Crystal Palace made club history on 29 September 1979, becoming the first side to sit at the top of English football. The achievement has not been repeated by the Eagles since.
A 3pm crowd at Selhurst Park watched a highly regarded Palace team take on Ipswich Town, one of the strongest sides in the country at the time. John Burridge, Jim Cannon, Paul Hinshelwood, Kenny Sansom, Vince Hilaire and Jerry Murphy were among the players in the line-up, with many of them viewed as some of England’s brightest young prospects.
Palace had already underlined the quality of their emerging group by winning the FA Youth Cup in 1977 and 1978. Against Ipswich, however, the first team delivered a result to match the promise surrounding them. Dave Swindlehurst opened the scoring in the 17th minute, before Hinshelwood doubled the advantage inside the opening half-hour. Gerry Francis then converted from the penalty spot to put the hosts three goals ahead.
Ipswich’s Eric Gates reduced the deficit before the interval, but Cannon restored Palace’s three-goal lead after the break. The 4-1 victory left the Eagles level on points with Manchester United, while Cannon’s goal helped give them a superior goal difference of plus 10 and move them into first place.
Burridge later recalled celebrating from an unusual position, climbing onto the crossbar during the closing stages to enjoy the moment with the Selhurst Park crowd. Palace eventually finished the season 13th, but their emphatic victory over Ipswich secured a unique place in the club’s history: for one weekend, Crystal Palace stood alone at the summit of English football.
