Eee eye eee eye eee eye oh, Up the Football League we go, When we win promotion, This is what we'll sing, We are Palace, We are Palace, Top of the Football League
Up to date
01/04/2023




English first tier
(currently the Premier League)
Highest finish:3rd place, 1990-91
English second tier
(currently the EFL Championship)
Champions:1978-79,
1993-94
Runners-up:1968-69
Play-off winners (record):1988-89,
1996-97,
2003-04,
2012-13
Play-off runners-up:1995-96
English third tier
(currently EFL League One)
Champions:1920-21
Runners-up:1928-29 (South),
1930-31 (South),
1938-39 (South),
1963-64
English fourth tier
(currently EFL League Two)
Runners-up:1960-61


FA Cup
Runners-up:1989-90,
2015-16
Full Members Cup
Winners:1990-91
Wartime
Football League South
Champions:1940-41
Football League South 'D' Division
Champions:1939-40
Regional
Southern Football League Division One
Runners-up:1913-14
Southern Football League Division Two
Champions:1905-06
United League
Champions:1906-07
Runners-up:1905-06
Southern Professional Floodlit Cup
Runners-up:1958-59
London Challenge Cup
Winners:1912-13,
1913-14,
1920-21
Runners-up:1919-20,
1921-22,
1922-23,
1931-32,
1937-38,
1946-47
Surrey Senior Cup
Winners:1996-97,
2000-01,
2001-02
Kent Senior Shield
Winners:1911-12
Runners-up:1912-13



Youngest first-team player:John Bostock, 15 years, 287 days, v Watford, 29 October 2007
Oldest first-team player:Jack Little, 41 years, 68 days v Gillingham (away), 3 April 1926
First substitute:Keith Smith, v Leyton Orient, 28 August 1965



No.CountryNamePlayedAppsGoalsPosition
1ScotlandJim Cannon1971-198866036DF
2EnglandTerry Long1955-197048018DF
3Ivory CoastWilfried Zaha2009-2013, 2014-202345890FW
4EnglandAlbert Harry1921-193444055MF
5ArgentinaJulian Speroni2004-20194000GK
6EnglandJohn Jackson1962-19733930GK
7ScotlandDougie Freedman1995-1997 2000-2008368108FW
8EnglandNigel Martyn1989-19963490GK
9EnglandSimon Rodger1990-200232812MF
10EnglandDavid Payne1964-197332612DF


Most goals in a season:54, Peter Simpson, 1930-31
Most league goals in a season:46, Peter Simpson, 1930-31
Most league goals in a top-flight season:21, Andy Johnson, 2004-05
Most goals in a competitive match:6, Peter Simpson, v Exeter City,
Football League Division Three South, 4 October 1930
Most goals in an FA Cup match:4, Peter Simpson, v Newark Town, 13 December 1930
Most goals in a League Cup match:3,
Mark Bright, v Southend United, 25 September 1990
Ian Wright, v Southend United, 25 September 1990
Dwight Gayle, v Walsall, 26 August 2014
Dwight Gayle, v Charlton Athletic, 23 September 2015
Fastest recorded goal:6 seconds, Keith Smith v Derby County (away), 12 December 1964
Most hat-tricks, all competitions:20, Peter Simpson
Oldest player to score a goal:Kevin Phillips, 39 years 306 days, v Watford, 27 May 2013
Quickest hat-trick in a League match:Kevin Phillips,
8 minutes, 37 seconds
v Hull City,
5 March 2013
Quickest hat-trick in a Cup match:Danny Butterfield,
6 minutes, 48 seconds
v Wolverhampton Wanderers,
FA Cup Fourth round Replay,
2 February 2010



Peter Simpson is the all-time top goalscorer for Crystal Palace. He was our leading goalscorer for five consecutive seasons, from 1929-30 to 1933-34.
Competitive, professional matches only. Goalscorers with an equal number of goals are ranked with the highest to lowest goals per game ratio.

#CountryNamePlayedGoalsAppsPositionGoals per game
1ScotlandPeter Simpson1929-1935165195FW0.85
2EnglandEdwin Smith1911-1920124192FW0.65
3EnglandIan Wright1985-1991118277FW0.43
4EnglandMark Bright1986-1992114286FW0.40
5Republic of IrelandClinton Morrison1997-2002 2005-2008113316FW0.36
6ScotlandDougie Freedman1995-1997 2000-2008108368FW0.29
7EnglandGeorge Clarke1925-1933106299MF0.35
8EnglandJohnny Byrne1956-1962 1967-1968101259FW0.39
9EnglandAlbert Dawes1933-1936 1938-193992156FW0.59
10Ivory CoastWilfried Zaha2009-2013 2014-89447FW0.19


This section refers only to international caps won by players during their time at Crystal Palace.

