Crystal Palace FC began their football life in the Southern League Division Two in 1905 playing at The Crystal Palace, which was also the venue of all FA Cup Finals and International games held at that time and is now home to The National Sports Centre.

The club was created after a group of glazier workers from the site decided to form their own team to play on the ground. There first fixture was on September 2nd 1905 against Southampton reserves and ended in defeat with them losing 4-3. However they managed to go the remainder of the season unbeaten which culminated in them winning the Southern League, Second division title under the managerial eye of John Robson.

There third season proved a little harder with them finishing 19th in the First Division. However there biggest game of that season saw them defeat Newcastle 1-0 in the FA cup at St James Park in the magpies first defeat there since 1905. Newcastle actually went on to win the Division One Championship that same season.

However this one victory was not enough to keep John Robson in charge and in 1907 Edmund Goodman was to take charge. They stayed at The Crystal Palace until 1915, when due to the war they had to vacate.

From there they moved to Herne Hill, where Southampton were once again the first team they entertained, although this time they were victorious with a 2-0 win. They continued to play here throughout the war in the Southern league First Division.

In 1918 they moved again to The Nest, a ground that had been previously used by Croydon Common FC. The site is now occupied by Southern Railways and is situated opposite Selhurst train station.

In 1921 they tasted success again by winning promotion to Division 2 at there first attempt and 3 years later in 1924 they made there final move to Selhurst Park, the ground that they are still at today. It was purchased from the Brighton Railway Company for a fee believed to be �2,570 and consisted of approximately 15 acres that was used as a brickfield. With two large banks that were ideal for terracing and the fact that it was situated close to three train stations made it an ideal venue. The ground was officially opened on August 30th 1924 where 20,000 fans saw Palace lose 1-0.

In 1931 striker Peter Simpson set a Palace record that still stands today for the most league goals in one season by scoring a staggering 46 times in only 42 games. He actually managed a total of 54 goals in 48 games after also scoring eight in the FA cup. He also remains to date the highest scorer in the clubs history with 165 goals from just 195 games and looks like doing so for quite some time.

By the time the second world war had begun in 1939 Palace had managed to use 6 different managers including Goodman. They were still in the Division Three South although they had been unlucky as they had finished in second place on three occasions.

In 1958, Palace, now managed by George Smith were one of the teams that helped form the new Fourth Division. This coincided with the arrival of new Chairman Arthur Wait, who later was to name one of the stands named after himself. Just three years later in 1961, Palace found themselves celebrating promotion again after finishing 2nd in division four and move up into the 3rd division.

5 years later in 1966 and again with a new manager (Dick Graham) they manage to again finish 2nd in there division which is enough to see them promoted to division two. It isn�t enough for Chairman Arthur Wait though and in that same year he appoints Bert Head as new manager. It is Head who installs confidence and believe into his side and in 1969 after again finishing 2nd in the league they secure promotion to the 1st division for the first time in the clubs history.

After celebrating promotion big changes were just around the corner in 1973 and not only with the manager this time. After the introduction of Malcolm Allinson the club decided that it was time to alter the image of the club. It is believed that the original idea behind the Eagle was for it to bear a resembelance to a phoenix, in reference to the fire that destroyed The Crystal palace in the 1930s. With the new crest in place Palace quickly became known as the Eagles.

1973 also saw Palace relegated from the 1st division for the first time. the only thing that Palace fans had to celebrate was the debut of a young Jim Cannon who would go on to become a true Palace legend.

The following season saw Palace in freefall as they tumbled straight out of division 2 and back the the third division where they would stay until Terry Venables would lead them back up with promotion in 1977. The only notable period of this time was the clubs fantastic FA cup run in 1976 that saw them beat teams such as Leeds, Chelsea and Sunderland. It was the eventual winners Southampton that put a stop to them being the first club in the 3rd division to reach an FA Cup Final.

