Crystal Palace were taking on Charlton Athletic at Selhurst Park – but for the very first time they were the away side.
The Addicks had been in money trouble for a number of years, with a winding up order issues and called off just before the Football League deadline, and the club struggling to find a home. The Valley had seen stands closed off for health and safety reasons, with other stands the subject of legal claims and counterclaims.
The long and the short of it was this: The Valley was no longer able to host a football club. A solution was required, and that came at Selhurst Park. The two rivals were forced to ground share.
And so, bizarrely, Palace fans trickled into the away end as Charlton kicked off, hosting the Eagles in their own back yard.
It proved a boon for Palace, who registered their second away win of the season without having to travel. Mark Bright scored the winner after Andy Thorn had opened the scoring, with Charlton notching a consolation in the second-half thanks to Colin Walsh.
Steve Coppell’s men had beaten Charlton away, and they didn’t have to leave home to do so.
Charlton:
- Bob Bolder (GK)
- John Humphrey
- Mark Reid
- Andy Peake
- Tommy Caton (Mickey Bennett)
- Paul Mortimer
- Rob Lee
- Paul Williams
- Kenny Achampong (Carl Leaburn)
- Colin Walsh
- Scott Minto
Crystal Palace:
- Nigel Martyn (GK)
- John Pemberton
- Gary O’Reilly
- Andy Gray
- Jeff Hopkins
- Andy Thorn
- Eddie McGoldrick
- Phil Barber
- Mark Bright
- Ian Wright
- Alan Pardew