CRYSTAL PALACE

Palace entered the first ever FA Cup competition in 1871 and got as far as the semi-finals before they regularly appeared in the final, but only as a venue - not as a team.  In 1915, the Army took over the ground and the club moved to Herne Hill and The Den, before finally settling in The Nest.  They were founder members of Division 3 in 1920 and became the (South) champions in 1921, but it was 1924 before they built their new ground on a former brickfield, because they didn't have far to go to get materials.  The two tall chimneys that remained from the former industry were put to good use as flagpoles and floodlight pillars.  The new ground hosted some of the eight FA Cup ties the club played between 1929 and 1931, which contained two 0-0 draws, but 44 goals in other games.  During these two decades they ran up in Div.3 three times and were still in that position in 1961 (Div. 4) and 64 (Div.3).  It was in the latter season that Kevin Smith rammed home a goal in 6 seconds against Derby County.  Around this time, Palace's Vic Rouse also became the first player from the 4th Division to receive an international cap.

It was 1969 before they got to the First Division after finishing second in Div.2.  It brought about a rich era of memories for the club with FA Cup semi-finals in 1976, mind-bending kit design and big hats, hair and moustaches .  It was around this time they became the Eagles, as there was a great following of the American MOR band amongst the officials at the club.  With Terry Venables at the helm, the side were hailed as the "Team of the Eighties", which was great news for the Second Division. After that they became a yo-yo team bouncing between the top two divisions, but recently their string has snapped.  Ron Noades still owns the ground, but left the team to fend for itself and receivership was knocking on the door until the supporters decided to set up a trust fund to try and rescue the club.  It is only ten years since they were in the FA Cup Final and in the top division, but financial mismanagement has hit Palace hard.  Indeed, they were one of the founder members of the Premier League, but that looks a long way off for the club at the moment.

One of the most amazing turnarounds in the club's history came in 1990 when they lost to Liverpool 0-9, but came back eight months later to beat them 4-3 in an FA Cup semi-final.  It was something the fans never expected to see as they used to sing about their captain Cannon 

"When Jim goes up, 
To lift the FA Cup,
We'll be dead,
We'll be dead !!"

They even managed to draw 3-3 with Man. U in the final before going down to a single goal in the replay.

Today, Iain Dowie struggles to keep the team playing with limited resources despite having achieved promotion via the 2004 play-offs, coming from a place near the bottom of the table when he took over earlier in the season.  Still having to sell their best players and pick up others from wherever they can may see the club stay afloat but these are scary times, but when you have had players called Skull and Ghost on the books, it is nothing to get spooked about.

FAMOUS PLAYERS : - Terry Long, Ian Evans,  Barry Short, Paddy Mulligan, John "Budgie" Byrne, Dean Austin, Len "Eagle" Beagle.

FAMOUS FANS : - Roy Hudd (Comedian), Roger de Courcey and Nookie Bear (Comedy Ventriloquist), Sean Hughes (Comedian), Jo Brand (Comedienne), Mark Butcher (Cricketer), Kevin Day (Comedian), Eddie Izzard (Comedian), Neil Morrisey (Comic Actor - "Men Behaving Badly")

AWAY : Shirts -  White with vertical one blue and one red stripe
Shorts - Blue
Socks - Blue with Red tops.

2 points for a win : - 64 -  Division 4  (1960-61)