June 30 2001

Crystal Palace centenary

All the ups and the downs are recorded here, since the club was formed by the manager of the Crystal Palace exhibition way back in 1905

Over the next 10 years, Palace mostly finished in the top half of the table, even finishing second on goal average to Swindon in 1914.

They enjoyed good FA Cup runs - including a quarter-final appearance, beaten by the eventual winners Everton in 1906.

As the 1914/15 season started, the First World War was taking place. In January 1915, the Admiralty took over the Crystal Palace ground and banned all sports from playing there. Palace moved to a ground in Herne Hill.

From 1916 and during the war, the Cup and Football League was suspended in favour of regional competitions.

Palace moved again in 1918, this time to a small ground called the Nest opposite Selhurst Railway Station. The war ended and normal football in the First Division of the Southern League was resumed in 1919.

The Football League, who before the war were against a Third Division, now agreed to a new league and in 1920, Palace were founder members. Palace's first season in the Football league could not be better. They were crowned the first champions of Division Three.

The team consolidated their position in the Second Division and in 1924 moved a final time and up the road to the present ground of Selhurst Park. The first season in the new ground proved disastrous as Palace were relegated from the Second - never to return again for 40 years.

In the Third Division up to the Second World War, the team performed well, finishing in the top half of the table and second on three occasions.

In 1936, the club's original home at the Crystal Palace burned down and was destroyed by the Germans in the war. The Football League was resumed after the war in 1946 and Palace struggled over the following 12 seasons, despite large attendances.

Palace had to finish in the top half of the table in 1957/8 to avoid being placed in the new Fourth Division. They failed by two places and became founder members again - this time of the Fourth Division.

Palace finished runners-up in 1961 and promoted to the Third Division thanks mainly to striker Johnny Byrne, who was capped for England. Three seasons later Palace finished runners-up again and were promoted again - back in the Second Division after a 40-year absence.

Promotion to the top flight for the first time was achieved in 1969 when Palace finished runners-up again under the management of Bert Head. In 1972/3, after all the success of recent years, Palace fans had to endure the familiar fight against relegation, this time from the First Division.

One notable moment came when Palace beat Manchester United 5-0 in front of the TV cameras. Malcolm Allison was appointed as new manager, but he could not stop relegation to Division Two.

One year later, Palace were down again. Allison cleared out several players and brought in a few new ones including Terry Venables. The club adopted a new nickname, the Eagles, and fortunes began to change on the pitch.