Crystal Palace History Since 1905

Crystal Palace History Since 1905

Crystal Palace F.C.

Founding and the Southern League Years (1905–1920)

Crystal Palace Football Club was formed in 1905 by the people who owned the FA Cup stadium at The Crystal Palace. The reason was rather simple: they wanted their own club to play at their stadium. Crystal Palace wanted to become members of The Football League, but they were rejected by only one vote. When this didn’t work out, they decided to join the Southern Football League. In their first season, the team won the Second Division title, and they played in the First Division of the Southern Football League until 1920.

However, this didn’t go as smoothly as one might think, mainly because of the war. Crystal Palace was not allowed to use their stadium from 1915 onward, because the British Army reclaimed it. Also, a few of the club’s key players went on to join the Army, including their captain, Harry Hanger. With the squad shortened in number like this, the team had to move to the Herne Hill stadium, but this was just borrowed land. However, the team soon got their own stadium, The Nest, near Selhurst station. The first season after the war saw the Glaziers (Crystal Palace’s nickname) finish 3rd in the Southern League First Division.

The Early Football League Years (1920–1939)

Promotion and a New Home at Selhurst Park

After this, most of the teams from the Southern League went on to form the Third Division of the English Football League system. Their first season was rather successful, and Crystal Palace earned promotion to the Second Division by becoming champions. During the next few years, the club remained in the Second Division. In the meantime, negotiations started, and after everything was finished successfully, the club’s new stadium was built. Selhurst Park was born.

The first game at Selhurst Park was held on the 30th of August, 1924. Crystal Palace lost 0–1, and this loss marked the beginning of the end. During that season, Crystal Palace suffered defeats in most of their matches, and eventually they were relegated back to the Third Division (South).

Struggles in the Third Division (South)

During the next two seasons, Palace couldn’t adjust to the Third Division, and they finished far behind the champions. The 1929/30 season saw the arrival of Peter Simpson, who later went on to become the club’s all-time highest goalscorer. Despite having him in their lineup, the Glaziers didn’t manage to win promotion, and this spell continued through the 1930s, because it wasn’t until after the Second World War that Palace came back to the second tier of the English Football League. However, that didn’t come any time soon.

Post-War Struggles and the Road to the Top Flight

They struggled in the Third Division (South) after the war too, and they went on to finish 20th in the 1956/57 season. In the 1957/58 season, the club finished 14th, but they still didn’t manage to reach the top half of the table, and this proved to be crucial. In 1958, the Third and Fourth Divisions were formed, and most of the teams from the regional leagues decided to join. Crystal Palace was placed in the Fourth Division because they had finished in the bottom half of their regional league during the 1957/58 season.

The year 1961 went on to be one of the best years in Crystal Palace history up to that point. Not only did they win promotion to the Third Division, but they also managed to break a couple of club records. Soon enough, during the 1963/64 season, Palace won promotion to the Second Division after finishing 2nd. However, it is the 1968/69 season that went on to be the most important season in Crystal Palace history. Colin Taylor and Mel Blyth joined the club, and together with the other players, they managed to finish 2nd in the Second Division. History was made, and the Glaziers won promotion to the First Division.

The Eagles Era of Ups and Downs

Crystal Palace managed to survive in the top tier until 1973, when they were relegated back to the Second Division. It was in 1973 that they introduced a new club crest, and the nickname was changed from the Glaziers to the Eagles. However, this didn’t help at all, because they were relegated once again and were back to square one in the Third Division. In 1977, they went back to the Second Division, and they went on to win it the next season, earning promotion to the First Division once again.

Soon, however, they failed to meet expectations, and they were relegated once again in the 1979/80 season. After nine long years and a lot of changes in the players and staff departments, the Eagles finally managed to win back their promotion through the play-offs.

The Premier League Yo-Yo Years

After the 1991/92 season, Crystal Palace was one of the clubs to form the Premier League, the new top tier of English football. However, they were relegated the same season, and ever since 1993 they have been fulfilling their destiny as a true yo-yo club, going up and down between the Premier League and the Championship.

Club Records

The holder of the record for the most senior appearances is Jim Cannon (660), and the youngest-ever first-team player is John Bostock (15 years, 287 days). As I have mentioned, the club’s all-time leading goalscorer is Peter Simpson, who scored 165 goals from 1929 to 1935, a mark that still stands out across Crystal Palace history. The fastest goal ever for Crystal Palace was scored by Keith Smith (6 seconds into the game, in 1964). Their best season in the FA Cup was 1989/90, when they lost in the final against Manchester United.