Steve Coppell guided the eagle to a dramatic improvement in the second division during the 1985 – 1986 second division campaign as his side finished off the season in a very strong fifth position finish. Palace were gradually improving under Steve Coppell during the late 1980’s and were hovering around the top six of the second division for most the late 1980’s. It was the 1988 – 1989 season where Crystal Palace found magical form as they were in emphatic form in the second division throughout the season as they finished it off in third position, in turn resulting in the club to gain promotion in to the first division. They crashed out of the league cup and FA cup in the third round of the cup competitions as they suffered defeats against Stoke City and Bristol city.
The 1989 – 1990 campaign was one of the finest in the clubs football history. They enjoyed a comfortable season in the top flight, finishing off in 15th position. They enjoyed the most fantastic run in the FA Cup, reaching the semi finals of the cup competition, meeting Liverpool in the last four of the cup competition, defeating the Reds 4-3. After drawing the FA Cup final with Manchester United 3-3, they suffered a 1-0 defeat in the replay to finish off runners up.
The 1989 – 1990 Crystal palace team included players like, Nigel Martyn, John Pemberton, Richard Shaw, Andy Gray, Jeff Hopkins, Andy Thorn, Phil Barber, Geoff Thomas, Mark Bright, Ian Wright and Alan Pardew.