IN FOCUS: CRYSTAL PALACE

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We take a closer look at our opposition for the upcoming Premier League season

2023-06-25T09:00:00.000Z

IN FOCUS: CRYSTAL PALACE

We take a closer look at our opposition for the upcoming Premier League season

2023-06-25T09:00:00.000Z

We take a closer look at our opposition for the upcoming Premier League season

Crystal Palace

‘The Crystal Palace Club’ formed an amateur football side originally in 1861 which became a founder member of the Football Association two years later and competed in the first-ever FA Cup in 1871/72. However, Crystal Palace as now officially known, were founded in September 1905 under the guidance of Edmund Goodman.

Becoming one of the founder members of the newly-formed Third Division in the Football League 15 years later, they would finish the season as champions and gain promotion to the Second Division.

1924 saw the Eagles move to Selhurst Park, where they still play their home game to date, but after relegation, they would remain in the Third Division South up until the end of the 1957/58 season which saw a restructure.

Having finished below the cut-off line to stay in the third tier, Palace were demoted to the newly-formed Fourth Division, though promotion was achieved in 1961. Successive promotions later in that decade eventually saw the First Division reached, and they would remain in the top flight until 1973.

Various promotions and relegations followed, including the drop from the Premier League in the inaugural 1992/93 campaign. From that point onward, each top flight season Palace had resulted in relegation, until eight consecutive campaigns in the Championship were brought to an end in 2013.

Kevin Phillips’ penalty was the difference in a play-off final against Watford at Wembley and the upcoming season will mark a tenth consecutive season in the Premier League for Palace, including a top-10 finish in the 2014/15 campaign.

Stadium: Selhurst Park (25,486) – Holmesdale Road, London, SE25 6PU

Nickname(s): The Eagles

Manager: N/A

2022/23 finishing position: 11th

2022/23 top scorer (all competitions): Eberechi Eze (10)

Played for both:

Gabor Kiraly – Hungarian national goalkeeper, known throughout his career for playing in grey tracksuit bottoms instead of shorts. Kiraly made 104 appearances for Palace between 2004 and 2007, before joining the Clarets from the south London side and going on to feature 29 times for Burnley over two seasons.

Wayne Hennessey – Another goalkeeper that spent time at both clubs. The Wales international shot-stopper spent eight seasons at Selhurst Park playing 132 games. Hennessey then arrived in Burnley ahead of the 2021/22 campaign from Palace and made just three appearances before leaving for Nottingham Forest last summer.

Ade Akinbiyi – The towering striker moved to Palace from Leicester City in 2002 and spent just one season with the Eagles making 24 appearances. Following a transfer to Stoke City, Akinbiyi then signed for Burnley for his first spell with the Club where he scored 16 goals between 2004-2006. The Hackney-born forward then moved to Sheffield United for a year before returning to Turf Moor for two further years with a move to Houston Dynamo to follow in the summer of 2009.

Full record against (competitive): P – 53, W – 21, D – 19, L - 13

Last time we met: 26.02.2022 – Palace 1 [Schlupp] – 1 [Milivojević O.G.] Burnley (PL)

Last win against: 13.02.2021 – Palace 0-3 [Gudmundsson, Rodriguez, Lowton] Burnley (PL – COVID)

2023/24 Fixtures: H - 04/11/2023 / A – 24/02/2024