The story of our last match at the Crystal Palace – 110 years ago today

Part One of historian Peter Manning's story set the scene for 1914/15 season – a historic one for the club.

In Part Two, Peter takes us into the events surrounding our last formal match at the famous ground...

In Part One, we left Palace, runners-up in the 1913/14 season, without a win in their first seven games of the 1914/15 season.

At the end of September, they were bottom of the Southern League, the only team without a win to their name and only three goals scored.

Palace had to wait until 7th November before they registered their first home win at Sydenham, and it seems that the team were under some pressure to succeed.

‘It was rumoured at Sydenham on Saturday that if the Palace did not secure a home victory against Portsmouth the players would be told to enlist [in the war effort]. Rumour may or may not have been true, but certain it is that the “Glaziers” gained their first home success of the season in the League tournament by the only goal scored’.

Next up at home were Swindon Town, who had pipped Palace to the title the previous season. Like most clubs, Palace were gradually losing players to the War and the local press noted: ‘It was interesting to learn by the authority of a board sent round that no fewer than nine Crystal Palace players have joined the colours, and that 10 members of the band which always plays at the Crystal Palace matches have done likewise’.

Despite losing so many players to the war effort, Palace put in another barnstorming performance against Swindon, winning 3-1.

But there was mounting criticism in the Press of those players who stayed behind; and when it became clear that the war was not going to be concluded quickly, pressure grew in the newspapers that all football should be stopped immediately, and the players released to enlist.

A conference of the London clubs was held on 8th December and a statement issued countering the negative press, saying that the continuation of football was good for the troops’ morale.

The press reported: ‘One point which is greatly in favour of the continuation of the game is that so many followers of the game are in the trenches at the front, and the cessation of football news would be a loss to them commensurate with the supposed good that would have been done in Great Britain by the stoppage of the game.’

The F.A., in conjunction with the Leagues, then ‘arrived at a most equitable solution which will do far more good than all the harm that could possibly have been done by the stoppage of the game for the season.’ It was decided to see the 1914/15 season through to its conclusion, the only cancellation being the international programme.

In the meantime, the London clubs established a Footballers’ Battalion. Those players who enlisted would be able to continue playing until the end of the season, and at the same time they would receive training for the military service they were volunteering for. The F.A. hoped that this would counter any accusations of footballers being unpatriotic.

An initial recruitment meeting was held at Fulham on 15th December, where a number of players signed up, including Palace players William Middleton and James Bowler. Crystal Palace director, William Scotland, was commissioned as a First Lieutenant and put in command of the battalion (pictured above, on the right of the front row).

But doubts were growing about the future of the Crystal Palace Football Club itself.

At the same time that the recruitment meeting was being held in Fulham, the Admiralty was announcing that they would be increasing the number of naval recruits at the Palace to at least 10,000 and the Palace and its grounds would have to be closed to the public from 1st January, 1915. It would seem to mean that the football club would have to find a new home and the Cup Final would have to be played elsewhere.

Despite the announcement, the Palace wasn’t entirely closed to the public and activities that also entertained the naval recruits, such as the Saturday afternoon concerts and the football matches of the Crystal Palace Football Club, were allowed to continue.

Edmund Goodman, the Crystal Palace Football Club secretary, announced on 17th December that he had ‘received intimation from the Admiralty that they can play on the Crystal Palace Ground on Saturday afternoons, admitting the public at the usual price.’

Now it was F.A. Cup time once again, and Palace were drawn away to Birmingham, who were flying high in the Second Division of the Football League. Palace had lost long-serving half-back, Harry Hanger, to injury and he subsequently signed up to the Footballers’ Battalion and sadly never played for Palace again, dying fighting in France.

Palace were expected to lose easily to Football League Birmingham but, despite being down to 10 men when centre forward Smith suffered concussion and did not return for the second-half (there were no substitutes in those days), a fighting display saw Palace draw 2-2.

The replay would normally have been played at Sydenham but as the Crystal Palace was ‘practically in occupation by the authorities’, Birmingham offered to host the replay at St. Andrews; an offer which Palace readily accepted.

Putting in another spirited display with a makeshift defence, Palace survived and held their Football League opponents to 0-0 over 90 minutes but the demands of extra-time proved too much for them and they conceded three goals.

Palace, at least, had a share in healthy gate receipts of £371 10s 6d (£371 55p) and they would return to Sydenham for a historic game at home to League-leaders, Reading on 6th February – on this day 110 years ago.

A crowd of 4,000 turned up for the Reading match, no doubt many of them sailors, which was played in ‘spring-like weather’ and Palace put in their best display of the season winning 4-1.

Unbeknown to the fans, players and Crystal Palace management though, it was to be the last competitive game that Crystal Palace Football Club would ever play at Sydenham as their home ground.

Following the Reading game, the Crystal Palace made an official announcement on 10th February.

‘The general manager, Mr. Henry James Buckland, states that, owing to the Admiralty being in occupation of the Crystal Palace, it was decided some weeks ago by the Commodore that it would not be possible for the proposed programme for 1915 to take place, therefore the whole of the year’s [Crystal Palace] fixtures were cancelled.

'Further, the various buildings have now been cleared of everything of interest to the public, and the Crystal Palace completely turned into a Royal Naval depot. The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty have now issued public instructions that the general public are to be excluded from the palace and grounds from to-day’.

So, football would also end. The F.A. Cup Final was moved to Manchester and Crystal Palace Football Club would now have to find a new home. It was the end of over 50 years of Crystal Palace football at Sydenham.

The club’s directors received several offers to provide a temporary home for the football club, including from neighbours Millwall, but after a meeting on 15th February it was decided to finish the season on the pitch at the Burbage Road, Herne Hill cycle track, which had been vacated by Isthmian League side, West Norwood.

With the war dragging on, at the end of the 14/15 season the Football Association announced that all League and Cup football would be suspended until the War was over.

When the War was over in 1918, the F.A. Cup Final did not return to the Crystal Palace and nor did the Crystal Palace Football Club, moving instead to The Nest (now the site of the Selhurst Motive Power Depot) and then, in 1924, to Selhurst Park where we have been for the last 100 years.

But, like a child returning to the home of its youth, Crystal Palace did play a few friendly matches back at the Crystal Palace over the ensuing years.

Between 1923 and 1929 we played the famed Corinthians amateur side on three occasions and latterly, between 1964 and 1970, played other London First Division sides in a series of pre-season matches on the pitch in the middle of the Crystal Palace National Recreation Centre, which had been built on the site of the old Cup Final ground.

Crystal Palace’s very last match at its old home was a friendly against Arsenal on 7th August 1970, over 108 years after we played our first recorded match there, against Forest F.C., in 1862.

It's almost certain that none of the players or fans who were there, including this author, realised the historical milestone or story behind that friendly match.

With continued thanks to Peter Manning.