On This Day: Palace seal first top-flight promotion (1969) - News - Crystal Palace F.C. (2024)

For much of their existence, Palace traditionally competed outside of the elite bracket of the game – but that all changed when the charismatic Bertram 'Bert' Head was appointed manager on 14th April, 1966.

The Somerset-born former defender had already formed a sterling reputation in the managerial game after a modest playing career with both Torquay United – for whom, ironically, he scored a Christmas Day 1946 own-goal in favour of Palace – and Bury.

Retiring to the Shakers’ coaching staff and eventually becoming assistant manager, Head assumed his first lead managerial role with Swindon Town in October 1956, where he forged a reputation as a charismatic individual capable of maximising results from minimal resource.

Central to his success with Swindon was the youth system Head formed after witnessing a trial match – which pitted young talent against older, experienced players – dominated by the potential talents.

This system would later produce the likes of John Trollope, Mike Summerbee and future Palace great Don Rogers, earning Head’s team the nickname “Bert’s Babes.”

After guiding Swindon to their first-ever promotion in 1961/62, injuries struck Head’s side in the 1964/65 Division Two season, and a final-day relegation – along with the manager’s sacking – would end that adventure.

But he remained a man of interest to Palace chairman Arthur Wait and, after a brief stint back at Bury, the Glaziers came calling for Head.

As Bury’s chairman would surmise at the time of the deal: “We’ve lost, and you’ve got, the best manager in the business.”

Head took over from Arthur Rowe, who had taken temporary charge of the club after Dick Graham was dismissed in January 1966, following a highly publicised falling-out with his Palace players at Euston Station.

The site were rooted in mid-table in Division Two with eight wins from their opening 24 league fixtures, but steady progress followed over the coming years.

Bobby Woodruff and – a number of years later – Rogers followed Head from Wiltshire to south London as the manager continued to exceed expectations with little resource.

Palace concluded 1965/66 in 11th place. The following season brought a seventh-place finish. In 67/68, Head’s Palace topped the Division Two table for the first time ever in late September, before ending the campaign in 11th.

Then, in 68/69, Head took Palace to the promised land – Division One, the top-flight – for the first time in the club’s 100-year-plus existence.

Assembling his side with an incisive but fastidious approach, Head brought together young players and clever new signings into a dynamic team which – by the time they had well and truly gelled – saw them embark on a dazzling run in the second half of the season.

With 10 wins from their unbeaten final 16 games – including a nail-biting 1-0 win at champions-elect Derby County in March, secured thanks to a goal from Woodruff – second place, and with it promotion, was seemingly all but confirmed for Palace with two games remaining.

In the penultimate match of the season - on this day (19th April) in 1969 - an expectant Selhurst Park, packed with 36,126 supporters - witnessed the Palace players present the Palace Dolly Girls with orchids in front of the Main Stand, before lining up against Fulham, who had just been relegated for a second season running.

Expectation abounded - but the Glaziers were soon left stunned. With the hosts struggling to find their rhythm, both Brian Dear and Frank Large struck for Fulham prior to half-time, with former Palace forward Johnny Byrne also starring for the visitors in what would prove his last-ever game in English football, and against his boyhood side to boot.

After the agony, the ecstasy: the comeback - and the original Palace promotion party.

With Steve Kember striking early in the second-half, Mark Lazarus dragged Palace back into the game and Cliff Jackson sealed the victory. Crystal Palace were a top-flight club.

As it turned out, Charlton also suffered defeat that afternoon, but few inside the ground cared as supporters flooded onto the pitch at full-time to drink in the scenes, collect kits from players and even - according to some reports - pop open a bottle of champagne or two with their heroes.

Such was the jubilation around SE25 that, the following day, The Sunday Mirror declared the Palace supporters the "Crowd of the Season" at the publication's "Crowd Awards."

Ten years prior, Palace had been a fourth-division club. Five years later, they were toiling in the Third Division.

Now, under Head, they had reached the pinnacle.

Given their relative lack of resource at that time, Palace’s four seasons in the top-flight would be marked by constant relegation battles.

But their top-flight fortunes did start in impressive fashion with a 2-2 draw against Manchester United on the opening day of the 69/70 season, a blockbuster game featured on Match of the Day and drawing a then-record 48,610 crowd to Selhurst. Mel Blyth scored the club’s first-ever top-flight goal.

Head was also the man at the helm for arguably Palace’s greatest-ever top-flight result, also against the Red Devils: a 5-0 hammering in December 1972, with his former Swindon protégé Rogers bagging a famous brace.

With Palace struggling to take the next step forwards, despite recruiting a number of players with proven top-flight experience and recording wins at both Old Trafford and Highbury in 70/71, a number of boardroom changes ahead of the 72/73 campaign spelled the beginning of the end of Head’s time as manager.

Struggling to climb away from the relegation struggle, Malcolm Allison – another influential figure in the club’s history – was appointed manager in March 1973, with Head moving upstairs to a general manager’s post until the end of the season.

Palace would ultimately suffer relegation on the last day of the 72/73 season, with Head departing the club in May.

Until the club’s current spell in the Premier League, that four-season spell under Head marked Crystal Palace’s longest-ever consecutive run at the top of the English game.

Head sadly passed away in February 2002, aged 85, but as Palace continue to grow and flourish at English football’s top table, his long-standing legacy - and that of the incredible match against Fulham at Selhurst Park - lives on.

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