Chris Armstrong: Whatever Happened To the Crystal Palace striker
Initially born on Tyneside, Chris Armstrong spent most of his time as a young sprog growing up in North Wales with his foster parents. After subsequently giving up the game at the grand old age of 16 to work in a burger van, Armstrong was encouraged to give football another chance.
Soon The player was picked up by Wrexham and then Millwall before Crystal Palace saw plenty in a striker that had pace to burn and a keen eye for goal.
Here’s however a video of the man in action during his pomp.
Armstrong netted 22 goals for the Eagles the season before the first division’s infamous transformation into the Premier League, with Palace finishing an impressive 10th in the league.
With the player eligible for a host of countries due to his family roots, Republic of Ireland, Wales and Nigeria would all came calling. Nigeria even named him in their 1994 World Cup squad in the hope he would choose them. All countries however were wasting their time after it emerged Armstrong had it written in his contract that he’d only be eligible for the Three Lions – with the league’s clubs only being allowed to register so many ‘foreign’ players being a prime reason for the contract addition.
It would be during his Palace tenure that Armstrong would feel the full force of the FA’s might after failing a post match drug test. The Football Association taking exception to the traces of Cannabis found in the forwards bloodstream. Performance enhancing it wasn’t, however Armstrong was dealt a hefty ban.