Attacking midfielder Phil Barber and versatile defender Chris Coleman both contributed to some of the club’s finest achievements in its modern history, and hold special places in supporters’ hearts as a result.
A product of the youth team at Aylesbury United, Barber joined Palace as a 19-year-old in February 1984, when the Eagles were in Division 2, despite reported interest from the likes of Manchester United, Coventry City and Cardiff.
Snapped up for the now-modest sum of £7,500 and the promise of a pre-season friendly, Barber would go on to make 288 appearances, scoring 41 times, over seven seasons at Selhurst Park.
He began as a centre-forward, initially in a makeshift partnership up-front with Stan Cummins, but the following season was moved to the left wing by new manager Steve Coppell, one of many tweaks which saw Palace begin to push further up the Division Two table on a consistent basis.
