Crystal Palace FA Cup victory parade attracts thousands of fans

Thousands of Crystal Palace fans have lined the streets to congratulate their football heroes at a victory parade following their FA Cup win.

The route near Palace’s Selhurst Park stadium in south London became a sea of blue and red as cheering and chanting fans blew horns and waved flags, and residents along the route displayed banners and scarves in their windows.

The players showed off their trophy during a 45-minute long open-top bus parade, before a large a “party on the pitch” event inside the ground.

The team were celebrating winning the first major trophy in their history, following their 1-0 win over Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on 17 May.

Many fans told the BBC it was a day they had been waiting for all their lives.

Following the parade, fans with tickets filed into the stadium to see the team lift the cup once again, as confetti rained down on the players.

Manager Oliver Glasner told the crowd: “I couldn’t be more pleased to manage a club like Crystal Palace with fans like you guys.

“We had tough moments but you were always behind us.”

Goalkeeper Dean Henderson, who saved a penalty in the final, told fans the celebration was “phenomenal”, adding that supporters “deserve it”.

“Look at the turnout; they have been our 12th man all season,” Henderson said.

Following speeches and the club’s end-of-season awards, fireworks were set off and the club’s anthem Glad All Over blasted from the PA system as the players left the stage.

They were later seen high-fiving some of the fans as they left the pitch while more red and blue confetti rained down.

Earlier, local resident and Palace fan Billy Thompson – a Team GB goalkeeper in the 2012 Paralympics – told the BBC the parade was “fantastic” and gave him “goosebumps”.

He said it felt “surreal” to see the trophy in such close proximity.

“I’ve enjoyed this more than the Paralympics… because this is Crystal Palace. We deserve this. This is our time now,” he said.

He said the crowd was at least eight-deep at one point.

“There were kids everywhere, standing on walls… it was lovely; a lovely family experience… really good atmosphere.”

Students Luka Chijiutomi-Ghosh and Talya Kuleshnyk arrived long before the parade to secure a good spot near the start of the route.

Ms Kuleshnyk, 18, said she expected the atmosphere to be “electric”.

She said: “I only became a Crystal Palace fan a few months ago and since then I’m really invested.

“I love the games and it’s just incredible to see that they’ve won a trophy and it’s mad to see all these people come out. I’m so excited and it’s amazing.”

Mr Chijiutomi-Ghosh, also 18, an Eagles fan growing up in Thornton Heath, joked that Ms Kuleshnyk had been “quite spoilt”.

“I’ve tried to explain the previous years of finishing 12th and having never won a trophy; nothing,” he said.

“I’m so happy that there’s actually a parade in south London… It’s unreal. I feel like I’m dreaming.”