1905–06 Crystal Palace F.C. season
| 1905–06 season | |||
| Chairman | Sydney Bourne | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Manager | John Robson | ||
| Southern Football League Division Two | 1st (promoted) | ||
| FA Cup | First round | ||
| Top goalscorer | League: Archie Needham 20 All: Archie Needham 21 |
||
| Highest home attendance | 5,000 (vs. Peterborough, 23 September) | ||
| Lowest home attendance | 1,500 (vs. Fulham Reserves, 14 October) | ||
| Average home league attendance | 2,812 | ||
|
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The idea of a club at Crystal Palace was first proposed in 1904 by The Crystal Palace Company. The proposal was rejected by the Football Association, who disliked the idea of the owners of the Cup Final venue also possessing a football club. However a separate company was formed the following year in order to establish the club under the chairmanship of Sydney Bourne, chosen due to his propensity in buying tickets to the Cup Final.[1] Crystal Palace Football Club was formed on 10 September 1905[2] playing in the Aston Villa colours of claret and blue.[3] The choice of colours was a result of the important role in the club's formation played by Edmund Goodman, an Aston Villa employee who was recommended to the fledgling club by the Villa chairman. Goodman organised the business side of the club and managed the team from 1907 to 1925.[4] A former amateur player with Villa, Goodman had lost his right leg after an injury led to amputation.[5]
Along with two other newly formed London clubs, Chelsea and Clapton Orient, Palace applied to join the Second Division of the Football League. Chelsea and Clapton Orient were accepted, but Crystal Palace were not. Unfortunately Palace were too late to be considered for the First Division of the Southern League and were forced to settle for a place in the Second Division.[4] To increase the number of club fixtures, they also joined the United Counties League.[4] Manager John Robson established a team of 16 professionals, mainly drawn from Middlesbrough, and supplemented with local amateurs. The club's inaugural campaign in Division Two of the Southern League, which consisted mainly of other clubs' reserve sides alongside Southall, Southern United, St. Leonard's and Grays United[4] was a successful one. Their opening match was against Southampton Reserves, and approximately 3,000 people paid 6d to stand or a shilling to sit. Palace led 3–0 after 30 minutes, before fading and losing 3–4. However, that was the club's only defeat in the League all season, and Crystal Palace won the championship and were promoted to the Southern League First Division. The season included a run of 17 straight victories, and a 9–1 win over Grays United at Crystal Palace. Attendances for the season were regularly between 2,000 and 3,000 although 4,000 watched the 1-1 FA Cup tie against Blackpool.[6] Palace also secured their record victory in this season, a friendly against West Beckenham on 24 February 1906 which Palace won 17–2.
Southern Football League Second Division
| Date | Opponents | H / A | Result F – A |
Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 September 1905 | Southampton Reserves | H | 3 – 4 | Roberts, Needham, Thompson | 3,000 |
| 16 September 1905 | Swindon Town Reserves | A | 2 – 1 | Birnie, Harker | |
| 18 September 1905 | West Ham United Reserves | A | 0 – 0 | ||
| 23 September 1905 | Leyton | H | 0 – 0 | ||
| 14 October 1905 | Fulham Reserves | H | 5 – 0 | Wallace, Watkins (2), Needham (2) | 1,500 |
| 21 October 1905 | Southern United | H | 1 – 0 | Watkins | |
| 4 November 1905 | Grays United | H | 9 – 1 | Birnie, Harker (2), Watkins (2), Needham (2), Astley, Roberts | |
| 25 November 1905 | Watford Reserves | A | 3 – 1 | Roberts (2), Ross | |
| 13 December 1905 | Reading Reserves | H | 3 – 0 | Harker, Roberts, Watkins | 3,000 |
| 23 December 1905 | Swindon Town Reserves | H | 3 – 0 | Astley, Ross (2) | |
| 26 December 1905 | Portsmouth Reserves | H | 1 – 0 | Needham | 2,000 |
| 6 January 1906 | Wycombe Wanderers | A | 4 – 1 | Thompson, Needham, Wallace (2) | |
| 20 January 1906 | St Leonards United | H | 3 – 1 | Woodger (2), Thompson | 3,000 |
| 27 January 1906 | Grays United | A | 3 – 0 | Walker (2), Needham | |
| 10 February 1906 | West Ham United Reserves | H | 3 – 1 | Woodger (2), Needham | 2,000 |
| 21 February 1906 | St Leonards United | A | 3 – 0 | Needham (2), Wallace | |
| 28 February 1906 | Southern United | H | 4 – 0 | Needham (2), Woodger, own goal | |
| 3 March 1906 | Watford Reserves | H | 4 – 0 | Roberts, Needham (2), Woodger | 2,000 |
| 10 March 1906 | Southampton Reserves | A | 2 – 0 | Thompson, Needham | |
