# 1997–98 Crystal Palace F.C. season

During the 1997–98 English football season, Crystal Palace competed in the FA Premier League.

## Season summary

Experienced Italian midfielder Attilio Lombardo was one of the most famous names to wear a Palace shirt when he arrived at Selhurst Park early in the season, and his influential form looked to have secured Palace's top flight status as they stood 10th as late as November. Within the first 14 games of the season, they were enjoying reasonable mid-table form, losing and winning five each and drawing four games; all of their wins at the time were away from home. Their 1–0 win at Tottenham Hotspur cumulated their good form though and from then on, they would struggle. Lombardo's fellow countryman Michele Padovano was also signed, but proved to be a complete flop, as did Swedish forward Tomas Brolin, and Palace were soon deep in relegation trouble.
With a takeover by computer tycoon Mark Goldberg on the horizon, Steve Coppell relinquished his managerial duties to become Director of Football. Lombardo and Brolin became joint player-managers on a short-term contract, but were unable to stave off relegation, which was confirmed on 27 April after a 3–0 defeat to Manchester United and they were soon on their way out of the club and Ray Lewington was appointed for the final three league games of the season. It was a season to forget for the club which saw them win just two home league games all season and it took them a staggering eight months to record their first home league win: against Derby County in April.
When the Goldberg takeover was completed, Terry Venables returned to the manager's seat after an eventful 18 years away, with the new chairman boasting that Palace would be a European force by 2003.

## Kit

Palace retained the previous season's home kit, manufactured by German company Adidas and sponsored by TDK.

## Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 16 | Sheffield Wednesday | 38 | 12 | 8 | 18 | 52 | 67 | −15 | 44 | |
| 17 | Everton | 38 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 41 | 56 | −15 | 40 | |
| 18 | Bolton Wanderers (R) | 38 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 41 | 61 | −20 | 40 | Relegation to the Football League First Division |
| 19 | Barnsley (R) | 38 | 10 | 5 | 23 | 37 | 82 | −45 | 35 | Relegation to the Football League First Division |
| 20 | Crystal Palace (R) | 38 | 8 | 9 | 21 | 37 | 71 | −34 | 33 | Intertoto Cup third round and relegation to the First Division |
* ↑ Crystal Palace qualified for the 1998 Intertoto Cup as they were the only English team who applied.

### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Source: 1997-98 FA Premier League table

### Results by round

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 |
| Ground | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | A | H | H | A | H | H | A | H | H |
| Result | W | L | W | L | L | L | W | D | D | L | D | W | D | W | L | L | D | L | D | D | D | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | W | L | L | L | W | L | L | D | W |
| Position | 2 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |

## Results

Crystal Palace's score comes first

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### FA Premier League

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 9 August 1997 | Everton | A | 2–1 | 35,716 | Lombardo, Dyer (pen) |
| 12 August 1997 | Barnsley | H | 0–1 | 21,547 | |
| 23 August 1997 | Leeds United | A | 2–0 | 29,076 | Warhurst, Lombardo |
| 27 August 1997 | Southampton | A | 0–1 | 15,032 | |
| 30 August 1997 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 1–2 | 20,849 | Dyer |
| 13 September 1997 | Chelsea | H | 0–3 | 26,186 | |
| 20 September 1997 | Wimbledon | A | 1–0 | 16,747 | Lombardo |
| 24 September 1997 | Coventry City | A | 1–1 | 15,900 | Fullarton |
| 27 September 1997 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 2–2 | 17,134 | Warhurst, Gordon |
| 4 October 1997 | Manchester United | A | 0–2 | 55,143 | |
| 18 October 1997 | Arsenal | H | 0–0 | 26,180 | |
| 25 October 1997 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 3–1 | 22,072 | Hreidarsson, Rodger, Shipperley |
| 8 November 1997 | Aston Villa | H | 1–1 | 21,097 | Shipperley |
| 24 November 1997 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 1–0 | 25,634 | Shipperley |
| 29 November 1997 | Newcastle United | H | 1–2 | 26,085 | Shipperley |
| 3 December 1997 | West Ham United | A | 1–4 | 23,335 | Shipperley |
| 6 December 1997 | Leicester City | A | 1–1 | 19,191 | Padovano |
| 13 December 1997 | Liverpool | H | 0–3 | 25,790 | |
| 20 December 1997 | Derby County | A | 0–0 | 26,590 | |
| 26 December 1997 | Southampton | H | 1–1 | 22,853 | Shipperley |
| 28 December 1997 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 2–2 | 23,872 | Dyer, Warhurst |
| 10 January 1998 | Everton | H | 1–3 | 23,311 | Dyer (pen) |
| 17 January 1998 | Barnsley | A | 0–1 | 17,819 | |
| 31 January 1998 | Leeds United | H | 0–2 | 25,248 | |
| 9 February 1998 | Wimbledon | H | 0–3 | 14,410 | |
| 21 February 1998 | Arsenal | A | 0–1 | 38,094 | |
| 28 February 1998 | Coventry City | H | 0–3 | 21,810 | |
| 11 March 1998 | Chelsea | A | 2–6 | 31,917 | Hreidarsson, Bent |
| 14 March 1998 | Aston Villa | A | 1–3 | 33,781 | Jansen |
| 18 March 1998 | Newcastle United | A | 2–1 | 36,565 | Lombardo, Jansen |
| 28 March 1998 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 1–3 | 26,116 | Shipperley |
| 11 April 1998 | Leicester City | H | 0–3 | 18,771 | |
| 13 April 1998 | Liverpool | A | 1–2 | 43,007 | Bent |
| 18 April 1998 | Derby County | H | 3–1 | 18,101 | Jansen, Ćurčić, Bent |
| 27 April 1998 | Manchester United | H | 0–3 | 26,180 | |
| 2 May 1998 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 2–5 | 24,449 | Gordon, Bent |
| 5 May 1998 | West Ham United | H | 3–3 | 19,129 | Bent, Rodger, Lombardo |
| 10 May 1998 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 1–0 | 16,876 | Morrison |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R3 | 3 January 1998 | Scunthorpe United | H | 2–0 | 11,624 | Emblen (2) |
| R4 | 24 January 1998 | Leicester City | H | 3–0 | 15,489 | Dyer (3) |
| R5 | 15 February 1998 | Arsenal | A | 0–0 | 37,164 | |
| R5R | 25 February 1998 | Arsenal | H | 1–2 | 15,674 | Dyer |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R2 1st Leg | 16 September 1997 | Hull City | A | 0–1 | 9,323 | |
| R2 2nd Leg | 30 September 1997 | Hull City | H | 2–1 (lost on away goals) | 6,407 | Veart, Ndah |

