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Players Index Page Last Updated
17 October 2022
 
 

Johnny Byrne

 Crystal Palace FC, West Ham United FC

 11 appearances, 8 goals

P 11 W 5 D 3 L 3 F 24: A 18
59% successful
1961-66

captain: none
minutes played: 990

Timeline
  John Joseph Byrne
Birth 13 May 1939 in West Horsley, Surrey [registered in Surrey South Western, September 1939].
Attended Howard of Effingham School, Horsley
Marriage to Margot [registration not found].
Death 27 October 1999 in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa, aged 60 years 167 days [not registered in England].
Source Douglas Lammings' An English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990] &
Biographies The Strategy of Soccer - Johnny Byrne (Pelham, London 1965)
  The England international centre-forward is most closely associated with Crystal Palace and West Ham in the fifties and sixties. This is both autobiographical and instructional. - A Football Compendium, Peter J. Seddon (1999).

Club Career
Club(s) Started his career with Epsom Town FC and also Guildford City Youth FC. Joined Crystal Palace FC as an amateur in 1955, turning professional in May 1956. He played 220 league appearances, scoring 95 goals. West Ham United FC paid £58,000 and Ron Brett for Byrne, breaking the transfer record in March 1962. After 156 league appearances and 79 goals, he re-signed for Crystal Palace FC on 15 February 1967 for a £45,000 transfer fee, making another 39 league appearances, scoring six times. Fulham FC paid £18,000 for Byrne in March 1968 and he made nineteen league appearances, scoring twice. He ended his career making 69 appearances with Durban City FC in South Africa from May 1969 until 1971.
Club honours FA Cup winners 1963-64; Football League runners-up 1965-66;
Individual honours Football League (seven appearances)
Distinctions None
Height/Weight 5' 8½", 11st. 7lbs [1964].
Source

Douglas Lammings' An English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990].

England Career
Player number One of two who became the 800th player (800) to appear for England.
Position(s) Inside-right, centre-forward.
First match No. 354, 22 November 1961, England 1 Northern Ireland 1, a British Championship match at Empire Stadium, Wembley, London, aged 22 years 193 days.
Last match No. 387, 10 April 1965, England 2 Scotland 2, a British Championship match at Empire Stadium, Wembley, London, aged 25 years 332 days.
Major tournaments World Cup Finals 1966 (provisional squad); British Championship 1961-62, 1963-64, 1964-65;
Team honours British Championship shared 1963-64, winners 1964-65;
Individual honours England U23 (seven appearances), England Youth
Distinctions The 22nd Surreyian to represent England, first since Jack Harrow
First player from a Fourth tier club to represent England.

Beyond England
When he retired from playing in South Africa, Byrne returned to England to manage Durham City FC, at the same time, employed as a tyre company representative. He returned to South Africa to coach Hellenic FC, even playing for them as a fifty year old in an injury crisis. He also coached Michau Warriors and Cape Town Spurs, until 1998. - An English Football Internationalists' Who's Who. Douglas Lamming (1990). Hatton Press, p.56.


The Numbers
parties Appearances comp. apps minutes Goals goals ave.min captain
18 11 4 990 8 124 min none
minutes are an approximation, due to the fact that many matches rarely stick to exactly ninety minutes long, allowing time for injuries and errors.
P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
11 5 3 3 24 18 +6 2 0 2.182 1.636 59.1 +2

Venue Record

Venue P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
Home 4 2 2 0 7 5 +2 0 0 1.75 1.25 75.0 +2
Away 5 3 0 2 16 11 +5 1 0 3.20 2.20 60.0 +1
Neutral 2 0 1 1 1 2 -1 1 0 0.50 1.00 25.0 -1

Shirt Record

Colour P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
White 8 4 2 2 19 13 +6 1 0 2.375 1.625 62.5 +2
Red 3 1 1 1 5 5 =0 1 0 1.667 1.667 50.0 =0

