Palace had flown ‘The Nest’, a more modest ground based next to the site of the current Selhurst station, at the end of the 1923/24 season just short of three months prior in search of a more permanent home.
During six years at their prior ground, Palace had secured entry to the Football League at the start of 1920/21 – having originally been rejected in 1905 – and gained promotion after securing the Division Three title the following season, finishing five points clear of nearest-challengers Southampton.
But the club signalled its intention to end its hitherto nomadic existence with the construction of Selhurst Park, which had been built on ground acquired just two years prior – but reputedly pursued for three years before that – for the princely sum of £2,750.
The new ground took its name from a former gated estate which housed retired military personnel in the 1850s – but after the brickfield which sat there had been cleared, Palace used the ground as a statement of future intent.
The club hired the firm Humphreys of Knightsbridge, who built Selhurst Park to the specifications of Mr Archibald Leitch – then the pre-eminent designer of football grounds at the time.
Yet regrettable delays, due to industrial strike action, saw seats and other fittings missing when the opening day of the season did eventually arrive.
“Excellent arrangements have been made to accommodate a big crowd, and in view of the delay caused by the building strike, everything is well forward,” The Croydon Times read the morning of the opening game.
“The playing pitch is in excellent condition… and everything is now ready for ‘The Day’.”
