Palace’s record-breaking Friday night: Burnley, 1979

In May 1979, the Crystal Palace squad faced their final and most important game of the season when Burnley travelled south to Selhurst Park.

Meeting teammates nearly five hours earlier than normal, Vince Hilaire and the rest of the Crystal Palace squad were fully alert to the significance of the game they were set to play and the impact it would have on the course of the club’s history.

"We were under no illusions that it was just another game," Hilaire recalled, speaking with cpfc.co.uk in 2017. "We came out of the hotel and in the coach it took us about 45 minutes for a five-minute journey because of the crowds."

The crowds had gathered for the denouement to a successful 1978-79 season under…