What a day, the contrast with our 1990 FA Cup final defeat couldn't have been greater, writes Crystal Palace hero Geoff Thomas
There were many Crystal Palace fans in tears at Wembley on Saturday. At the final whistle, people were hugging whoever was around them, whether they knew them or not!
Oliver Glasner 's heroes won the FA Cup not just for themselves, but for everyone associated with the club for 120 years.
We have come so close before, not least the team I led that were seven minutes away from glory in the final against Manchester United 35 years ago.
I must admit waking up on Sunday morning with a renewed tinge of sadness that we had not got over the line, but at least we can now say we were part of a journey that has finally seen Palace lift the silverware they deserve.
I feel extremely privileged to have been there to witness it. Chairman Steve Parish made sure I had a place in a box behind the goal at Wembley and also invited my wife, so we could enjoy the occasion together. It was a class act from someone who must have had a lot of arranging to do.
It was amazing to be interviewed on the pitch before the game in front of Palace fans, the best in the country.
From the moment I arrived at Selhurst Park as a 19-year-old from Crewe, I've regarded it as home. I stayed six years and they were the best times of my career. People assumed I was a south Londoner until I opened my mouth and they heard I was a Mancunian!
Palace have a great team worthy of their supporters. Everyone deserves credit, the chairman, sporting director Dougie Freedman and manager Glasner. They have a group of fantastic players. I keep a close eye on midfielder Adam Wharton because he plays in my position. He will eclipse anything I achieved, however — what an amazing talent.
When I looked down at the elation on the pitch on Saturday the contrast with 1990, when Mark Hughes took our dreams with his late equaliser, could not have been greater.
It has been a long wait for the club to win a trophy. Our team, with Mark Wright and Nigel Martyn in it, broke up because the club could not afford to keep us together.
I hope history doesn't repeat itself because this Palace team is capable of winning more.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
22 minutes ago
- The Independent
Talking points as England continue World Cup qualifying campaign against Andorra
England continue their World Cup qualifying campaign with an away match against Andorra on Saturday, played in Barcelona. Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the talking points ahead of the game. Destination USA Victories over Albania and Latvia in Thomas Tuchel's first two games in charge in March set England on the right path to North America next summer and they currently top Group K after two games, though their biggest rivals Serbia are yet to kick-off their campaign. However, a victory over the minnows in Barcelona will put Tuchel's men one step closer to the World Cup ahead of September's toughest game of the group in Serbia. The German is not taking the game lightly, naming his strongest possible squad, including players who are going to the Club World Cup later this month. Brothers in arms Trevoh Chalobah earned his maiden call-up to the senior squad after an impressive season for Chelsea and he has his sights on history. If he is able to get on the pitch against Andorra – or Senegal in next Tuesday's friendly – he will follow in his brother Nathaniel's shoes by representing England, making the Chalobahs the 21st set of brothers to play for England. Only two of them have been post-war, Bobby and Jack Charlton and Phil and Gary Neville, while Trevoh will be hoping his international career lasts longer than the six minutes 54 seconds Nathaniel managed in his one and only appearance in 2018. The heat is on England are already preparing for the extreme temperatures they are expected to face in next summer's World Cup and they have spent the week training in the 27-degree heat of Spain rather than at St George's Park. The players have been doing acclimitisation testing this week, consisting of cycling in sauna-like temperatures, and taking scientific tests on their core body temperature and reaction to heat. They will get some in-game experience of it against Andorra as well, with temperatures expected to be in the mid-20s when the match kicks off on Saturday tea-time. Ivan the great Most people thought Ivan Toney had sacrificed his England career when he made a money-spinning move to Saudia Arabia last summer, but Thomas Tuchel has brought him back into the squad. The striker scored 23 goals in 30 Saudi Pro League appearances for Al-Ahli, helping the side to win the AFC Champions League Elite competition. With Ollie Watkins also back in the squad after injury, captain Harry Kane has some competition in attack. Down Andorra out? This match is not a question of whether England will win, but how many goals will they score. Andorra are well down the FIFA rankings, in 173rd and below Papa New Guinea and St Vincent and the Grenadines, and have only ever won four World Cup qualifiers – two of them against San Marino. England have a healthy record against them, winning all of their six previous meetings to an aggregate of 25-0 and should strengthen that.
