Crystal Palace 1987–1991: Coppell, Wright & Bright Break the Yo-Yo Cycle
- Graham Dunn
- Sep 4, 2025
- 5 min read
Updated: Dec 3, 2025
The Crystal Palace 1987–1991 era under Steve Coppell marked the Eagles’ greatest modern chapter. Powered by the fearless strike duo of Ian Wright and Mark Bright, Palace broke free of their yo-yo club reputation, rose from the second tier, and came within minutes of FA Cup glory. It was a thrilling mix of non-league discoveries, late bloomers, and pure South London spirit.
There is a strange quirk that two of the men integral in Crystal Palace reaching their highest ever league position and the brink of a first ever major trophy were both early and late developers.
Palace of course last year gloriously won the FA Cup to secure their first ever major trophy. But before then the closest they came was under Steve Coppell’s management in the early 1990s when they were seven agonising minutes from the winning the FA Cup and won the Full Members Cup (which was an agonising five teams away from being a proper trophy).
Coppell, more cerebral than the average footballer, started early in the management game. At 28 years and 10 months, he was one of the youngest managers ever when perennial yo-yo club Palace appointed him in the summer of 1984. Five years later he had guided Palace into the top-flight, where they were to make themselves unusually comfortable.
With limited budget, Coppell did much of his shopping in the non-leagues. Here Palace unearthed the rough diamond that was Ian Wright. Palace signed Wright 3 months before his 22nd birthday in the summer of 1985 – Wright embarking on his professional career only seven years younger than Coppell started managing.
Wright was one of those periodic finds from the non-leagues – an overlooked natural goal-scorer. Jamie Vardy and Kevin Phillips both trod similar paths.
But it was when Mark Bright signed a year later, that Wright went on to form one of the most potent and satisfyingly rhyming strike partnerships in football. Ironically around the same time Glenn Hoddle and Chris Waddle were briefly enjoying a similar rhyming duet, but unaccountably chose to record under the name Glenn and Chris instead.
After a sluggish first season, Wright and Bright got going. They scored 49 goals between them in 1987-88 and 58 the following season – when Palace earned promotion back to the top-flight.
Wright though was not alone in stepping up from non-league and making a name for himself in Palace’s 1990 FA Cup run. Andy Gray had similarly signed from non-league and initially top-scored before dropping back into midfield to accommodate Wright. Midfielder Alan Pardew was also plucked from non-league.
Both Gray and Pardew made telling contributions in the FA Cup semi-final win against Liverpool, a game Wright missed through injury. As if there was not already enough reason for lack of optimism given a dominant Liverpool were on course for a league and cup double, Palace had been humiliated 9-0 at Anfield earlier that season. That did though at least prompt the signing of the first million pound keeper Nigel Martyn and centre back Andy Thorn, who had recent cup history with Liverpool having been part of the Wimbledon side that beat them in 1988 final.
Palace had amazingly recovered from goal down to take a 2-1 lead in the second half of the semi-final only for Liverpool to edge back ahead 3-2. But a last-minute header from Gray took the game to extra time and Pardew’s extra time winner saw Palace on their way to Wembley in the most dramatic of games.
Glenn Hoddle and Chris Waddle were briefly enjoying a similar rhyming duet, but unaccountably chose to record under the name Glenn and Chris instead.
Unbelievably, TV viewers – in the day when back-to-back games were a novelty to plan your whole weekend by – were then treated to a 3-3 draw in which Oldham were an extra time Mark Hughes volley away from pulling off a second great shock of the day.
Come the final Coppell was left with the dilemma of whether to risk the talismanic Wright, who was still to fully recover from injury. He stuck with the team and five-man midfield that had flummoxed Liverpool. The game mirrored the semi-final, only this time Palace had taken the lead through centre-back Gavin O’Reilly only for Man United to go 2-1 up. On 69 minutes, Coppell gambled on the fitness of Wright. Three minutes later Palace were level and within two minutes of extra time starting, Wright had a second and the lead.
There the fairy-tale ended. United equalised, Ferguson ruthlessly dropped keeper Jim Leighton and Palace lost an under-whelming replay 1-0 with Wright unable to impact the game from the bench a second time.
For United and Ferguson, this was to be the start of a legacy. Things initially got better for Palace too. Fired on by the goals of Wright and Bright, Palace finished a record third the following season and returned to Wembley to win the Full Members Cup (a year before it was scrapped).
However, the exploits of Wright and Bright – who scored more than a 100 goals each for Palace, mostly during a fruitful five-year partnership – had caught the eye and big money moves followed. Wright joined Arsenal and Bright moved to Sheffield Wednesday the following season.
After a 10th place finish in 1991-92, Palace were inaugural members of the Premier League in the 1992-93. But there were among the first sides to be relegated from the Premier League – albeit with it 24 more points than Leicester managed last year. Coppell quit after nine years in charge, though would return later, but Palace were back to being a yo-yo club.
How We Ranked Them
We have five categories of greatness from our five-star All-Time Greats category at the top to our one-star Blinkered Greats category at the bottom. Despite our love for Ian Wright, failing to get over the FA Cup finishing line sees this Palace royalty in the second bottom category of.
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EDGE OF GREATNESS
Listen To The Podcast
Join hosts Graham Dunn and Jamie Rooney — with London football expert Stuart Burgess — as they revisit Crystal Palace 1987–1991, the era of Wright and Bright, FA Cup dreams, and Coppell’s quiet revolution that made Palace believe again.
While English teams except Liverpool had been readmitted to European football by 1991, Palace were denied a place in the UEFA League as English teams only had two European spots at that point. Here they join the list of teams cruelly denied a rare chance of European football including Coventry, Norwich, Southampton, Luton and Oxford United.
Further Listening
Evertonian Declan Clark joined us to look at the other great 1990 FA Cup semi-finalist, second tier Oldham Athletic. Fuelled by Joe Royle and a host of former Everton players, the Latics embarked on the most incredible run that year which also took in a League Cup final appearance and saw Rick Holden become (almost certainly) the only second tier footballer to appear on Question of Sport.
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