A Sporting Evening with Mel Blyth and David Payne

On Saturday 13th November from 7pm, former Crystal Palace players Mel Blyth and David Payne will be in attendance at The Lindfield Social Club, Lindfield Road, Croydon, CR0 6HN, for a light-hearted evening of chat and discussion about their careers, along with their thoughts and opinions on football now, and in their heyday!

In a comfortable, relaxed, social environment, Mel and David will be happy to share their views and thoughts with you, answering any questions you may have for them.

In addition photographs of the players, which they will be happy to sign, along with other Crystal Palace Football Club memorabilia and photos will be on sale at the event.

Tickets are £7 per person, to be purchased in advance of the event. A buffet will be provided for all attendees, and the 'Lindfield Club' have a fully stocked bar at subsidised prices.

Finally there will be a raffle during the evening with all proceeds going to the charity 'Help for Heroes.'

This is a great opportunity for football fans, particularly those of Crystal Palace Football Club, male or female, young and of an older generation to meet a couple of former greats, and discuss all things football over a drink, and at the same time support a charity.

The evening is expected to last up to a couple of hours.

I attended an excellent evening at the same venue a couple of weeks ago, where Alan Hudson was the guest.

Entry is by ticket only.
For further details and to purchase tickets please email: lorraine@lhunte.wanadoo.co.uk


A little bit about Mel Blyth:

Mel was born in Norwich in 1944. He joined Crystal Palace from Scunthorpe in the summer of 1968 as an old-style wing-half, but he developed into a magnificent centre-back. He immediately became a regular member of Palace’s 1968-69 Division Two promotion side.
In Division One, Mel became a permanent fixture in the Palace defence alongside John McCormick.
After flirting with relegation for a number of years, Palace eventually lost their fight to avoid relegation at the end of the 1972-73 season, under manager Malcolm Allison. In the following season, Mel had a long spell of injury and shortly after the start of the 1974-75 season, Mel was signed by Southampton. Mel re-appeared in Palace’s colours in November 1977, when Terry Venables signed him on loan.
In both stints at Palace, Mel made 262 first team appearances scoring 12 goals.

A little bit about David Payne:

David was born in Croydon in 1947. An accomplished defender he made his debut for Palace in 1963 and went on to make 326 appearances, scoring 12 times before joining Leyton Orient in 1973.
David is 8th in the all-time list of most appearances for the South London Club.



Event venue courtesy of Google maps:


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