Yes, you’re reading that correctly.
It wasn’t all that long after Selhurst had become the first Football League ground to be the subject of a non-temporary or emergency ground-sharing agreement, with Charlton Athletic briefly – and perhaps unthinkably in today’s game – taking up residency in 1985.
Upon Charlton’s departure for Upton Park in 1991, however, one curious marriage was replaced with another, as Wimbledon became the next temporary tenants of Selhurst.
Looking to build on the success which had seen them promoted to the top-flight in 1985/86 and win the FA Cup just two seasons later – you’ll have surely heard the term ‘The Crazy Gang’ – Wimbledon had been granted permission to build a 20,000-seater ground in 1988.
But that desire became a necessity in January 1990 with the publication of the Taylor Report, Plough Lane – Wimbledon’s home since 1912 – deemed unsuitable as a top-flight stadium, with the cost of replacing the terraces also excessive.
And so it came to pass that, ahead of the 1991/92 season – the last of the pre-Premier League days, with both sides in the First Division – Wimbledon reached an agreement with Palace for a temporary ground-share plan.
For fans, it was understandably a shock announcement, the bridging of the six-mile gap between the two clubs being to Palace’s financial benefit, but hot on the heels of Charlton’s residency.
Initially billed as a temporary move, Wimbledon’s unsuccessful attempts to find a new home ground would see their residency last until 2004, encompassing the club’s entire eight-season stay in the top-flight before their relegation in 1999/00.
The first meeting of landlords Palace and tenants Wimbledon, in August 1991, was something of a retro football classic, the Eagles emerging on top following a five-goal thriller. It was success which would continue, Palace winning eight and losing just five of the 17 such clashes.