Scottish Sun
22 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
‘Nothing we can do about it' – Man City star breaks ranks to SLAM Club World Cup and says team-mates want rest
Akanji has also assessed City's previous campaign MAN DOWN 'Nothing we can do about it' – Man City star breaks ranks to SLAM Club World Cup and says team-mates want rest Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MANUEL AKANJI has questioned Manchester City's wisdom in taking part in the Club World Cup - insisting it could wreck the team's fitness for next season. Pep Guardiola's men endured a first trophyless season since 2017 after finishing third in the Premier League and losing the FA Cup final. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 Manuel Akanji has questioned Man City's participation in the Club World Cup Credit: Alamy 5 It follows a trophyless season at the club Credit: Getty However, their campaign could continue until mid-July if they complete a seven-game run to the Club World Cup final. Centre-back Akanji, already in the US on Switzerland duty, will remain Stateside for the Fifa tournament. The 29-year-old said: "I have been a strong critic of this competition for some time now. "We players would love to have some holidays, and some time for our bodies to rest. READ MORE ON FOOTBALL AZT TO CHANGE World Cup stadium looks unrecognisable with cranes on pitch & seats ripped up "My City teammates are not exactly overjoyed about the tournament either. "But it's now right in our faces, and there is nothing we can do about it. "If we take part, then of course we want to win it. "But if we reach the final, then the time period for us to recover ahead of the new season will become even shorter." JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS Akanji, City's 2022 buy from Borussia Dortmund, fears fitness woes might impact their ability to once again win trophies. He added: "Set against the expectations we have, this hasn't been a good season. 'I will quit' - Pep Guardiola gives Man City ultimatum over squad issue that is 'impossible for my soul' 5 5 "We finished third in the Premier League, three points behind Arsenal, and qualified for the Champions League. "But it is still our worst campaign for some time. "However, Pep Guardiola still said he was proud of us for never giving up. "The season could have finished far worse than it did." Meanwhile, the Citizens will start their Club World Cup campaign against Wydad AC from Morocco on June 18. They will then face the Saudi side Al Ain FC five days later and then the Italian giants Juventus on June 26
Edinburgh Reporter
29 minutes ago
- Edinburgh Reporter
Scotland Women to play England at Scottish Gas Murrayfield's main bowl
Scottish Rugby is continuing the Murrayfield 100 celebrations by announcing that the match against England in the 2026 Guinness Women's Six Nations will be played in the main bowl at Scottish Gas Murrayfield. This is the first time that Scotland Women will play a standalone international in front of spectators in bowl. Speaking on the announcement, captain Rachel Malcolm said: 'We are incredibly excited to play this match at Scottish Gas Murrayfield. 'We have all dreamed that one day our fan base would grow to the point where we would have the opportunity to run out, cheered on by our supporters, on this iconic pitch 'We always talk about leaving the shirt in a better place, and the fact that young girls playing in the National Youth Cup Finals can now look around and think, 'One day, I want to run out here for Scotland Women,' is so special. It shows how far we have come and how many ways we can inspire the next generation. 'There have been some incredible trailblazers before us, and right now it's our turn to make moves and keep pushing things forward with Scottish Rugby.' Hive Stadium has been the home to Scotland Women since 2021. In that time, their fanbase has expanded, and in 2024 they reached a capacity crowd of 7,774 against England, marking a record attendance for the women's national team. Scottish Rugby Chief Executive, Alex Williamson, said: 'This is such an exciting time for the growth of women's rugby. With the Rugby World Cup on our doorstep, records are already being broken months in advance. We want to celebrate that momentum by elevating the Scotland Women international experience for both players and fans. 'This is why we are 'Making Moves' by bringing the biggest game of the 2026 season to Scottish Gas Murrayfield. 'To celebrate the women's game in Scotland, and as part of the stadium's 100th anniversary celebrations, we're inviting rugby fans from all over the world to come and watch our national team play in what we hope will be the largest ever crowd for a Scottish women's sporting event.' Scotland Women have played international matches in the main Murrayfield bowl on eight previous occasions. The first was an autumn international in 2002 played as a double header with the men where the team, which included Scotland's highest capped player, Donna Kennedy, faced Sweden, whilst the men faced Fiji. Indeed the first seven matches were played as double headers whilst the most recent occasion was on a snowy Monday afternoon in front of a few guests when Scotland played England in the 2020 Women's Six Nations following a rescheduling from Scotstoun thanks to Storm Ciara from the day before. Next year's Guinness Women's 6 Nations match v England at Scottish Gas Murrayfield will be the first standalone women's international played there with a ticketed crowd. Head of Women and Girls' Strategy, Gemma Fay, added: 'We launched our Women & Girls strategy in 2022. By 2024 we had already achieved our target of 7,000 fans when we played England in a sold-out Hive Stadium. Our next target had to be a new record crowd and that has to be in Scottish Gas Murrayfield. 'The growth in fans, combined with increase in girls and women participation to over 9,000, we know that now is the time to make the move with our women's national team. 'We are extremely excited that moving forward we are able to provide fans and players alike the opportunity to experience match days in either Hive Stadium or Scottish Gas Murrayfield and of course, that first match in the main bowl had to be England in the Guinness Women's Six Nations.' To mark this historic occasion, Scottish Rugby is launching a 'Best Seat, Best Price' offer where fans can snap up tickets in the East Stand at the introductory price (£15 for adults, £10 for under 18s and £5 for children U12s), making this not only a record-breaking moment, but also an incredible opportunity for rugby fans to get a different view of their favourite sporting cathedral. The offer is available for a limited time, so fans are encouraged to get in early and book the best seat(s) with the brilliant Best Seat, Best Price offer. Fixture details: Scotland v England – Saturday 18 April, KO 1:30pm * Confirmation of kick off time for the Scotland v England clash will be confirmed shortly, together with the full schedule of all 2026 Guinness Women's Six Nations fixtures. Pre sale for Scotland's Supporters Club members will go on sale on Thursday 5 June with General sale on Friday 6 June. Like this: Like Related
