But that’s exactly what Palace encountered on 9th August 1969, as Manchester United arrived in south London to take on the First Division’s newboys.
Just months earlier, Bert Head had taken the Glaziers to the promised land 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.
Victory in the penultimate game of the season, in front of more than 36,000 supporters at Selhurst Park, had sealed promotion.
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. Now they were preparing to face the best.