First capped player:Billy Davies for Wales, v Scotland, 7 March 1908, Dundee
First capped player for England:Horace Colclough, v Wales, 16 March 1914, Cardiff
Most capped player:45, Wayne Hennessey, Wales
Most capped player for England:9, Kenny Sansom
9, Geoff Thomas
First player to play in the World Cup Finals:Gregg Berhalter, 2002, United States
First player to score in the World Cup Finals:Mile Jedinak, 2014, Australia



#Pos:PlayerTransferred fromFeeDateSource
1FWBelgiumChristian BentekeLiverpool27,000,000 (~ 32,000,000)August 2016BBC Sport
2DFFranceMamadou SakhoLiverpool26,000,000August 2017BBC Sport
3DFNetherlandsPatrick van AanholtSunderland14,000,000January 2017BBC Sport
4MFEnglandAndros TownsendNewcastle United13,000,000July 2016BBC Sport
5MFSerbiaLuka MilivojevicOlympiacos F.C. (Greece)11,000,000January 2017GOAL
6MFFranceYohan CabayeParis Saint-Germain (France)10,000,000 (~ 12,800,000)July 2015BBC Sport
7DFEnglandJames TomkinsWest Ham10,000,000July 2016BBC Sport
8FWNorwayAlexander SorlothFC Midtjylland (Denmark)9,000,000January 2018BBC Sport


#Pos:PlayerTransferred toFeeDateSource
1MFFranceMichael OliseBayern Munich50,800,000 (~ 60,000,000)July 2024BBC Sport
2RBEnglandAaron Wan-BissakaManchester United F.C45,000,000 (~ 50,000,000)June 2019BBC Sport
3FWDemocratic Republic of the CongoYannick BolasieEverton25,000,000August 2016BBC Sport
4MFIvory CoastWilfried ZahaManchester United10,000,000 (~ 15,000,000)January 2013BBC Sport
5FWEnglandDwight GayleNewcastle United10,000,000July 2016BBC Sport
6FWEnglandAndrew JohnsonEverton8,600,000May 2006BBC Sport
7FWEnglandChris ArmstrongTottenham Hotspur4,500,000June 1995The Independent
8FWRepublic of IrelandClinton MorrisonBirmingham City4,250,000 (player exchange)[F]July 2002BBC Sport


First manager:John Robson, managed the club from 1905 to 1907, encompassing 77 games.
Longest serving manager:Edmund Goodman, managed the club from 1907 to 1925, encompassing 613 matches excluding wartime competition.
Most successful manager:Steve Coppell, who took the club to an FA Cup final, third place in the top flight and won the Full Members Cup.
He managed the club from 1984 to 1993, 1995-96, 1997-98, and 1999-2000, encompassing 565 matches in total.



Highest League Finish:3rd in the Old First Division (now Premier League) 1990-91 season
Lowest League Finish:Southern League: 1st in the Southern League Division Two, 1905-06 season
Football League:24th in the Old Division Three South, 1950-51
Highest League Position:1st in the Old First Division, 29 September 1979 - 6 October 1979
Lowest League Position:20th in the Old Fourth Division, 2 September 1959


Most league goals scored in a season:110, Division Four, 1960-61
Fewest league goals scored in a season:31, Premier League, 2019-20
Most league goals conceded in a season:86, Division Three South, 1953-54
Fewest league goals conceded in a season:Southern League; 14, Division Two, 1905-06
Football League; 24, Division Two, 1978-79


Most points in a season:
Two points for a win:64, Division Four, 1960-61
Three points for a win:90, Division One, 1993-94
Fewest points in a season:
Two points for a win:19, Division One, 1980-81
Three points for a win:33, Premier League, 1997-98



First match:New Brompton 0-3 Crystal Palace, United League, 1 September 1905
First FA Cup match:Crystal Palace 7-0 Clapham, 7 October 1905, Crystal Palace Stadium
First Southern League match:Crystal Palace 3-4 Southampton Reserves, 2 September 1905, Crystal Palace Stadium
First Football League match:Merthyr 2-1 Crystal Palace, 28 August 1920
First match at Herne Hill Velodrome:Crystal Palace 1-2 Southampton, 3 March 1915
First match at The Nest:Friendly; Crystal Palace 4-1 Millwall, August 1918
London Combination; Crystal Palace 4-2 Queens Park Rangers, 14 September 1918
Southern League; Crystal Palace 2-2 Northampton Town 30 August 1919
First match at Selhurst Park:Crystal Palace 0-1 Wednesday, 30 August 1924
First European match: Crystal Palace 0-2 Samsunspor, 19 July 1998, Selhurst Park
First League Cup match: Darlington 2-0 Crystal Palace, 12 October 1960


Record league win:9-0 v Barrow, 10 October 1959
Record FA Cup win:7-0
v Clapham, 7 October 1905
v Luton Town, 16 January 1929
Record League Cup win:8-0 v Southend United, 25 September 1990
Record European win:N/A
Record Friendly win:13-1 v GAK Graz, 16 July 2014


Record league defeat home:0-7 v Liverpool, 19 December 2020
Record league defeat away:0-9 v Liverpool, 12 September 1989
Record FA Cup defeat:0-9 v Burnley (away), 10 February 1909
Record League Cup defeat:0-5
v Nottingham Forest (away), 1 November 1989
v Liverpool (away), 24 January 2001
Record European defeat:0-2
v Samsunspor (home), 19 July 1998
v Samsunspor (away), 25 July 1998


This section applies to league matches only.

