The step that preceded seven consecutive seasons of top flight football and counting: Crystal Palace's promotion to the Premier League in the 2013 play-off final.
Having dispatched Brighton & Hove Albion in the semi-finals thanks to Wilfried Zaha's brace on the south coast, Ian Holloway led Palace to Wembley for a bright spring afternoon and 120 minutes of excruciating viewing.
Palace's rivals that day were Watford, who had finished two points off automatic promotion in third place. The Hornets, managed by the great Gianfranco Zola, were a close adversary for the Eagles and the two teams couldn't be split by the standard 90 minutes of time.