2012/13 – Part Nine: Promotion

Over this last week, Club Historian Ian King has been charting that 2012/13 journey game-by-game on cpfc.co.uk, telling the story of a dramatic campaign – with a little help from the stars of When Eagles Dare, which is available to watch on Palace TV+.

• Part One: A challenging start
• Part Two: Transfers, fortunes and breakthroughs
• Part Three: Comebacks, changes and derbies
• Part Four: Ian Holloway's arrival
• Part Five: Magical Murray, difficult December
• Part Six: New Year, new arrivals
• Part Seven: Brilliant Bolasie, clinical Phillips
• Part Eight: From big defeats to a final-day flourish

Read the final part below – and don't forget to join in with our Play-Off final watchalong at 15:00 BST today!

13th May: Brighton 0-2 Palace (play-off semi-final 2nd leg)

Palace win 2-0 on aggregate

Three days after the goalless draw at Selhurst Park in the first leg, the Eagles set off for the Amex Stadium – and news of what was found in the away dressing room soon filtered through to the fans.

With 30-goal Glenn Murray side-lined, the only change was to bring in Aaron Wilbraham, who rose to the occasion.

Palace started brightly with Jonny Williams surging forward, but Julian Speroni had to be alert at the other end after efforts from Leonardo Ulloa and Will Buckley.

A deflected Zaha cross just before half-time looked to be heading for the bottom corner but Matthew Upson cleared the ball off the line.

Early in the second-half Zaha broke away, but Williams dragged his pass just wide.

In an attacking move, Andre Moritz and Yannick Bolasie were introduced but it was Ashley Barnes who nearly broke the deadlock, as Speroni tipped his shot onto the crossbar and Dean Moxey cleared his header off the line.

With 20 minutes left Bolasie curled in a cross for Zaha, who raced in with a diving header that crashed into the net.

Then, with the clock clicking down to 90 minutes, Zaha turned a defender in the area to slam home a shot via the underside of the crossbar. The Eagles were off to Wembley.

27th May: Palace 1-0 Watford (a.e.t., 0-0 90 mins)

Around 40,000 Palace fans made the trip to Wembley three years after possible oblivion and at the end of a season that had started, in some eyes, as a battle to remain in the Championship.

Manager Ian Holloway stuck with the same starting XI as at the Amex, meaning Bolasie was on the bench along with Kevin Phillips. The loss of Kagisho Dikgacoi to injury after just 15 minutes was a blow and both sides found it difficult to create clear chances.

The Eagles dominated the second-half and carved out three opportunities in the last 10 minutes of normal time, but without the breakthrough, extra-time beckoned.

Speroni showed great reflexes to deny Troy Deeney, and as half-time approached Zaha nudged the ball past Marco Cassetti, whose flailing leg brought him down in the penalty area.

Up stepped former Hornet Phillips, a 65th minute substitute for Williams, who calmly fired a rocket of a spot-kick into the top-corner.

As the minutes ticked down, it was Joel Ward’s turn to be a hero as he took a drive full in the stomach and then was on the line to head away Watford’s last effort.

One of the most abiding memories of the presentation is of the injured Glenn Murray, having cast off his crutches, sitting on the pitch and holding the trophy aloft surrounded by teammates.

Relive the full story of Palace's incredible 12/13 season through When Eagles Dare, now available to watch on Palace TV+.

The series was made in-house by Palace TV and first shown on Amazon Prime Video. You’ll hear the inside story of how Steve Parish and the 2010 consortium won tense negotiations with the fans’ support, how Dougie Freedman set the team up for success and the way Ian Holloway guided them forward.

There are exclusive interviews with all the key figures – including Parish, Freedman, Holloway, Wilfried Zaha, Damien Delaney, Yannick Bolasie, Jonny Williams, Mile Jedinak and many others – and previously unseen footage from behind the scenes.

Palace fanzine Five Year Plan wrote of the series: "This documentary is a love letter. Not just to the Palace team of 2012/2013, but to the people and the moments that make these stories so compelling. To the fans, the players and the club that sits at the heart of a South London community. Our community. Our Palace."