#7 The Eagles have landed

Dad took me to my first game at Selhurst Park in 1979. A cold, rainy afternoon that funnily enough was also against Man City.

I remember being in total awe as Palace won that full-blooded contest 2-0 with a dogged display. There were moments of brilliance from my favourite player, Vince Hilaire – a trailblazer with talent in abundance, just like this audacious chip.

Nearly five decades of dreaming later and CPFC has finally won a major trophy. Lifting the FA Cup on Saturday also lifted the burden of losing in 1990 and 2016 and turned that familiar sinking feeling into absolute elation.

Nobody expected us to upset the established order. On paper, Man City with their millions and superstar squad versus the Eagles who never quite manage to land a victory.

So, here’s the gist of that plot twist with a couple of tiny, tenuous links to golf.

Decades in the making

Oh, when I was a young boy, my father said to me, listen here my son, we're CPFC.

Sung by thousands, this is Palace fandom passed down like family silver. It works like this: I took my lads to a match before they turned nine, just like Dad and me in 1979. We all sang this song and the deal was done.

Since promotion to the First Division that season nearly 50 years ago, I've seen the weight of an empty trophy cabinet become part of the club's identity. The nearly team. Talented players, exciting football, but always falling short.

Each missed opportunity adds to the pressure. So much that “when will it be our time?” starts to become “will it ever be our time?” – the ghosts that haunt every underdog.

Individual battles count

Palace's win was all about individual battles across the pitch. The mental game came first. Each tackle, each block, each interception built belief as the game went on – in the stands, in the technical area and on the pitch.

There's a tipping point where the underdog starts feeling "this is actually happening." You could see it in the players' eyes after Eze tucked away a cracker with Hilaire-esque flair and quality.

And when Henderson guessed right and stopped Marmoush's penalty. More than a save, it was one of those pivotal moments that defines a match, a season, a legacy and a club. As Alan Shearer pointed out, Henderson knew where Marmoush was going to put his penalty. But if Haaland had stepped up? “He didn't have a clue which way he was going.”

That's preparation meeting opportunity – the definition of sporting luck.

Minds on the line

Every Palace player put their body on the line in this final. They also had to put their minds on the line which is a completely different ball game (I’m thinking golf again). Because throwing yourself in front of a shot is one thing but throwing your hopes and dreams into a contest when history suggests the odds are against you is next level.

Dispelling the creeping doubts reminds me of what Rory McIlroy encountered during his career Grand Slam pursuit. Huge weight of expectation combined with the knowledge that these opportunities to change the narrative are rare, precious and fleeting.

Henderson's penalty save was a scramble in golf terms – when rescuing a par feels infinitely better than a birdie. Saving that shot was more powerful than scoring in that moment, because momentum shifts, confidence builds, and your opponents start thinking it’s not their day.

In every endeavour, you make your luck through consistently showing up in the right moments. Countless hours of reps. All the training and practicing, just so you've encountered situations before, and you can stay calm and focused in their midst.

That’s how Henderson's homework paid off big time. He guessed right, he dived right and everything was alright again.

It will be beautiful

Only it wasn’t alright at all at 1-0 for most of the game. You could see the agony on the faces of Palace fans when the board went up to show 10 minutes of stoppage time.

I was holed out in a little pub in Devon. There with my younger son while my older son was on the phone 6,000 miles away. Plus, there were a few locals (all rooting for the underdog obviously). And we all had that familiar feeling washing over us – just waiting for the sucker punch.

But sometimes the story unfolds that the underdog holds on. Sometimes years of waiting end with the referee's final whistle and there’s an eruption of disbelief, joy and utter relief.

“WEMBLEY WILL SHAKE AND IT WILL BE BEAUTIFUL” said the banner running the full length of the Palace end. Couldn’t have put it better myself. Entirely crowd-funded by the Palace fans too. Hats off to everyone involved – you did every Palace fan proud.

Then there were tears... in the Sidmouth pub and in the much noisier and more beautiful bit of Wembley.

Tears for dads who never got to witness this moment. Tears for finally seeing something their parents dreamed about. Tears of joy, remembered on this poignant tifo.

Sweeter-than-sweet landings

Sometimes good things take time to come to fruition. Palace fans (like most golfers) know this better than anyone.

For City, this was just another game they expected to win. For Palace, it was history rewritten. The new story begins “remember when we won the FA Cup” and the following chapter is next season’s Europa League.

This sweeter-than-sweet victory changes everything. And nothing. While we can now call ourselves winners it won’t go to our heads. Instead, we’ll keep singing the same old songs just as loud and proud because of what they mean and of whom they remind us.

You know it’s true, we’re red and blue.