March 27, 2010. Crystal Palace, mired in a Championship relegation battle thrust upon them by a 10-point deduction for entering administration at the end of January, trail visitors Cardiff City 2-1.



With time ticking down, manager Paul Hart opts to make a solitary change. A fresh-faced teenager with his shirt tucked into his baggy shorts is tasked with finding a spark.



That substitution marked the start of something special.



Barely a handful of people really knew of Wilfried Zaha then. This was a 17-year-old whose name had just started to crop up after strong performances in the youth team. In an FA Youth Cup tie the previous month, he had tricked Paul Dummett into bringing him down in the Newcastle United penalty area. Two minutes earlier, Dummett had blocked Zaha’s goal-bound effort with his hand, and then watched Jak Alnwick save Joe Goldsmith’s spot-kick.



Dummett may take a hint of comfort in the knowledge that many players since have...