## First-team squad

    Squad at end of season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | ENG | Kevin Miller |
| 2 | DF | ENG | Marc Edworthy |
| 3 | DF | ENG | Dean Gordon |
| 4 | MF | YUG | Saša Ćurčić |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Dave Tuttle |
| 6 | DF | ENG | Andy Linighan (captain) |
| 7 | MF | ITA | Attilio Lombardo |
| 8 | DF | ENG | Paul Warhurst |
| 9 | FW | ENG | Neil Shipperley |
| 10 | FW | ENG | Bruce Dyer |
| 11 | FW | ITA | Michele Padovano |
| 12 | FW | SWE | Tomas Brolin |
| 13 | GK | ENG | Carlo Nash |
| 14 | MF | ENG | Simon Rodger |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 15 | FW | ENG | Marcus Bent |
| 16 | MF | IRL | Rob Quinn |
| 17 | DF | ENG | Jamie Smith |
| 18 | DF | FRA | Valérien Ismaël |
| 20 | FW | ENG | Leon McKenzie |
| 21 | DF | ENG | Sagi Burton |
| 22 | DF | ISL | Hermann Hreiðarsson |
| 26 | MF | SCO | Jamie Fullarton |
| 27 | FW | ENG | Matt Jansen |
| 32 | DF | IRL | Danny Boxall |
| 34 | MF | IRL | Rory Ginty |
| 35 | FW | ENG | Clinton Morrison |
| 40 | MF | IRL | Tony Folan |

### Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 4 | MF | ENG | Andy Roberts (to Wimbledon) |
| 11 | FW | SCO | Dougie Freedman (to Wolves) |
| 12 | FW | AUS | Carl Veart (to Millwall) |
| 15 | DF | WAL | Gareth Davies (to Reading) |
| 17 | DF | AUS | Kevin Muscat (to Wolves) |
| 18 | FW | ENG | George Ndah (to Swindon Town) |
| 24 | MF | ENG | Neil Emblen (to Wolves) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 27 | MF | ISR | Itzik Zohar (to Maccabi Haifa) |
| 33 | DF | ENG | Dean Wordsworth (to Stevenage Borough) |
| 33 | MF | ITA | Ivano Bonetti (to Genoa) |
| 33 | MF | ITA | Patrizio Billio (on loan from AC Milan) |
| 34 | MF | IRL | Tony Scully (to Manchester City) |
| — | FW | ENG | Jason Harris (to Leyton Orient) |

### Reserve squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 19 | MF | ENG | Darren Pitcher |
| 23 | MF | ENG | Hayden Mullins |
| 25 | GK | RSA | Gareth Ormshaw |
| 28 | MF | SCO | Steven Thomson |
| 29 | FW | ENG | David Stevens |
| 30 | MF | NIR | Gareth Graham |
| 36 | FW | WAL | Andy Martin |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 37 | DF | IRL | Richard Kennedy |
| 38 | DF | ENG | Jimmy Hibburt |
| 41 | DF | NIR | Wayne Carlisle |
| 42 | MF | IRL | Jonathan Clarke |
| — | DF | ENG | David Woozley |
| — | FW | ENG | Richard Harris |