Palace fans also had another reason to celebrate in that year. Peter Taylor who would go on to manage the side became the 2nd player from Crystal palace to represent England. Not only did he win his first cap against Wales in Wrexham, he also managed to get on the score sheet, making him the first Crystal Palace player to do so.

Venables continued to build an impressive team and in 1979 Palace win the Division Two title and a record crowd of 51,801 turn out to see the match against Burnley at Selhurst Park. Ian Walsh and Dave Swindlehurst score to send the fans home happy and looking forward to top-flight football again.

More success was to follow as they reached their highest ever league position when they sat at the top of division 1 in September 1979. They were labelled by some as the team of the 80s but unfortunately they could never live up to such a tag and ultimately ended up finishing in 13th place.

Shortly after Venables was to pack his bags and walk out for the post at Queens Park Rangers blaming a rift in his working relationship with the Palace Chairman Ray Bloye. He was quickly followed by Burridge, Flanagan and Fenwick who also jumped shipped to join the ranks of QPR.

THE Palace Chairman decided to replace him with Ernie Walley who at the time had been a long serving member of the backroom staff. However the fans never really excepted Walley and he only lasted a very short time before Malcolm Allinson once again returned to the club. However many feel that Bloye had become uninterested in the club and was looking to sell.

In 1981 in stepped former Wimbledon FC owner Ron Noades to buy the club and he quickly set about making changes that were to make him very unpopular. In fact his popularity was never great whilst he was at the Palace and some fans will never forgive him for a lot of the decisions that were made in his reign. His first act was to replace Allinson with Dario Gradi but Gradi had inherited a team that was short of confidence and a fan base that was impatient for success. His reign started very badly with seven straight defeats and by the time palace gained their first win in 1981 against Birmingham City, relegation was a certainty.

Gradi was soon to be a victim of the ruthullness of Noades and although the manager had been forced to sell some of his best players including leading striker Clive Allen without adequate replacements, the axe fell on him. The ever popular Steve Kember who was palace born and bred was to be his replacement. However with so many sales the team just wasn�t good enough to push on.

Although many fans blamed Noades for selling his best players it was Kember who was sacrificed after only surviving for less than a year. With the start of 1982 many believed that Noades had simply lost the plot with his latest managerial appointment.

In came Alan Mullery from Charlton but the thing that most palace fans remembered was the time he had spent with their fierce rivals Brighton. Many Palace fans saw this time as one of the most depressing times following The Eagles and attendances quickly dropped. The team drifted along without ever seriously challenging for promotion and many felt that a change was needed.

In 1984 the axe was to finally fall on Mullery and Noades had managed to sack his fourth manager in as many years. He decided to raid his former club Wimbledon for their bright young manager Dave Bassett but although he was regarded as such, Bassett soon realised that the Palace job was not for him and walked out after only 4 days in charge.

The next appointment, although somewhat of a surprise was in many peoples opinion the best thing that Noades could have ever done for Palace. Steve Coppell, who at 28 had his playing career cut short by injury was the surprise successor to Bassett. He was to be joined by Ian Evans whom the Palace fans had plenty of respect for.

It may have taken 8 long years with a lot of casualties along the way but 1989 Steve Coppell gave the Palace fans what they craved. After trailing in the 1st leg of the Play off final, two goals from Ian Wright and a penalty strike from Neil Madden was enough to overturn the deficit and The Eagles were heading back to Division one.

Just as in the late 70s, some joked that this was the team of the 90s, but with Wright and Bright forming the most lethal strike force for years, many were very optimistic about the future.

The first season back in the top flight was to be a roller coaster. One of the lowest points of our history must be the record 9-0 defeat at the hands of Liverpool FC. However in the very same season Palace were to face The reds again in the FA Cup Semi-Final at Villa Park.

Although we were never given a chance by anyway and after going a goal down to Ian Rush, Alan Pardew popped up to score a header in Injury time to make the score 4-3 to Palace. Half of the Holt End erupted and for many Palace fans, this game is still regarded as their favourite.

