Alan Birchenall has revisited his brief but eventful Crystal Palace career as he celebrated his 78th birthday on 22 August 2023. The former forward made 52 appearances for the Eagles during a 15-month spell after moving from Chelsea alongside Bobby Tambling.
Birchenall said he was seeking regular football after an injury ruled him out of the 1970 FA Cup final. Palace had just reached the old First Division when manager Bert Head and chairman Arthur Wait met the pair. The financial terms on offer helped convince Birchenall to make the move, while Wait also offered him a house in Banstead for £5 a month.
The forward remembered his time in south London fondly, particularly the social side of life around the club. He recalled organising charity evenings for teammates at Croydon nightclub Dr Jims and joked about Mel Blyth’s reluctance to buy a round. Birchenall also spoke warmly about playing alongside Steve Kember and working under Head.
One of his earliest Palace assignments was against Manchester United, when Head delivered a team talk that left Birchenall surprised at the prospect of facing players such as Denis Law and George Best. He later found himself fined after chasing Kember across the training ground and damaging the sprinkler system during a pre-season prank.
Birchenall, Palace’s leading scorer during the 1970/71 season, also shared stories from elsewhere in his career, including singing with Joe Cocker at Sheffield United and performing for the England Under-23s in Hungary. He reflected that football in the 1960s and 1970s offered a very different lifestyle, but said he would not have exchanged the experience for anything.
