7 Times Being A Crystal Palace Fan Was Too Stressful

6. Relegation In 1993

As the inaugural Premier League season drew to a close, Palace found themselves eight points clear of third from bottom Oldham. There were two games to play and Palace were on 48 points which, in today's money, would see them safe and neatly ensconced in mid-table. Oldham were yet to play that weekend but Palace could have been forgiven for thinking they had done enough - and think they had done enough they did - when the players embarked on a celebratory lap of honour after their 3-1 home win against Ipswich. Oldham had a game in hand but had to play second placed Aston Villa at Villa Park and then had to play Liverpool. Palace were safe. Palace weren't safe. Against the odds, Oldham beat Villa 1-0. There were now five points between them with two to play. Palace then played Man City. If they bettered Oldham's result they'd be safe; but they couldn't do it, as they only drew while Oldham chalked up another shock win, beating Liverpool 3-2. We were now at the last day of the season and Palace were still in the driving seat, three points ahead of Oldham. A draw against Arsenal would have been enough to keep them in the division but they didn't manage it, losing 3-0 to Arsenal with former Palace favourite Ian Wright scoring the first. Oldham only had to beat Southampton to stay up and raced into a 4-1 lead before being pegged back to 4-3... Could Southampton save Palace's skin? The answer was no. Oldham held on to secure a miraculous recovery and Palace had to suffer the embarrassment of being relegated after celebrating staying up.