Number of Match Dates
Record consecutive wins:89 February - 26 March 1921
Record consecutive Premier League wins:529 March - 19 April 2014
Record consecutive draws: 528 March - 16 April 1921
30 December 1978 - 24 February 1979
21 September - 19 October 2002
Record consecutive defeats: 818 April - 19 September 1925
1 January - 14 March 1998
21 May - 30 September 2017
Record consecutive matches without a defeat:18 22 February - 13 August 1969
Record consecutive top-division matches without a defeat:10 25 August - 27 October 1990
Record consecutive matches without a draw:2431 December 1960 - 26 August 1961
Record consecutive matches without a win:203 March - 8 September 1962
Record consecutive clean sheets: 6 1 September 1920 - 25 September 1920
Record consecutive matches without a clean sheet: 24 30 September 1998 - 20 February 1999
Record consecutive matches scoring: 24 27 April 1929 - 21 December 1929
Record consecutive matches without scoring:9 19 November 1994 - 2 January 1995


Number of MatchDates
Record consecutive home wins:12 19 December 1925 - 28 August 1926
Record consecutive home draws: 724 March 1962 - 1 September 1962
28 November 1998 - 13 February 1999
Record consecutive home defeats:610 April 1925 - 12 September 1925
10 January 1998 - 11 April 1998
3 January 2016 - 19 March 2016
Record consecutive home matches without a defeat:3228 February 1931 - 17 September 1932
Record consecutive home matches without a draw:1717 February 1981 - 19 January 1982
Record consecutive home matches without a win: 16 4 May 1997 - 11 April 1998
Record consecutive home clean sheets:828 December 1963 - 18 March 1964
13 November 2010 - 19 February 2011
Record consecutive home matches without a clean sheet: 19 20 January 1951 - 17 November 1951
Record consecutive home matches scoring: 36 17 November 1928 - 6 September 1930
Record consecutive home matches without scoring:43 March 1951 - 31 March 1951
26 November 1994 - 31 December 1994
7 February 2002 - 9 March 2002
20 November 2004 - 26 December 2004


Number of Match Dates
Record consecutive away wins: 5 20 December 2003 - 7 February 2004
Record consecutive away draws:618 November 1978 - 10 March 1979
Record consecutive away defeats:101 April 1980 - 25 October 1980
8 November 1980 - 7 March 1981
Record consecutive away matches without a defeat:1022 December 1928 - 1 April 1929
26 December 1968 - 28 April 1969
23 August 1975 - 6 December 1975
18 November 1978 - 3 April 1979
Record consecutive Premier League away matches without a defeat:528 December 2014 - 28 February 2015
Record consecutive away matches without a draw:183 October 1960 - 19 August 1961
12 April 1986 - 17 March 1987
Record consecutive away matches without a win:3115 March 1980 - 3 October 1981
Record consecutive away clean sheets:427 December 1949 - 4 February 1950
9 December 1978 - 10 March 1979
8 December 2007 - 12 January 2008
Record consecutive away matches without a clean sheet: 30 22 March 1980 - 3 October 1981
Record consecutive away matches scoring:22 17 March 1928 - 1 April 1929
Record consecutive away matches without scoring:8 11 November 1950 - 24 February 1951


This section applies to attendances at Selhurst Park, where Crystal Palace have played their home matches since the start of the 1924-25 season.
Attendance figures from the club's early days are approximate
Palace's highest attendance for a match outside of Selhurst Park is 88,619, v Manchester United at the 2016 FA Cup Final on 21 May 2016.

Highest attendance: 51,482 11 May 1979 v Burnley
Highest FA Cup attendance: 45,384 10 Mar 1965 v Leeds Utd
Lowest attendance: 2,165 18 December 1935 v Newport County
Highest seasonal average league attendance: 29,900, Division 1 1969-70
Lowest seasonal average league attendance: 6,440, Division 2 1984-85




SeasonCompetitionRoundCountryOpponentHome legAway leg
1971Anglo-Italian CupGroupItalyCagliari1-00-2
ItalyInternazionale1-12-1
1973GroupItalyVerona4-1
ItalyBari1-0
ItalyLazio3-1
ItalyFiorentina2-2
Semi-FinalsEnglandNewcastle0-01-5
1998UEFA Intertoto CupThird roundTurkeySamsunspor0-20-2


Highest recorded home attendance:25,152 v Internazionale, 29 May 1971
Lowest recorded home attendance:11,758 v Samsunspor, 19 July 1998
Highest recorded away attendance:30,000 v Cagliari, 1 June 1971
Lowest recorded away attendance:28,000 v Internazionale, 4 June 1971

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© CPFC86 (Ashley R. Martin)