that my tenure of a seat in the Holmesdale Road stand at Selhurst Park came to an end. Why is this? Because the chairman & owner, Mr Steve Parish, came under pressure from the "Holmesdale Fanatics" (a few hundred young bucks with a drum) to move them to the central block (E) rather than Block B which is far to the right. Mr P caved in and as a result 408 regular season ticket holders, (in most cases, of 24 years continuously in the same seat since the stand opened in 1995) have been evicted without a seat to go to till all other season ticket holders in the ground have had the chance to renew their st's.

Anyway, this got me thinking about how long my family has been represented in the Holmesdale end. My grandfather went on opening day in 1924 (see below) and to EVERY game thereafter till his last - a league cup tie against Leeds in 1968 when he got bumped about a bit and aged 80 decided he'd had enough.

I first went in April 1962 so we over-lapped by 6 years, but I stood with him on that terrace many times in that period.

So you could say that between us we have stood/sat in roughly the same place for 95 years.

And I wondered, can anyone top that? I expect so - but let's hear your stories.

This was the day in 1924 - my grandad was the one in the cap (but it wasn't his bike!)

[Fishy]

That's a fantastic history Pete and such a shame that it is coming to an end in such a fashion (isn't a drum stick an offensive weapon!?).

I can't put any longevity on my support being moved to the Westcountry at the tender age of 7, and my family before that moved around various parts of London.

Hat's off to anyone who can even come close to your family's commitment.


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Millwall league AWAYS wanted
45/6 Newport; Swansea; Leicester.
47/8 Coventry.
48/9 Newport.
49/0 Walsall; Exeter.
50/1 Port Vale.
51/2 Port Vale 1/5.
52/3 Swindon.