From fury to a European final: Crystal Palace’s topsy-turvy road to Leipzig

Palace were cruelly denied a place in the Europa League but they are now one win away from their first European trophy

By The Football Mine

If following a football club can be a rollercoaster, this season has been the equivalent of the Oblivion ride at Alton Towers for Crystal Palace supporters. The ride offers “physical trauma, psychological breakdown and chaos”. Palace fans have been through all that and more over the last 12 months.

It all started when the club won the FA Cup for the first time, beating Manchester City 1-0 at Wembley last May. The mixture of elation, euphoria, disbelief and relief lasted for days, weeks, months and still lives on a year later. After that long-awaited first major trophy was secured, the realisation sank in that there would be a European campaign to enjoy. The Europa League beckoned, heady days indeed.