This win also meant that we would be competing in the FA Cup Final for the first time. The Final was to be played against the might of Manchester United. With Ian Wright only on the bench after suffering a cracked shin bone, Palace�s chances looked slim. However they battled hard and Wright came of the bench to score 2 amazing goals. However with Palace only 7 minutes away from lifting the cup, up popped Mark Hughes to level the scores at 3-3. It was a proud moment for the Palace faithful as people started to take notice of us.

The replay will be remembered for Alex Ferguson brave decision to drop Jim Leighton for Les Sealey and also the decision by Palace to play in that Black and Yellow kit! A kit that I believe never saw the light of day again. The game never could live up to the excitement of the original and Lee Martin scored the only goal to give victory to Manchester United.

Many believe that had we succeeded that year and denied Manchester United any silverware, then�Ferguson would have been sacked and maybe United wouldn�t have been the force they are today! However, the memory of that fantastic cup run will live in the hearts forever.

In 1991 the good form was to continue. Palace managed to finish the season in 3rd place and it was only the expulsion of English clubs from Europe that denied us the chance to represent English football on the European stage. With the highest ever position that Palace had finished confidence was high and in that same season Geoff Thomas was back at Wembley, but this time he got to lift the winning trophy as we beat Everton in the Zenith Data Systems Cup Final.

The only sour point to the season was losing top marksmen Ian Wright. Many were not surprised after scoring bags of goals for the Eagles and earning international honours that the big clubs came knocking. Wright signed for Arsenal in September 1991 for a then record sum of 2.5 million.

Worse was to come at the end of the 1993 season when Wright played host to Palace at Highbury and scored one of the goals that relegated palace back to Division 2.

Coppell decided that he couldn�t take the club any further and he resigned. Noades made the decision to promote Alan Smith who had built a very successful youth academy and it was hoped that he could guide these players through to the 1st team.

However he was to only last 2 years before Noades lost patience and decided to relieve him of 1st team duties. Coppell was persuaded to return but it was in a period that has earned Palace the nickname of the Yo Yo club. This is because we seemed to be bouncing to and from the 1st division.

Although we were one of the stronger teams in the 2nd division we could not create any stability in the top flight and were continually getting relegated. Coppell again stepped down in 1996 to be replaced by Dave Bassett who this time last a bit longer by making it to a whole year!

Bizarrely he was again replaced by Coppell who had returned to the club as a scout having lasted 33 days at Manchester City. This time�his reign lasted�seven months before we were again relegated and Coppell was to be moved upstairs to Director of Football by Mark Goldberg after Noades managed to sell him the club. Coppell was replaced with Player Managers Attilio Lombardo and Tomas Brolin.

This was just one in a long line of bizarre decisions which saw Lombardo and Brolin in turn replaced by coach Ray Lewington. All this culminated in Palace being relegated from the Premier league once more. Perhaps Goldberg's biggest mistake though was the reappointment of Terry Venables.

El Tel did manage to piece together a strong team that stormed the 1st division. It was however at a cost and Venables was to suddenly leave in strange circumstances. With many of Goldberg�s investors getting itchy feet the administrators were called in.

It was again left to Palace legend Coppell to steady the ship and he did so until the arrival of new owner Simon Jordan.

In July 2000 Simon Jordan completed his takeover of the club and in just a few weeks, again managed to upset the clubs fans by replacing Coppell with the return of Alan Smith after the club suffered a string of bad pre season results.

Although the 2000/2001 season was approached with anticipation and hope many felt that Smith was never truly in control of the dressing room and whilst sitting 3rd from bottom in the table he was relieved of his duties and replaced by another old boy Steve Kember.

The season finale will be remembered for one game and one man. Palace went into the final game needing a victory away to Stockport and Dougie Freedman was to be our hero. Racing virtually the length of the pitch he scored the crucial winner to keep Palace from dropping out of the 2nd tier of English football and ultimately kept Steve Kember in�the job for a little while longer.