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Pos | Name | From | Fee |
| 12 June 1997 | GK | Kevin Miller | Watford | £1,550,000 |
| 1 August 1997 | MF | Attilio Lombardo | Juventus | £1,600,000 |
| 1 August 1997 | GK | Gareth Ormshaw | Ramblers | Free transfer |
| 1 August 1997 | DF | Paul Warhurst | Blackburn Rovers | Signed |
| 1 August 1997 | DF | Hermann Hreiðarsson | ÍBV | Unknown |
| 1 August 1997 | MF | Jamie Fullarton | SC Bastia | Free transfer |
| 12 August 1997 | MF | Neil Emblen | Wolverhampton Wanderers | £2,000,000 |
| 19 August 1997 | MF | Itzik Zohar | Beitar Jerusalem | £1,200,000 |
| 21 October 1997 | DF | Jamie Smith | Wolverhampton Wanderers | £1,000,000 |
| 12 November 1997 | FW | Michele Padovano | Juventus | £1,700,000 |
| 8 January 1998 | FW | Marcus Bent | Brentford | £300,000 |
| 15 January 1998 | DF | Valérien Ismaël | Strasbourg | £2,750,000 |
| 10 February 1998 | FW | Matt Jansen | Carlisle United | £1,000,000 |
| 26 March 1998 | MF | Saša Ćurčić | Aston Villa | £1,000,000 |

### Out

| Date | Pos | Name | To | Fee |
| 15 July 1997 | MF | Ray Houghton | Reading | Free transfer |
| 21 July 1997 | MF | David Hopkin | Leeds United | £3,250,000 |
| 1 August 1997 | DF | Andy Cyrus | Exeter City | Free transfer |
| 1 August 1997 | GK | Chris Day | Watford | Swap |
| 10 August 1997 | MF | Tony Scully | Manchester City | £200,000 |
| 26 September 1997 | FW | Jason Harris | Leyton Orient | £25,000 |
| 2 October 1997 | DF | Dean Wordsworth | Bromley | Free transfer |
| 21 October 1997 | DF | Kevin Muscat | Wolverhampton Wanderers | £200,000 |
| 21 October 1997 | FW | Dougie Freedman | Wolverhampton Wanderers | £800,000 |
| 30 October 1997 | MF | Ivano Bonetti | Genoa | Free transfer |
| 21 November 1997 | FW | George Ndah | Swindon Town | £500,000 |
| 11 December 1997 | FW | Carl Veart | Millwall | £100,000 |
| 9 March 1998 | MF | Andy Roberts | Wimbledon | £2,000,000 |
| 26 March 1998 | MF | Neil Emblen | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Signed |
    Transfers in: £14,100,000
    Transfers out: £7,075,000
    Total spending: £7,025,000

## Statistics
### Appearances and goals

| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Premier League | Premier League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||||
| 1 | GK | ENG | Kevin Miller | 44 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Defenders ||||||||||||
| 2 | DF | ENG | Marc Edworthy | 39 | 0 | 33+1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | ENG | Dean Gordon | 43 | 2 | 36+1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Dave Tuttle | 10 | 0 | 8+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | ENG | Andy Linighan | 31 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 8 | DF | ENG | Paul Warhurst | 24 | 3 | 22 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 17 | DF | ENG | Jamie Smith | 22 | 0 | 16+2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | DF | FRA | Valérien Ismaël | 16 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | DF | ENG | Sagi Burton | 3 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | DF | ISL | Hermann Hreiðarsson | 36 | 2 | 26+4 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 32 | DF | IRL | Danny Boxall | 2 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||||
| 4 | MF | YUG | Saša Ćurčić | 8 | 1 | 6+2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | ITA | Attilio Lombardo | 24 | 5 | 21+3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | MF | SWE | Tomas Brolin | 16 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | MF | ENG | Simon Rodger | 33 | 2 | 27+2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 16 | MF | IRL | Rob Quinn | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | MF | SCO | Jamie Fullarton | 30 | 1 | 19+6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 34 | MF | IRL | Rory Ginty | 6 | 0 | 2+3 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | MF | IRL | Tony Folan | 2 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| Forwards ||||||||||||
| 9 | FW | ENG | Neil Shipperley | 28 | 7 | 17+9 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | ENG | Bruce Dyer | 29 | 8 | 21+3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 11 | FW | ITA | Michele Padovano | 10 | 1 | 8+2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | FW | ENG | Marcus Bent | 16 | 5 | 10+6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | FW | ENG | Leon McKenzie | 4 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | FW | ENG | Matt Jansen | 8 | 3 | 5+3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | FW | ENG | Clinton Morrison | 1 | 1 | 0+1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Players transferred out during the season ||||||||||||
| 4 | MF | ENG | Andy Roberts | 30 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 11 | FW | SCO | Dougie Freedman | 9 | 0 | 2+5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 12 | FW | AUS | Carl Veart | 8 | 1 | 1+5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+1 | 1 |
| 15 | DF | WAL | Gareth Davies | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | DF | AUS | Kevin Muscat | 10 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 18 | FW | ENG | George Ndah | 4 | 1 | 2+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 1 |
| 24 | MF | ENG | Neil Emblen | 15 | 2 | 8+5 | 0 | 1+1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | MF | ISR | Itzik Zohar | 8 | 0 | 2+4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 33 | MF | ITA | Patricio Billio | 3 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | MF | ITA | Ivano Bonetti | 2 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last updated: 11 May 1998 Source: Competitions