Crystal Palace are in a European semi-final. This is what it means to players and managers from previous eras

Crystal Palace are in uncharted territory.The sight of the team walking out in Krakow to confront Shakhtar Donetsk in the first leg of the UEFA Conference League semi-final will stoke a sense of pride back in south London.This is a club which has emerged through challenging times over the years. They have been beset with financial difficulties and plunged twice into administration, and narrowly avoided dropping into the third tier of English football in 2001 and 2010. They have experienced the highs and lows of play-off wins and losses, and the despair of twice being beaten in the FA Cup final before putting that right a year ago.Advertisement