Simon Jordan was to replace Kember with Steve Bruce who after a successful start with us decided to jump ship to join Birmingham City. The split was not welcomed by Jordan who tried to oppose the move by placing Bruce on gardening leave.�

Then in what many saw as an act of revenge Jordan appointed Birmingham old boy Trevor Francis to be his replacement.

Jordan craved success and having failed in promotion, Francis was replaced with Kember (again) and then Kit Symons before Iain Dowie arrived in 2004 with Palace languishing in the bottom four of the first division.

The start that Dowie made was incredible and in just over half the season he managed to scrape palace into the play-offs.

After beating Sunderland on Penalties it was off to the Millenium Stadium to face West ham in what was our biggest game for a few years. Although a tense affair Neil Shipperly popped up to bundle the ball home after Andrew Johnson had forced the keeper into a save. This sent the Palace fans wild and back into the dreamland of Premier League football.

The 2005 season stared fairly well with some good results at home to some strong sides including a draw against champions Arsenal. The season finish was to be a tense affair with palace again going into the final game of the season with the knowledge that they could be relegated.

The final game against Charlton had started well but with the hosts equalising in the last 10 minutes and West Brom winning their game The Eagles once again found themselves relegated after just one season.

Although the 2006 season was reasonably successful back in the Championship a 3-0 home defeat to Watford in the play-off finals put paid to another appearance in Cardiff and condemned Palace to another season in the Championship.

That summer saw big changes as Dowie, Andrew Johnson, Fitz Hall and Emmerson Boyce all departed the club by securing a quick return to the Premier League with their new clubs.

Jordan moved quickly to replace Dowie with fans favourite and another palace old boy Peter Taylor. Many saw Taylor as the man to take Palace to the next level after his stint as England Under 21 boss and had hoped that he would bring through the next crop of rising stars. His start was excellent winning the first 3 games which saw palace top the table for a short period. However the season never lived up to expectation and after flirting with the play-offs we fell away to finish mid table.

The 2007 season stared much as the previous had finished. Results and performances were not great and many were baffled by some of Taylor�s tactics and his reluctance to throw in any of the young prospects that were warming the bench.

Jordan finally lost patience when it looked like palace where heading for the trap door and he swiftly replaced Taylor with Neil Warnock.

Although initially not a favourable successor, especially after failing to win any of his first 6 games and the fact that his reputation amongst rival fans was not great, Warnock began to turn things around much like Dowie had done.

The team embarked on a 12 game unbeaten run which was the most since Jordan had reigned supreme. The start of 2008 was much the same with Warnock instilling some grit into the team. He also took the plunge and introduced the young prospects that many had hoped Taylor would see.

The youngsters played without fear just as Warnock had predicted and before long the team were being touted as serious play-off contenders. Once again palace had much riding on their last game of the season as victory at home to Burnley would secure an automatic play-off place. Many Palace fans were apprehensive but a 5-0 drubbing soon put paid to that with goals coming from Ben Watson, Tom Soares, Scott Sinclair and Clinton Morrison to send us into the finals.

The first leg against Bristol City was played at Selhurst Park and after a strong performance Palace were undone by 2 well worked goals.�However a Ben Watson penalty left us going into the 2nd leg with some hope.

The 2nd leg started well with Watson again scoring with a looped header which took the aggregate score to 2-2. In the 2nd half palace were awarded a penalty and Watson stepped up to try and put Palace into the lead for the first time in the tie. His penalty hit the bottom of the post and from that moment it looked like the golden opportunity was missed.

The game went into extra time but Bristol City became stronger and ended up scoring twice more to secure victory and once again resigning Palace to another season in The Championship.

2008/2009 season. We wish all the boys a successful season and believe that In Neil Warnock we have a manager who can get us back the The Premiership. We hope to be updating this page in the near future with news of our rise back up the footballing ladder and tales of honours that we have won.