Staffie - I don't know how you do it, but you keep on doing it !!!!!!!!!! Fantastic to see BOTH goals again, after nearly 28 years. That header from Ian Walsh - classic stuff. Nice one Staffie - good man !!

Edited by teejay61 (11 Mar 2007 10:25pm)

Edited by teejay61 (11 Mar 2007 10:35pm)

What a night! I can still remember it vividly. I was 16 at the time and my dad took us up there, the only trouble being that his car broke down at Norbury. So now there was this dilemma; do we wait for my dad while he sorts out the car or get on the train to make it for kick off? It was the train. My dad totally understood and he did make it too in the end.

I remember it being one of those balmy May evenings and the atmosphere inside the ground was electric. All those white flags waving around the ground and the tension before kick off that grew as the game went on until, like an explosion, it was released with Ian Walsh's top class header. Sheer Euphoria! Then Swindle cracked in the second and we were back where we belonged, in the promised land after all those years.

I also remember there being rumours that a large number of Sunderland fans would be making there way down that evening although I never saw any myself.

At the final whistle the pitch was swarming with palace fans of all ages dancing and singing and cheering their heroes who were in the director's box area with Terry Vanables in the middle of his 'team of the eighties' starlets.

I can never remember being more tightly packed into a ground and at some stages it was a little frightening. I can recall a guy who's little sister was crying as she was being heaved this way and that in the crowd right at the front of the Holmesdale while peolple were pouring onto the pitch. She was ok but she must have been terrified at that point.

I've had some great times watching Palace over the years including the semi v Liverpool and the final v United and the different playoff games and final,, but this must rank as the best atmosphere I've ever experienced as a Palace fan.

My dad took me, I was 10. everytime we got to a turnstile gate it closed. My dad ended up paying £35 EACH for 2 tickets at the back of the Arthur. It was well worth it! (I would say that it wasn't my money).
We moved to Cornwall about a month after that, so I never saw any division 1 games.

I was surprised at the number of Palace fans that suddenly appeared overnight in Falmouth tho!

when we moved back, i remember Palace being sponsored by Red Rose supermarkets!

I was there that night bit of a blur but fantastic.Some of the mates I was with included Stevie Watts .He was the father of Grant Watts,who played for Palace.What a great time in the history of Palace,sadly most likely never to be repeated.

South London born and bred
red and blue till im dead.

A blur of an evening. Strangely I seem to be able to remember more of the 1-0 win at Orient the previous Saturday. Jacko was in goal for them and I swear that he kept asking for the scores of the other promotion contenders. Great days. A great team.

I was there!

I was 25 at the time and working in Kingston. The match was a friday night at 7.30pm and my boss wouldn't let us leave before 5pm....cnut!

You can imagine the amount of traffic around Kingston at 5pm on a friday night. Anyway my mate Mike and me set off heading for Croydon and everywhere was rammed. I reckon it was 6.30pm when we parked up near Selhurst Station and as it was a mini Mike managed to get in a tiny gap.

We queued for ages but got in the Holmesdale and ducked and dived to get about half way up on the terracing. It was very cosy I can tell you.

The match itself is a blur apart from the Goals.... Walshy and Swindle... christ I've got goose pimples now thinking about it.

Near the end everyone piled forward to get on the pitch and I saw my old man's head disappear under a sea of hooligans. I managed to rescue him from being stampeded on, but was annoyed he was there when I heard how many proper fans had been locked out. 51,000 people and thousands outside trying to get in.

It will always be my best memory of Palace as we went up as champions ahead of Brighton and that mouthy tw*t Mullery.

Fantastic.

Edited by Hoof Hearted (11 Sep 2010 10.36am)