2012/13 - Part Two: Transfers, fortune and breakthroughs

Over the next two weeks, you can follow the account of Club Historian Ian King on cpfc.co.uk, telling the story of a dramatic campaign – with a little help from the stars of When Eagles Dare, now available to watch on Palace TV+.

Click here to read Part One of the series.

Friday, 24th August

August 24th, 2012 turned out to be a busy day for Crystal Palace.

Defender Darcy Blake joined from Cardiff City and the rumours surrounding Yannick Bolasie proved to be true, as the winger was prised away from Bristol City.

However, most surprising was the acquisition of Brazilian midfielder André Moritz, who was expected to join Rangers until he rejected the terms of a trial.

On his way back to London, from where he would fly home to Brazil, Moritz was alerted to Palace’s interest and decided to chance his hand. He recalls: “There is a saying in Brazil: ‘If I’m wet already, why am I scared of the rain?’

"I was already in London, I already had a few days to change my flight – so, okay, I’ll turn up at the training ground and show them what I can do.”

25th August: Middlesbrough 2-1 Palace

All three new players featured in this fixture on Teesside, with Blake at right-back in a defence that showed its frailties by conceding from set-pieces each side of the break.

11 minutes into the second-half and just four minutes after Boro’s second goal, Palace received a lifeline when Jermaine Easter netted a penalty he’d won. Bolasie had shown some eye-catching trickery on both wings until being withdrawn with 12 minutes left, and Moritz came on after an hour.

Despite their involvement, an equaliser was never truly on the cards. Three consecutive league defeats left Palace bottom of the table, below Peterborough, while Blackpool led the way in first place.

28th August: Preston North End 4-1 Palace

(League Cup)

Manager Dougie Freedman opted to play a younger side for this clash, bringing in Kyle De Silva and Kwesi Appiah, but again Palace failed to clear their lines. They fell behind after just 72 seconds before Preston handed out more misery 14 minutes later.

In a rare positive, Aaron Wilbraham claimed his first Palace goal by steering home a close-range effort, but four minutes before half-time the Lilywhites regained their two-goal advantage. Moritz came on for the second-half but worse was to follow on the hour mark with Preston’s fourth goal.

Palace exited the League Cup. Today, De Silva represents Sevenoaks Town and Appiah plays for Crawley.

1st September: Palace 2-1 Sheffield Wednesday

On transfer deadline day 24 hours earlier, Palace were again in business: defender Damien Delaney was about to give up football and return to Ireland when Freedman called.

Against Sheffield Wednesday, an air of unrest began to filter around Selhurst Park but Glenn Murray helped to ease the tension: declared fit to take his place in attack, he scored after just 29 seconds against Sheffield Wednesday. Moritz started a game for the first time and Delaney partnered Peter Ramage in defence.

However, the Owls should have been on level terms at the break, and soon achieved parity in the 50th-minute as Palace conceded yet another goal from a corner. But the real talking point came when the referee awarded a Palace penalty, only to change his mind after consulting a linesman.

With supporters appalled, the players were galvanised enough for Murray to poke home a fizzing cross from Zaha and make Wednesday surrender an 18-match unbeaten run to a hitherto point-less team.

The Eagles moved off the bottom but were still in the relegation places. They would soon emphatically address this .

14th September: Charlton 0-1 Palace

The Eagles would face three former players in Carl Cort, Rhoys Wiggins and Ricardo Fuller when they took to the field at the Valley, with Delaney again teaming up with Ramage at the heart of defence.

The Addicks had a goal incorrectly ruled out foroffside in the first-half but after the break Palace took control, with Bolasie and Wilfried Zaha stretching the play down either flank.

Six minutes into the second-half Kagisho Dikgacoi, returning to the side, netted his third goal of the season by controlling the ball on his chest and slamming it into the net. It was a memorable effort and the only goal allowed in this south London derby.

The result gave Palace their first league victory at the Valley since 1968 (the win in 1989 came when Charlton were ground sharing at Selhurst Park). Such was the tightness of the Championship table that Palace now moved out of the bottom three and were just one victory away from sixth place.

18th September: Nottingham Forest 1-1 Palace

Dikgacoi made it two goals from two in virtually the same minute as his goal at the Valley when playing four days later against Nottingham Forest.

He headed home Owen Garvan’s corner, but after 15 minutes had to depart due to concussion. By this point Palace were producing the kind of football fans hoped to witness.

When the hosts – a team tipped for promotion – were reduced to 10 men for the last 27 minutes, the Eagles could have killed the contest, but Ramage’s header was disallowed.

An undeserved equaliser nine minutes from time was a cruel ending to the evening; it could have been worse had Julián Speroni not managed to tip away a header on its way into the net.

22nd September: Palace 3-2 Cardiff City

Dougie Freedman reshuffled his pack with Joel Ward and Dean Moxey giving way to Blake and Jonathan Parr, while Bolasie and Moritz returned for Jonny Williams and Garvan.

Then, against the run of play, the Bluebirds netted twice in 90 seconds, but the Palace team refused to buckle. For the third game in a row the Eagles netted early in the second-half when a Moritz free-kick hit a Cardiff hand in the penalty area and Glenn Murray converted from the spot.

On the hour mark, Palace drew level thanks to an own-goal after the Cardiff ‘keeper parried Murray’s shot. Ten minutes later and Parr was fouled just inside the area, so Murray stepped up for his second successful spot kick – and three points.

Inspired by the volunteer Games Makers at the London Olympics, the club introduced its own team at this fixture, forming the Fan Support Team that continues to help at Selhurst today.

When Eagles Dare

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."