We continue our preview of this weekend's relegation shoot-out in the Championship as Nobes takes a look at previous relegation battles involving Sheffield Wednesday and Crystal Palace.
If Owls and Eagles fans making their way to Hillsborough on Sunday feel nervous, at least they'll be able to draw upon previous experience to see them through 90 anxious minutes.
This is by no means the first time Wednesday and Palace have found themselves fighting the drop from the Championship in the past ten years. Indeed, it's the fourth time the Yorkshire outfit have found themselves in such a position.
Here's their relegation form:
2000/1
Scenario:
.............................P....GD.....PTS
20. Huddersfield.....43....-8........46
21. Portsmouth......43....-11.......46
--------------------------------------------
22. Crystal Palace..44....-16.......43
23. QPR................45....-30.......39
24. Tranmere.........45....-31.......37
With two games to go, Crystal Palace's survival hopes weren't looking good. They'd played a game more than the side immediately above them - Portsmouth - who they trailed by three points.
To make matters worse, their last two fixtures were both away - starting with Portsmouth at Fratton Park. Caretaker boss Steve Kember managed to inspire them to a 4-2 win over Pompey that lifted them out of the bottom three.
However, on the final day, while Pompey were crushing Barnsley on the South Coast, Palace were toiling at Stockport. With relegation rivals Grimsby winning and Huddersfield losing, Palace knew they had to win to stay up.
Then, with just three minutes left on the clock, a long ball forward found Dougie Freedman whose jinking run ended with him smashing a shot past Stockport keeper Lee Jones.
The 1-0 win was enough to keep Palace up by a single point - and send Huddersfield down to League One.
Outcome:
.............................P....GD.....PTS
20. Portsmouth......46....-12.......49
21. Crystal Palace..46....-13.......49
--------------------------------------------
22. Huddersfield.....46....-9........48
23. QPR................46....-30.......40
24. Tranmere.........46....-31.......38
2001/2
Scenario:
.............................P....GD.....PTS
20. Rotherham........45...-12.......49
21. Sheff Wed.........45...-22.......49
--------------------------------------------
22. Crewe...............45...-31.......46
23. Barnsley...........45....-28.......45
24. Stockport..........45....-58.......26
After being relegated from the Premier League two seasons previously, Sheffield Wednesday now found themselves in a fight to avoid demotion to the third tier.
Unbelievably, their fight to stay up went down to the final day as they lost their penultimate match away to already relegated Stockport.
It would have taken a mathematical miracle, but with a difficult final game against promotion chasing Wolves, coupled with Crewe facing struggling Rotherham, it was not impossible.
In the end, Wednesday's 2-2 draw was enough to see them survive, even with Crewe's victory. It had been an embarrassingly close shave for the Owls though.
Outcome:
.............................P....GD.....PTS
20. Sheff Wed.........46...-22.......50
21. Rotherham........46...-14.......49
--------------------------------------------
22. Crewe...............46...-29.......49
23. Barnsley...........46....-27.......48
24. Stockport..........46....-60.......26
2002/3
Scenario:
.............................P....GD.....PTS
21. Stoke City.........43...-25......44
--------------------------------------------
22. Brighton...........43...-22.......40
23. Sheff Wed........43...-23.......39
24. Grimsby...........43...-35.......38
A year on from winning their Championship survival battle, Sheffield Wednesday found themselves in trouble once again.
With three games to go, they faced a vital six pointer away at fellow strugglers Brighton. They got off to the perfect start with Grant Holt's first half strike. However, Bobby Zamora drew the Seagulls level.
It ended 1-1 which, coupled with Stoke's win at Coventry, consigned the Owls to the drop with two games to go.
A 7-2 win over Burnley and a 2-1 success against Walsall were purely academic as Wednesday geared themselves up for life in the third tier.
Outcome:
.............................P....GD.....PTS
21. Stoke City.........46...-24......50
--------------------------------------------
22. Sheff Wed........46...-17.......46
23. Brighton...........46...-18.......44
24. Grimsby...........46...-37.......39
2007/8
Scenario:
.............................P....GD.....PTS
20. Leicester..........44.....-1.......51
21. Southampton....44....-17......50
--------------------------------------------
22. Sheff Wed........44.....-6.......49
23. Scunthorpe.......44....-24......42
24. Colchester........44....-23......37
Back in the Championship for two seasons, Wednesday struggled throughout their third year in the second tier under Brian Laws.
The Owls lost their first six games, and rarely looked like escaping an especially congested fight to avoid the drop. In their third from last game, a crucial loss to relegation rivals Blackpool plunged them into the relegation zone.
With just two matches left, and on a run of eight without a win, they travelled to fellow strugglers Leicester knowing defeat could send them down.
Things looked bleak when they fell behind to Iain Hume's early goal, but the Owls hit back before the break to level matters and went on to score twice in the second half. The 3-1 win lifted them out of the bottom three.
They were still just a point above the drop zone though, and knew only a win against Norwich in their final game would definitely secure their Championship status.
They duly obliged - thumping the Canaries 4-1 in-front of over 36,000 at Hillsborough. The victory enough to lift them up to 16th in an incredibly tight bottom half.
Scenario:
.............................P....GD.....PTS
16. Sheff Wed........46.....-1.......55
17. Norwich............46....-10......55
18. Barnsley...........46....-13......55
19. Blackpool.........46.....-5.......54
20. Southampton....46....-16......54
21. Coventry..........46....-12......53
--------------------------------------------
22. Leicester..........46.....-3.......52
23. Scunthorpe.......46....-23......46
24. Colchester........46....-24......38
What about 2009/10? Will Wednesday manage to successfully fight off the drop again? Or will Palace extend their run in the top two tiers to 34 years?