| 24 March 1906 | Reading Reserves | A | 1 – 0 | Needham | |
| 7 April 1906 | Leyton | A | 2 – 1 | Wallace, Needham | 3,000 |
| 13 April 1906 | Portsmouth Reserves | A | 1 – 1 | Watkins | 8,000 |
| 14 April 1906 | Wycombe Wanderers | H | 4 – 0 | Woodger (2), Moody, Needham | |
| 17 April 1906 | Fulham Reserves | A | 2 – 2 | Needham, Harker | 5,000 |
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAvA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crystal Palace | 24 | 19 | 4 | 1 | 66 | 14 | 4.71 | 42 |
| 2 | Leyton | 24 | 16 | 6 | 2 | 61 | 18 | 3.38 | 38 |
Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GAvA = Goal average; Pts = Points
FA Cup
As a brand new club Crystal Palace had to qualify for entry into the first round proper of the FA Cup. In the first qualifying round Palace were drawn at home against Clapham. The match saw Palace run out 7-0 winners, with William Watkins scoring the first ever hat-trick. The next round saw Palace overcome the 2nd Grenadier Guards and earn a draw against Chelsea in the third qualifying round. Chelsea at the time were a big draw, fielding the famous goalkeeper, William Foulke. Sadly, Chelsea were obliged to fulfil a League fixture on the same day, and chasing promotion from the Football League Second Division, decided to concentrate on the league. They fielded a reserve side against Palace who duly ran out 7-1, with Watkins scoring another hat-trick. The ease of this victory saw the FA change the rules to ensure clubs always fielded their strongest sides. Palace then dispatched Luton Town in the fourth and final qualifying round to ensure a place in the First Round Draw. Here they were paired with Blackpool, and the tie was eventually settled in a second replay at neutral venue Villa Park after both teams failed to make home advantage pay.
| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result F – A |
Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 October 1905 | First Qualifying Round | Clapham | H | 7 – 0 | Watkins (3), Innerd, Astley, Roberts, Harker | 1,500 |
| 28 October 1905 | Second Qualifying Round | 2nd Grenadier Guards | A | 3 – 0 | Harker, Wallace, Astley | 1,200 |
| 18 November 1905 | Third Qualifying Round | Chelsea | H | 7 – 1 | Watkins (3; 2 pen.), Innerd (2), Harker, Needham | 3,000 |
| 9 December 1905 | Fourth Qualifying Round | Luton Town | H | 1 – 0 | Harker | 5,000 |
| 13 January 1906 | First Round | Blackpool | A | 1 – 1 | Harker | 2,500 |
| 17 January 1906 | First Round Replay | Blackpool | H | 1 – 1 (aet) | Birnie | 4,000 |
| 22 January 1906 | First Round Second Replay | Blackpool | N | 0 – 1 | 5,000 |
Squad statistics
| Pos. | Name | League | FA Cup | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| GK |  Bob Hewitson |
24 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 31 | 0 |
| FB | George Walker |
24 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 31 | 2 |
| FB | Matthew Edwards |
15 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| FB |  Archie Grant |
15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| HB | Wilf Innerd |
16 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 23 | 3 |
| HB | Ted Birnie (c) |
22 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 29 | 3 |
| HB | Horace Astley |
13 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 19 | 4 |
| HB | Charles Palmer |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| HB | Arthur Wilson |
7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| HB | W. Mills |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| HB | Stan Cubberley |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| HB | A.E. Henwood |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| HB | John Dick |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| FW | George Thompson |
10 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 1 |
| FW | Dick Harker |
16 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 23 | 10 |
| FW |  Walter Watkins |
15 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 22 | 13 |
| FW | Archie Needham |
21 | 20 | 6 | 1 | 27 | 21 |
| FW | Dick Roberts |
24 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 31 | 7 |
| FW | Charles Wallace |
19 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 26 | 6 |
| FW | Robert Ross |
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 |
| FW | George Woodger |
12 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 8 |
| FW | W. Bryden |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| FW | F. Moody |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
References
- Bibliography
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Matthews, Tony (editor). We All Follow The Palace. Juma, 1998. ISBN 1-872204-55-4
- Citations
