Elected To The Football League
Crystal Palace became a league club in 1920 when the Football League accepted the entire Southern League en bloc as associate members in a new Division Three.
Having had a successful final season in the Southern League, Palace strengthened their squad with Welsh international J.T. Jones from Stoke City and Irish international Bobby McCracken. They also signed Tommy Storey from Middlesbrough.
In their first season as a League Club, Crystal Palace lost their opening game at Merthyr Town 1-2 with A.G. Milligan scoring Palace's first ever league goal. Milligan's Palace career was short-lived however, and he made just one more appearance for the club. Palace's first ever home league match was a disappointing 0-0 draw against Plymouth Argyle but Palace then went on a run of six consecutive wins. Goalkeeper Jack Alderson, who had been signed in 1919, kept a clean sheet in six consecutive games. Palace lost just six more games all season, were unbeaten in the final sixteen games of the season (including an eight game winning streak)and went on to win the championship by five points from Southampton and earning promotion to the Second Division. They conceded just 34 goals, a record that stood until 1978-79.
Crystal Palace thus joined Preston North End, Small Heath, Liverpool and Bury as the only clubs to have won a championship in their first season as a League club.
Crystal Palace were forced to play their home game with Exeter City on 27 November at Southampton, after the FA closed the Nest for a fortnight and Palace were banned from playing within 10 miles of their home ground. Palace had been offered the use of grounds at Tottenham Hotspur and Clapton Orient, but had delayed in accepting and were forced to play at Southampton.
Attendances had been strong, with the 27 December Boxing Day game at home to Brighton drawing over 22,000. The leading scorer was Scotsman John Conner with 29 league goals.
In the FA Cup, Palace beat Manchester City - who finished the season as runners-up in the First Division behind Burnley - 2-0 in front of 18,500 at home before losing to Hull City by the same score in the next round.
Palace also won the London Challenge Cup, beating Clapton Orient with a Conner goal at White Hart Lane.
Read more about this topic: History Of Crystal Palace F.C.
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