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John Keeley on record breaking Palace fixture

Albion and Crystal Palace have played out some memorable matches at Selhurst Park since the two clubs’ rivalry began in the 1970s. Some, such as last season’s 2-1 win, will live longer in Brighton folklore than others, for obvious reasons. But there was one game that nobody who witnessed it will ever forget.

By Nick Szczepanik • 14 December 2019

By REX/Shutterstock.
John Keeley challenges Ian Wright in the dramatic game in 1989.

On March 27th 1989, a sunny Easter Monday, the fixture produced what is believed to be a record for the most penalties awarded in a match. Kelvin Morton, the referee, pointed to the spot five times, four times in Palace’s favour. And yet the final score was only 2-1 to the Eagles. Palace scored one but missed three.

Palace were chasing promotion from the old second division, while Albion, who had been promoted the previous season under Barry Lloyd, were trying to avoid an instant return to the third tier.

John Keeley was the goalkeeper who faced the four Palace efforts. A bargain £1500 signing in summer 1986, the popular ex-Southend United man had been an ever-present in the 1987/88 promotion team. He was to finish the 88/89 campaign as Albion’s player of the season.  “I just went out there and played the game, tried my hardest and hoped for the best,” he says. “You just want to help the team, as Garry Nelson had the season before, scoring the goals that took us up.”

Referee Morton, an accountant from Bury St Edmunds, seemed to have it in for Lloyd’s men. They were already trailing to a 23rd minute Ian Wright wonder goal, a stunning volley from the left flank. “I probably should have saved it,” John says - when midfielder Mike Trusson was sent off for a slightly late challenge on Eddie McGoldrick, Morton brandishing the red card with a theatrical flourish.

By REX/Shutterstock.
John Keeley in action.

“Kelvin Morton was a nightmare,” John says. “I’ll never forget his performance. Mike was quite an aggressive player and always put a good challenge in.”  But there was more drama to come in 27 mad minutes either side of half time.

In the 38th minute, from a long free kick taken by Palace’s Jeff Hopkins, Mark Bright seemed to back into Albion’s Larry May, but Morton saw it as May leaning on Bright and gave the first penalty. Bright himself stepped up and hit the ball past the diving Keeley’s left hand. “I have watched the footage back and I don’t think the first one was a penalty, but when you’re playing you always think that. But he gave it, and he kept giving them.”

Dean Wilkins then felled McGoldrick just inside the penalty area, and Morton pointed to the spot again before scampering away behind the byline at the Sainsbury’s end to escape from irate Albion players.

Bright hit his second kick the same way as the first, but it was not well struck and Keeley went the right way and blocked at the expense of a corner. “You don’t want to go 3-0 down in a derby. I thought he would go the same way so that’s where I went. Luckily it hit me on the backside and went wide, which is one blessing of having a big bum.” 

Unfortunately, Albion failed to clear the flag kick, and as the ball ricocheted around the penalty area, Paul Wood hauled down Bright, and Morton was charging off again to his safe space, waving away appeals from Keeley, May, Keith Dublin and Gary Chivers. He later explained that “at the time referees were given guidance when awarding a penalty to immediately take yourself to the corner of the penalty area so that if a player chased you that distance and reacted, he could not argue it was in the heat of the moment.”

Once the protests had died down, Bright stepped aside for Wright to take the penalty and he belted it against the post, to the great delight of the Albion fans on the terraces in the corner between what was then the open Holmesdale End and the Arthur Wait stand. 

“At half time we said, ‘Let’s keep it tight and see if we can nick one and then we’re back in the game,’ John recalls. “If a team that is down to ten gets some momentum, the team with eleven can get very defensive.” 

Sure enough, Albion were soon back in the match thanks to possibly the softest penalty award of all.  A long kick from Keeley bounced into the Palace area and Morton was the only man in the ground who saw Hopkins pull back Kevin Bremner. Alan Curbishley, Albion’s regular penalty-taker, converted with no fuss, hitting the ball high past Perry Suckling’s left hand to bring the score back to 2-1.

“That gave us a fighting chance,” John says. “Curbs was a great player all round and very good at penalties. We used to practise them all week with me in goal. He would sidefoot them, almost pass the ball into the net but with power. He was very accurate as well.”

By Paul Hazlewood
John Keeley in his role as goalkeeping coach for Blackburn Rovers.

But with both sets of fans now ironically shouting for a penalty every time the ball went near a player, Morton gave Palace a chance to restore their two-goal advantage. Dublin missed his attempt to head clear a cross from Phil Barber and the ball hit the hand of the unsighted Ian Chapman behind him. Morton, needless to say, saw it as deliberate and gave penalty number five.

But who would take it? Up stepped right back John Pemberton in front of an expectant Holmesdale. Opinions are divided as to how far over the bar he hit it, but the ball was last seen in orbit somewhere over Beckenham.

“That was some strike!” John laughs. “After that we absolutely battered them and Curbs had a great chance but Perry Suckling saved it with his foot or we could have got a 2-2 draw, which would have been a great result with ten men. And we would have deserved it.

“Let’s just hope for a better result this time. I’ll be watching on Monday night, one hundred percent.”

Christmas cracker at the Amex!