If Owls and Eagles fans making their way to Hillsborough on Sunday feel nervous, at least they'll be able to draw upon previous experience to see them through 90 anxious minutes.
This is by no means the first time Wednesday and Palace have found themselves fighting the drop from the Championship in the past ten years. Indeed, it's the fourth time the Yorkshire outfit have found themselves in such a position.
Here's their relegation form:
2000/1
Scenario:
.............................P....GD.....PTS
20. Huddersfield.....43....-8........46
21. Portsmouth......43....-11.......46
--------------------------------------------
22. Crystal Palace..44....-16.......43
23. QPR................45....-30.......39
24. Tranmere.........45....-31.......37
With two games to go, Crystal Palace's survival hopes weren't looking good. They'd played a game more than the side immediately above them - Portsmouth - who they trailed by three points.
To make matters worse, their last two fixtures were both away - starting with Portsmouth at Fratton Park. Caretaker boss Steve Kember managed to inspire them to a 4-2 win over Pompey that lifted them out of the bottom three.
However, on the final day, while Pompey were crushing Barnsley on the South Coast, Palace were toiling at Stockport. With relegation rivals Grimsby winning and Huddersfield losing, Palace knew they had to win to stay up.
Then, with just three minutes left on the clock, a long ball forward found Dougie Freedman whose jinking run ended with him smashing a shot past Stockport keeper Lee Jones.
The 1-0 win was enough to keep Palace up by a single point - and send Huddersfield down to League One.
Outcome:
.............................P....GD.....PTS
20. Portsmouth......46....-12.......49
21. Crystal Palace..46....-13.......49
--------------------------------------------
22. Huddersfield.....46....-9........48
23. QPR................46....-30.......40
24. Tranmere.........46....-31.......38
2001/2
Scenario:
.............................P....GD.....PTS
20. Rotherham........45...-12.......49
21. Sheff Wed.........45...-22.......49
--------------------------------------------
22. Crewe...............45...-31.......46
23. Barnsley...........45....-28.......45
24. Stockport..........45....-58.......26
After being relegated from the Premier League two seasons previously, Sheffield Wednesday now found themselves in a fight to avoid demotion to the third tier.
Unbelievably, their fight to stay up went down to the final day as they lost their penultimate match away to already relegated Stockport.
It would have taken a mathematical miracle, but with a difficult final game against promotion chasing Wolves, coupled with Crewe facing struggling Rotherham, it was not impossible.
In the end, Wednesday's 2-2 draw was enough to see them survive, even with Crewe's victory. It had been an embarrassingly close shave for the Owls though.
Outcome:
.............................P....GD.....PTS
20. Sheff Wed.........46...-22.......50
21. Rotherham........46...-14.......49
--------------------------------------------
22. Crewe...............46...-29.......49
23. Barnsley...........46....-27.......48
24. Stockport..........46....-60.......26
2002/3
Scenario:
.............................P....GD.....PTS
21. Stoke City.........43...-25......44
--------------------------------------------
22. Brighton...........43...-22.......40
23. Sheff Wed........43...-23.......39
24. Grimsby...........43...-35.......38
A year on from winning their Championship survival battle, Sheffield Wednesday found themselves in trouble once again.
With three games to go, they faced a vital six pointer away at fellow strugglers Brighton. They got off to the perfect start with Grant Holt's first half strike. However, Bobby Zamora drew the Seagulls level.
It ended 1-1 which, coupled with Stoke's win at Coventry, consigned the Owls to the drop with two games to go.
A 7-2 win over Burnley and a 2-1 success against Walsall were purely academic as Wednesday geared themselves up for life in the third tier.
Outcome:
.............................P....GD.....PTS
21. Stoke City.........46...-24......50
--------------------------------------------
22. Sheff Wed........46...-17.......46
23. Brighton...........46...-18.......44
24. Grimsby...........46...-37.......39
2007/8
Scenario:
.............................P....GD.....PTS
20. Leicester..........44.....-1.......51
21. Southampton....44....-17......50
--------------------------------------------
22. Sheff Wed........44.....-6.......49
23. Scunthorpe.......44....-24......42
24. Colchester........44....-23......37
Back in the Championship for two seasons, Wednesday struggled throughout their third year in the second tier under Brian Laws.
The Owls lost their first six games, and rarely looked like escaping an especially congested fight to avoid the drop. In their third from last game, a crucial loss to relegation rivals Blackpool plunged them into the relegation zone.
With just two matches left, and on a run of eight without a win, they travelled to fellow strugglers Leicester knowing defeat could send them down.
Things looked bleak when they fell behind to Iain Hume's early goal, but the Owls hit back before the break to level matters and went on to score twice in the second half. The 3-1 win lifted them out of the bottom three.
They were still just a point above the drop zone though, and knew only a win against Norwich in their final game would definitely secure their Championship status.
They duly obliged - thumping the Canaries 4-1 in-front of over 36,000 at Hillsborough. The victory enough to lift them up to 16th in an incredibly tight bottom half.
Scenario:
.............................P....GD.....PTS
16. Sheff Wed........46.....-1.......55
17. Norwich............46....-10......55
18. Barnsley...........46....-13......55
19. Blackpool.........46.....-5.......54
20. Southampton....46....-16......54
21. Coventry..........46....-12......53
--------------------------------------------
22. Leicester..........46.....-3.......52
23. Scunthorpe.......46....-23......46
24. Colchester........46....-24......38
What about 2009/10? Will Wednesday manage to successfully fight off the drop again? Or will Palace extend their run in the top two tiers to 34 years?
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