16
a chance to put things right and it was possibly
Trophy secured, history made, Palace reacted
very close to the team that should have played the
as only Palace could: “After that final,” Coppell
year before, with Bright and Wright up front. He
remembers, “we hadn’t planned a celebration
[Wright] was a cat on a hot tin roof at the best of
or banquet dinner or anything like that. I seem
times, but he felt this was very much his chance
to remember meeting up with quite a few of the
to prove himself to everybody… Going in to it was
players at a bar in Cheam just to have a few beers.
almost redemption.”
And that was somehow typical of the team.
The Wembley turf still vividly bore markings
“It wasn’t: ‘We’ve won a final at Wembley,
from an American football game the night before
we should go to the Royal Garden and have a sit-
and the final itself was a dogged affair, with both
down banquet.’ I think even later that night, after
sides collecting cards and, in Martin Keown’s
a couple of beers with the players in Cheam, we
case, a broken nose. Geoff Thomas put Palace
went back to Ron’s and he was having an open
ahead after 66 physical minutes before Robert
house with players coming in and out. To a certain
Warzycha levelled almost instantly. Mirroring
extent, it was amateur hour after winning a cup
1990, extra time loomed.
final at Wembley!”
Coppell recalls: “If you’d have said to our
On his way up the Wembley steps to lift the
players ‘you’re playing extra time,’ they’d have said:
trophy, Coppell quietly told Noades: ‘This is the first
‘Well, it doesn’t matter. We’re fitter than everyone
of many.’ That night in Cheam, the pair could be
else.’ It was the mentality we had.
forgiven for thinking their relentless work in the late
“[Going into extra time,] I would have said [to the team] the cards are stacked our way. I always felt that season we could score from nothing. Every
‘80s had finally paid off and transformed Palace into one of England’s highest flyers. After all, with second-placed Liverpool banned
team has a way of scoring – our way of scoring
from European competitions for a third year, the
was to get the ball out wide, get crosses in and
third-placed south Londoners were just weeks
score goals… But also we had that wonderful
away from continental qualification themselves.
addition to the armoury that we could score a goal
Such a feat would likely glue a much-lauded team
from nothing.
together and bring the club the funds required
“I would have hopefully confidently spoken
for sustained top-flight success. The reality was
about our full repertoire of scoring goals and given
far harsher. Liverpool’s ban was lifted early, and
them confidence to maintain the way we played.
Palace were excluded from the UEFA Cup they had
We didn’t really have a Plan B, I’d be the first to
once seemed guaranteed.
admit that. We played our way. We had a Plan A
Coppell’s voice drops to an almost sombre
and our Plan B was to play Plan A better. We didn’t
tone as conversation turns to the decision.
defer to: ‘Well, we’ve tried this way of playing so
Always considered, the former manager starts
now we’ll knock it around and keep possession
picking his words audibly: “Ron was working
forever.’ No. We wanted to score goals.”
hard to get it to break our way, but there was too
Eventually, Saturday morning sessions and
much hurt from what had happened previously.
tackling Farthing Downs guided Palace through a
It was very much whatever we said was going
dominant 30 minutes: Wright bagging either side of
to be insignificant, it was part of a bigger game.
a Salako header.
The fact that little Crystal Palace was a casualty
official matchday programme