“That was only to make it 1-0, and our reaction was to cry!” the two young boys – now young gentleman – laugh in the modern day. “What a goal. We got out and my Dad’s phone was just buzzing!
“I don’t remember much besides the goal flying in and then literally just crying in my Dad’s arms. I was just feeling his stubble on my face… it’s the greatest goal I’ve ever seen live.
“That 30 seconds of Wilf [Zaha] playing it to him and he just rockets it to him… I can just replay it in my head.”
Tragically, Mark Wealleans, a proud south Londoner and Season Ticket holder, lost his life in February 2017, aged just 49, five months after being diagnosed with terminal cancer.
His legacy lives on in his two sons and widow, Lynn – three Palace fans based on Merseyside, who continue to carry Mark’s love for his south London side forwards with pride.
In Palace TV’s new mini-documentary, filmed around the Eagles’ return to Old Trafford in the Carabao Cup in September, Dominic, Nathan and Lynn remember it all.
A family outing to Preston North End away at just nine months old; memories of leaving Italy mid-holiday to fly over to a Palace match; collections of club memorabilia and stories of mascot duties and Marouane Chamakh winking; moving tributes to Mark at Selhurst Park, showings of collective grief and love in the Palace community; the significance of red and blue ties, both literal and figurative. Of so much more than that.
Unforgettable days of family, fatherhood and friendship. The loves in our lives which will never die.
“I always knew it as: you’ve got red and blue running in your veins.
“You don’t choose it – you’ve got it.
“This fanbase – there’s no-one really like us.”
You can watch the full video in the player above.
https://www.cpfc.co.uk/news/video/listen-up-son-darren-ambrose-wealleans-family/
