Mitchell: My Crystal Palace journey, England and the Premier League

This interview originally appeared in the Crystal Palace v Manchester United programme - you can get programmes delivered to your door by clicking HERE.

As widely documented, Mitchell is Brent-born, Harrow-raised, and spent most of his formative years in north-west London, growing up in a single-parent household alongside his mother and sisters. Indeed, a destiny with Crystal Palace would have seemed far-fetched as recently as seven years ago, when Mitchell was offered a scholarship at Brentford’s academy, later closed down.

Yet after joining the Palace Academy in 2016, a six-and-a-half year spell in south London has now (as of Saturday's game at Tottenham Hotspur) brought about 100 senior appearances; a nomination for the 2022/23 Premier League Young Player of the Season award; the equivalent prize at club level; and the first and second of surely many caps to come for his country.

Now in his fourth full season as a Premier League left-back, Mitchell remains reluctant to describe himself as such. Whilst proud to be Palace’s No.3, the defender continues to speak with the same humility and hunger you sense drove his rapid rise in the first place.

The best chapters of this “beautiful story”, as Mitchell puts it, seem still to be written. “In football, you know you always have to do more,” he explains. “You have to do better than the next player, and then the next player, and then the next player, so that's just something I aim to do.

“2022 was an amazing year for me. There were a lot of things I ticked off that maybe I didn’t think I would tick off so early. It was a proud year: getting called up by England and going to Wembley [for the FA Cup semi-finals] with Palace…

“But it’s hard to look back on it all when you’re still playing, because every day is a new day. I feel like, at the end of my career, I’ll look back on those achievements and feel proud of myself, but for now it’s just about ticking off the next box.”

It’s clear that Mitchell is a young man of deeply ingrained – and impressive – values. In that way, while it took some time to come about, his eventual arrival at Palace formed the perfect fit: a player of steadfast commitment, celebrated by supporters steadfastly committed.

“Palace fans are fans who take you in straight away,” Mitchell says. “They’re fans who’ll always give you support on a good or bad day. I would call my time here a beautiful story because of them, the staff, and the players I’ve been around. It’s a family-based club, everyone’s close-knit, and that made it easy to transition into.”

One of seven first-team Palace players aged 23-years-old or younger, Mitchell believes that family feel extends well into Palace's squad. He explains: “It’s a team that you would want to go onto pitch and fight for.

“Sometimes it doesn’t always go so well, sometimes it goes brilliantly, but they’re always teammates that you want to try your best for regardless.

“We’ve also got established Premier League players. They’ve done it over countless seasons, and speaking to them, and hearing them give advice on this and that, is always helpful. There’s always a positive influence you can turn to.

“You want to know that someone will run for you and you will run for them, so I think that's the main thing about Crystal Palace: knowing how close-knit it is as a club.”

Such unity shines in particular on matchdays at Selhurst Park, when 25,000 ardent supporters give Mitchell and his teammates one of the Premier League’s loudest backings.

It was an atmosphere which struck Mitchell in particular, after the left-back made his first-team breakthrough behind-closed-doors following the COVID-based interruption of 2019/20.

“It's weird,” he laughs. “My first-team debut [against Leicester City in July 2020] feels like a long time ago, but at the same time, when I actually think about it, it was barely… what, three years ago, if that!

“Sometimes it feels like ages ago, but sometimes when I sit down and think about certain games, it feels like they were last week! It was super different [playing without fans]. The difference in noise when fans came back, especially when we were playing at home, and how the fans here are… you just get that extra boost you need at certain times in a game.

“It [playing at a full Selhurst Park] was definitely different to the COVID season – from hearing only the manager, to then hearing 25,000 people shouting for you!”

These days, Mitchell is a more experienced top-level athlete – but, typically focused, he stops short at calling himself an established Premier League player.

“At this point, I just think of myself as another player,” Mitchell notes. “I look at certain other players who have played maybe 250 or 300 plus games in the Premier League, and I still have a long way to go to get to the point where I can say I’m one of them.

“As everyone knows, every season is different, so God willing I keep progressing, but you never know in football, so until I hit certain points, I won’t call myself a Premier League player.

“It’s great for me to be playing first-team football. It’s something I’ve always dreamed of doing, and something I’m proud to be doing. Every season is different, every match is different, so it's always good to pit yourself against the best players in the best league. I’m definitely grateful for that.”

Playing at the top level does incur its fair share of harsh lessons, however, regardless of for how long you have done so. In a match at Selhurst Park in December, an unfortunate tackle midway through the first half against Fulham resulted in the first red card of the full-back’s professional career.

“It was definitely one where I was disappointed in myself, but more disappointed that I’d made it harder for my teammates,” Mitchell said. “It took a few days to get over, but it’s part of the game. It’s something where I know that it can happen. You just have to keep a level head and make sure you help your team the next time you get out onto the pitch.”

That need to remain focused is what Mitchell believes is the most important aspect of football he himself has grasped over the last few years. “You still always have those little nerves [before games], which is good – you don't get too comfortable. I maybe don’t have as many as my first game, but they’re still there.

“It’s important just to keep a level head – don’t get too up, and don’t get too down. Especially in the Premier League, emotions fly everywhere, so sometimes you might not have the greatest game, or you might not win, but it's all about understanding the end product or where you want to be at the end.

“One match out of 30, or five matches out of 30, is not going to determine that, so it’s all about keeping a level head. Personally, I still see myself as someone who has so much still to learn. I feel like the first season I was in the Premier League, it was a massive learning curve. I was coming in and out, in and out of the team.

“The next season, I feel like I cemented my place a bit more, but at the same time, this season has been completely different to last year, so it just shows me that I'm someone who doesn’t want to get too comfortable.”

So after such a remarkable calendar year of 2022 – Premier League appearances, England call-ups, Wembley semi-finals and more – to what goals does 2023 Tyrick Mitchell aspire? Not resting on his laurels – that much is for certain.

“I just want to put myself in a position where I’m spoken about higher than I’m maybe spoken about now. I want to be in a position where I’m considered one of the best left-backs in the Premier League.

"I think that’s the main goal for a lot of players – to be the best players in their position – so that’s definitely a goal for me.

“I always feel like I’ve got more to learn and more to achieve. I feel like I've got so much more to do.”