Cray Wanderers vs Crystal Palace XI – Pre-Season Friendly – Friday 26th July, 7.45 pm
Cray Wanderers play their third pre-season game of the week on Friday 26th July as a Crystal Palace XI are the visitors to Flamingo Park. Kick off: 7.45 pm.
Pre-season has seen a busy schedule especially at Flamingo Park and this will be the fifth game at the Wands new home as the club gears up for an exciting future and look forward to welcoming what is likely to be a young Palace team but one that will provide a tough challenge.
Neil Smith’s side met Millwall U21s on Tuesday night in front of a crowd of 701 and despite being beaten 2-3 there were a lot of positives to be gained from a side made up of first team players and trialist players. The Wands twice led through fine finishes from Nyren Clunis and Lateef Adeja, the former Bromley Academy and Potters Bar Town winger. With pre-season games on successive Tuesdays vs Erith Town and Tottenham Hotspur in the run up to the start of the season on 10th August there is still time for the squad to form and with the club having an U23s team this season in the SCEFL Development League there will be players coming through looking to challenge for first team places.
Crystal Palace FC can look forward to a season of optimism after a fine end to last season where Oliver Glasner’s side won six out of the last seven games including wins at Liverpool and at home to Manchester United and Aston Villa to finish in 10th place and with a flurry of goals. The Eagles have been in the top flight since 2013-14 and are a well respected club who never make life easy for opponents. The club also provided four players for the England Euro 2024 squad, ex-Wands youth player Marc Guehi, Ebecheri Eze, Adam Wharton and Dean Henderson. The first team travel to Crawley Town for a friendly tomorrow and they begin the 2024-25 Premier League season at Brentford on Sunday 18th August and then at home to West Ham on Saturday 24th August.
Crystal Palace have a very long history with the original amateur club being formed in 1861 after the original Exhibition Glass palace was moved from Hyde Park to the area and the club reached the very first FA Cup Semi-Finals in 1872. The Crystal Palace club we know today was re-established as a professional side in 1905 playing in the Southern League. The club stadium at the time was used fo stage the FA Cup Final between 1905-1915.
In 1920-21 Crystal Palace were elected like many teams from the Southern League into the Football League Division 3 South and were promoted in their first season to Division 2 but were relegated the following season and in 1924 moved to their now home at Selhurst Park.
Crystal Palace remained in the 3rd Division South until 1957-58 when they became members of the new 4th Division for 1958-59. Under Arthur Rowe’s management the team were promoted to Division 3 in 1960-61 and two seasons later to Division 2. In 1968-69 the team then known as the Glaziers reached the 1st Division for the first time where they remained until 1972-73 when they suffered back to back relegations to Division 3.
Under the management of Malcolm Allison, Palace reached the FA Cup Semi Finals in 1975-76 losing to Southampton and had changed their club colours and nickname to the Eagles but it was under Terry Venables where the club began to gain national headlines. Two FA Youth Cup wins and promotion from the 3rd Division in 1976-77 was soon followed by winning the 2nd Division Championship against Burnley at Selhurst Park on 11th May 1979 in front of a record crowd of over 51,000.
These successes saw the media christen the club “The Team of the 80’s” which was perhaps a bit of a millstone around the neck and were relegated in 1980-81. There was perhaps a touch of irony when Palace ended the 80’s under Steve Coppell back in the 1st Division after being promoted via a dramatic comeback from 3-1 down to beat Blackburn Rovers 4-3 on aggregate to earn promotion.
Palace finished 15th in their first season back in the 1st Division but reached the FA Cup Final for the first time beating Portsmouth, Huddersfield, Rochdale, Cambridge United and Liverpool before losing a dramatic cup Final to Manchester United after a replay.
Ian Wright puts Palace 3-2 up in the 1990 FA Cup Final against Manchester United.
In 1990-91 Palace finished 3rd in the 1st Division but were denied European football due to English clubs being restricted to places after rejoining after the five year ban and won the now defunct Zenith Data Systems Cup Final beating Everton, 4-1 at Wembley after extra-time (see below)
The 90’s though became a bit of a yo-yo spell for the club being relegated from the inaugural Premier League in 1992-93 despite a decent haul of 49 points. They were 1st Division Champions in 1993-94, relegated in 94-95 despite reaching the League Cup and FA Cup Semi-Finals, promoted again in 96-97 after beating Sheffield United in the Playoff Final at Wembley and relegated again in 97-98. The club defied relegation to League 2 in 2000-01 but for a last gasp win at Stockport County but in 2003-04 were promoted to the Premier League after beating West Ham in the Playoff Final in Cardiff but were relegated again in 2004-05.
They remained in the Championship until 2012-13 when promotion was secured once again via the Playoffs beating Watford at Wembley and have done remarkably well to remain in the Premier League. Palace reached the FA Cup Final again in 2016 beating Southampton, Stoke City, Tottenham, Reading and Watford before losing once again to Manchester United, 1-2.
The club with their colourful and loud home and away support have often gone under the radar in comparison to some other Premier League clubs but they seem to always find a way to pick up sufficient points and ruffle the feathers of more fancied sides and that seems likely to continue.
This should be a great game for a Friday night ending under the lights and another chance to catch a glimpse of an exciting future for Cray Wanderers at Flamingo Park.
Admission £10 adults, £5 concessions, £2 U18s on the gate or online at www.cray-wanderers.com/tickets/ with a souvenir programme, golden goal tickets and merchandise available.
