Covering a range of sports across 45 years with the publication, Dave worked his way up to the role of Sports Editor, retiring in 1999 after an esteemed career.
In the times before 24-hour sports channels and social media, under his guidance, the Croydon Advertiser became known as the go-to outlet for Palace fans to get the latest news and views every Friday morning.
This weekly dose of Palace News was put together by Dave to the highest of standards and professionalism. Writing from a fan’s perspective, his understanding of what every Palace fan wanted to know from their local club shone through.
Production Manager Terry Byfield was one such regular reader of the Advertiser, recalling: “Like so many fans reading this, I grew up heading to the newsagents on a Friday morning to buy the Croydon Advertiser for the Palace section, so it was great to get an insight into how it was all put together by getting to know Dave and his team so well.
“Heading up a small team in the world of local journalism at the paper, Dave was always battling against his weekly deadline to get all the latest stories from the club, and would joke about his fear of missing out on something should it happen on a Thursday afternoon or evening once an edition had already gone to press!
“He was so keen to follow on the tradition of some great Palace reporters before him at the paper to ensure the Advertiser remained, in those days, the place to go to find out what the latest news was in SE25.
“Dave was a respected journalist in the press box at Selhurst Park and will always be remembered by the Palace fanbase as someone they could rely on to deliver the inside track on the club with honesty and an appetite to know what the fans wanted.”
The club extends its deepest sympathy to Dave’s family and friends at this sad time.