Competition Record

Competition P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
British Championship 4 1 2 1 5 5 =0 1 0 1.25 1.25 50.0 =0
Minor Tournament 3 0 1 2 2 7 -5 1 0 0.667 2.333 16.7 -2
Friendly 4 4 0 0 17 6 +11 0 0 4.25 1.50 100.0 +4

Tournament Record

British Championship Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
BC 1961-62 1 0 1 0 1 1 =0 0 0 1.00 1.00 50.0 =0
BC 1963-64 1 0 0 1 0 1 -1 1 0 0.00 1.00 0.00 -1
BC 1964-65 2 1 1 0 4 3 +1 0 0 2.00 1.50 75.0 +1
BC All 4 1 2 1 5 5 =0 1 0 1.25 1.25 50.0 =0

All Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
BC 4 1 2 1 5 5 =0 1 0 1.25 1.25 50.0 =0
4 1 2 1 5 5 =0 1 0 1.25 1.25 50.0 =0

Match History

 
Age 21 under 23  
three appearances - Wales February 1961; Scotland & West Germany March 1961
   

 Club: Crystal Palace F.C. - one full appearance (90 min) manager: Walter Winterbottom - one full appearance (90 min)x

apps match pic match details comp res. rundown shirt

Age 22
348 21 May 1961 - Portugal 1 England 1, Estadio Nacional, Lisboa WCP AD
party member
349 24 May 1961 - Italy 2 England 3, Stadio Olimpico, Roma tour AW
350 27 May 1961 - Austria 3 England 1, Praterstadion, Wien AL
 

under 23  
one appearance - Israel  9 November 1961;

1 354 22 November 1961 - England 1 Northern Ireland 1
 Empire Stadium, Wembley		 BC HD   9
 

one of two who became the 800th player (800) to appear for England.
the third Crystal Palace player to represent England - first since 1923, first outfield since 1914
the first player from the fourth tier of English football to represent England

under 23  
three appearances - Netherlands 29 November 1961, Scotland February 1962, Turkey March 1962;

 Club: West Ham United F.C. - ten full appearances (900 min) 7ᵍ manager: Alf Ramsey - ten full appearances (900 min) 7ᵍx

367 6 April 1963 - England 1 Scotland 2, Empire Stadium, Wembley BC HL withdrawn
party member
 

Age 23
369 29 May 1963 - Czechoslovakia 2 England 4, Tehelné pole, Bratislava
tour		 AW party member
370 2 June 1963 - GDR 1 England 2, Zentralstadion, Leipzig AW
2 371 5 June 1963 - Switzerland 1 England 8
Sankt Jakob Stadium, Basel		 AW 35
 46		 9
 

the fifteenth West Ham United player to represent England

3 375 11 April 1964 - Scotland 1 England 0
Hampden Park, Glasgow		 BC AL   9
4 376 6 May 1964 - England 2 Uruguay 1
 Empire Stadium, Wembley		 Fr HW 41
 52		 9

Age 24
5 377 17 May 1964 - Portugal 3 England 4
Estadio Nacional, Lisboa
tour		 AW 30
60
88		 9
6 378 24 May 1964 - Republic of Ireland 1 England 3
 Dalymount Park, Dublin		 AW 22 9
379 27 May 1964 - United States 0 England 10, Downing Stadium, New York City AW party member
7 380 30 May 1964 - Brazil 5 England 1
Estádio Municipal, Rio de Janeiro
TC		 AL   9
8 381 4 June 1964 - England 1 Portugal 1
Estádio Municipal, Rio de Janeiro		 ND   9
9 382 6 June 1964 - Argentina 1 England 0
Estádio Municipal, Rio de Janeiro		 NL   9
 
10 385 18 November 1964 - England 2 Wales 1
 Empire Stadium, Wembley		 BC HW   9
 
11 387 10 April 1965 - England 2 Scotland 2
 Empire Stadium, Wembley		 BC HD   9
 

Age 25    
Alf Ramsey named his provisional list of forty players on April 7. He then named a provisional squad of 28 on 6 May to attend Lilleshall. Johnny Byrne was one of the those attending, but cut from the squad on 18 June, and asked to remain on standby.


  

 
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