It has been a tense and nervous week since the final whistle blew to signal the end of the Premier League campaign.
Now is the time to forget the way that the league campaign ended. That has been and gone. Now is the time for heroes.
An almost 30,000 strong army of Palace fans will head to the famous Wembley Stadium today as the South London side take part in only their second ever FA Cup Final.
Some will remember 1990. Many others will not. This is 2016 and the current crop of players could become legends if they go one better than that Palace side almost twenty-six years ago. Martyn, Pemberton, Shaw, Gray, O’Reilly, Thorn, Barber, Thomas (c), Bright, Salako, Pardew, Wright and Madden went so close but are remembered so fondly for it, and rightly so.
Can you imagine a Palace team actually lifting the trophy?
There is no doubting the enormity of this game in the history of the club having only once before fought so hard to reach the final only to be thwarted by a team that went on to dominate English football for more than a decade.
Fans will play their part by painting Wembley red and blue. The iconic stadium will not have seen anything quite like it. It is up to the players to their part to get the red and blue colours on the iconic trophy.
For me, a veteran of 1990, the build up to the game this week has seemed quite surreal. Even with the arrival of my ticket it really did not dawn on me that I will be seeing Palace in the FA Cup final for a second time. No doubt all that is about to change come Saturday.
Here are the thoughts of some of the team that bring you TEB every day;
Donogh Hurley (writer)
“Bid farewell to your fingernails. Their sole purpose from today is to serve your needs through a gruelling nintey minutes at Wembley. Savour the taste. It is what they were made for. Bid farewell to your youthful looks. What lies ahead will ravage even the most resiliently poised mugs. Embrace those grey hairs that will pop up throughout today’s tribulations, each one a memento for what will be a special day at the fabled amphitheatre of English football. Fine tune your vocal chords. Abide With Me is a song best heard by a fanbase that truly appreciate it’s gravity.
In the minutes before kick off, take the time to look to your left, to your right. Days like this are the reason we love this club so much. For the families, friends and faithful who bleed red and blue every day, week, month and year. One last hurdle to overcome. One last step from an eternally lasting triumph. We have overcome greater challenges in the past. Wear those scars and broaden those smiles. Let’s show the World what all the fuss is about. COYP.”
Sam Smith (writer)
‘Winning the cup would mean so much. I have spent seventeen years listening to my Dad talk about the great team and cup run of 1990, and I would love to tell my children and grandchildren about the great team and cup run of 2016, while going one better. It would be a magical feeling.’
Michael Stokoe (writer)
‘It has been one hell of a journey, and now that we are in the cup final, we are so close to making history. All that is left to say is be loud, be proud, be Palace! Let us bring the trophy back with us to Selhurst Park.’
Neil Carter (writer)
‘We have had some great days in recent years – the epic relegation avoiding game at Hillsborough, the Ambrose goal at Old Trafford, the play off win at Brighton then Wembley, Crystanbul, the semi-final win over Watford the other week. But do not think we realise how fantastic an FA Cup final victory would feel, especially if the winning goal was a mis-hit deflected off Damo’s left buttock.’
Daniel Smith (writer and resident Dundee fan)
‘I would like to wish Palace all the best in the FA Cup Final against Manchester United. It is not often a testimonial game links two sets of fans together like it has with Dundee and Palace so you can be assured that a fair few of us will be cheering you on in the hope you can lift the cup!’
Kevin DeVries (writer and resident Spurs fan)
‘Very pleased to see Palace in the final. Hopefully you go on to win it which both gives Spurs an excuse for losing to you and makes my September prediction of Palace playing European football a reality!’
Jamie Lawrence (writer)
‘This is it boys, the final stand, your chance to make history for this fantastic and unique club. We deserve to be here, you deserve to be here, we have Palace in our hearts, and our souls. We need you to put on a show to make us proud. United think they have this game won, show them exactly why they are wrong! Come on you EAGLES!’
Lucy White (writer)
‘Belief. Six letters. Three consonants and three vowels. But a word that creates power and that fills every single one of us with that excitement and hope. That goose pimply, gut wrenching, heart pounding ‘this is our year’ sensation. We have waited almost three decades for this. The wait is over. It is time to create history. We Are super Palace. Eleven players. Two colours. One beautiful, shiny trophy. 2016 is the year of the underdog. Could we….?! COME ON YOU PALACE!’
Carl Mortimer (chief image creator)
‘Normally a game this huge makes me nervous but I am actually excited. Excited to see where the next chapter of the Palace rollercoaster will take me. Palace have had many ups but so many lows, so I never thought in my life I would see us in an actual FA Cup Final. My dad always talks about how Palace ‘should have won the cup’ in 1990, I just hope I can tell my kids that ‘we won the cup’ in 2016.’
Thanks to Carl for the excellent ‘Escape To Victory’ inspired image for this article.
If you are still not ready for the FA Cup Final after reading those comments from the team here at TEB then watch the last time we played in this game and think how close we were to picking up the historic trophy.
COME ON PALACE!
