The 2002 – 2003 season proved to be a disappointing campaign for Crystal Palace as they could only manage a 14th position finish in the league. They reached the fifth round of both the FA Cup and league cup, however suffered defeats against Leeds united and Sheffield United respectively.
The 2003 – 2004 season saw the arrival of Ian Dowie during the campaign and after being in the bottom five during the Christmas time period; Dowie sparked a remarkable revival at the club as they enjoyed a fantastic run finishing the season off in a strong sixth position. They defeated West Ham United in the play off final as they gained promotion in to the premiership. Andy Johnson was prolific in front of goal for Palace during the 2003 – 2004 and 2004 – 2005 season as he scored over 20 goals for the club in both campaigns.
The 2004 – 2005 season saw Crystal palace stumble back in the premier league and they finished the season off in a very disappointing 18th position as they suffered relegation back in to the second tier of English football.
Palace finished the 2005 – 2006 campaign off in sixth position, however they stumbled to a 3-0 defeat against Watford in the semi finals of the play offs to crash out of the running for premiership football.