Johnny Byrne (footballer)
Byrne pictured in Cape Town, South Africa, in the early 1970s.
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Joseph Byrne | ||
| Date of birth | 13 May 1939 | ||
| Place of birth | West Horsley, Surrey, England | ||
| Date of death | 27 October 1999 (aged 60) | ||
| Place of death | Cape Town, South Africa | ||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 8.5 in) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Epsom Town | |||
| Guildford City | |||
| Crystal Palace | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1956–1962 | Crystal Palace | 203 | (85) |
| 1962–1967 | West Ham United | 156 | (79) |
| 1967–1968 | Crystal Palace | 36 | (5) |
| 1968–1969 | Fulham | 19 | (2) |
| 1969–1973 | Durban City | 69 | (22) |
| 1980 | Hellenic | 1 | (0) |
| Total | 484 | (193) | |
| National team | |||
| 1961–1962 | England under-23 | 7 | (4) |
| 1961–1965 | England | 11 | (8) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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John Joseph "Johnny" Byrne (13 May 1939 – 27 October 1999) was an English professional footballer who played as a striker. He was nicknamed "Budgie" due to his constant chattering.
He played non-league football for Epsom Town and Guildford City Youth, before signing a professional contract with Crystal Palace in 1956. He joined West Ham United in 1962, and spent the next five years with the "Hammers". He returned to Crystal Palace in 1967, before joining Fulham the following year. He emigrated to South Africa in 1969 and spent four years with Durban City. He went on to coach in South Africa for many years, and turned out as a player Hellenic in 1980.
He won seven caps for the England under-23 team, before scoring eight goals in eleven full England internationals between 1961 and 1965.
John Joseph Byrne was born in West Horsley, Surrey, to Irish immigrants on 13 May 1939. As a youth player he represented Epsom Town and Guildford City Youth, though it was his schoolteacher Vincent Blore, a former Crystal Palace and West Ham United player, who alerted Crystal Palace manager Cyril Spiers to Byrne's talents. Whilst working as an apprentice toolmaker at the age of 15, Byrne attended four trials at Selhurst Park before being signed onto the ground staff.
Byrne made 14 appearances for Crystal Palace during the 1956–57 season, scoring once as the "Glaziers" finished 20th in the Third Division South. He signed a professional contract on his 17th birthday in 1956, and made his debut in October of that year. He scored seven times in 28 matches in the 1957–58 season, as Palace finished in 14th place. He scored 17 goals in 45 matches in the 1958–59 season, in which the club became founder members of the Fourth Division and new manager George Smith led the "Glaziers" to a seventh-place finish. In 1959–60 Byrne scored 16 times in 42 matches as Palace finished eighth in Division Four. He requested a transfer, and an asking price of £20,000 was demanded by the club. On 15 October 1959, he scored two goals as Palace recorded a club record 9-0 victory over Barrow.
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