 John Joseph Byrne was born in West Horsley, Surrey, to Irish immigrants on 13 May 1939  and he attended nearby Howard of Effingham School  As a youth player he represented Epsom Town and Guildford City Youth, though it was his schoolteacher Vincent Blore, a former Crystal Palace and West Ham United player, who alerted Crystal Palace manager Cyril Spiers to Byrne's talents.Whilst working as an apprentice toolmaker at the age of 15, Byrne attended four trials at Selhurst Park before being signed onto the ground staff.Byrne made 14 appearances for Crystal Palace during the 1956–57 season, scoring once as the "Glaziers" finished 20th in the Third Division South.