It might be two days since Crystal Palace beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final, but South Londoners aren’t quite ready to halt their celebrations. “This is the best moment ever as a Palace fan,” Mick Mantell, 70, told MyLondon. “We’ve been waiting so long for success like this.”
An early goal from Eberechi Eze was enough to separate the two sides as Crystal Palace pulled off a surprise 1-0 win on Saturday (May 17). Mick, along with his wife Ann, 68, made the 9,000-mile journey from Perth to watch the Eagles end their 120-year trophy drought at Wembley Stadium.
They both attended the FA Cup final losses against Manchester United in 1990 and 2016, but felt a different optimism the third time around. “It was very nerve-wracking,” Mick continued. “Being the underdog we were just hoping to stop them from scoring.
“I thought when we conceded the penalty the tide could turn against us, but when Dean Henderson made that crucial save I knew it was our day. You ride your luck in games like this.”
The couple stay up until 2am or 3am to watch Crystal Palace games from their home in Australia, and forked out £1,400 to buy the only matchday tickets left in hospitality. Despite the cost of tickets and flights, Mick and Sue had no regrets. Sue said: “This is the proudest I’ve ever been as a Palace fan.
The Albion pub near Norwood Junction was completely packed with Palace fans from 2.30pm until close on Saturday as hundreds returned from Wembley. Tara Cotton, who works behind the bar, described the atmosphere as “top notch” as fans flooded in throughout the day.
She said: “I think we played the Crystal Palace song 50 million times, there was so much singing. Everyone was out the front celebrating as cars beeped while they passed. It was such an incredible experience. How long have we been waiting for it? It’s brought everyone together, and is so good for the community.”
Tara expects the pub to be busy once more before Palace take on Wolves in their last home game of the season on Tuesday night (May 20). She added: “We have one more game and then we’ll have a nice break over the summer before it happens all over again. This time with extra home matches in the Europa League.”
The club has confirmed a trophy parade will take place through the streets of South London on Bank Holiday Monday (May 26) to mark their FA Cup achievement. No further details have been confirmed yet, but the club has told fans to keep an eye on its social media channels.
Sharon Sullivan, who decorated her florist in Addiscombe with vintage Crystal Palace shirts ahead of the FA Cup final, said the win has been bittersweet for many South London families. “I really wish my dad was able to see it,” she told MyLondon. “It would have been lovely to have him around for it.”
This wider element was acknowledged by Crystal Palace fans as they unveiled a giant Tifo at the game of two brothers, Dominic and Nathan, celebrating with their dad Mark after Crystal Palace knocked Manchester United out of the League Cup in 2011. Mark sadly died of cancer in 2017, but now grown up, Dominic and Nathan were at Wembley to watch their side lift the FA Cup on Saturday.
Sharon was too nervous to watch most of the game as she relied on her husband for updates throughout. Victory secured, she describes it as a “historic moment” for families across Croydon and South London.
“I’m so proud to still have the display in my window,” she continued. “I came down to the shop on Saturday evening specifically to replace the Man City ribbons with Crystal Palace colours. From then on there were queues of people waiting to take selfies and pictures. Everybody is just delighted. There’s hardly a customer since who hasn’t mentioned the game.”
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