The Crystal Palace following will be eager to climb up the table following last season's 20th-placed finish with Dougie Freedman at the helm as he undertakes his first full season as manager.
The cash-strapped Championship side failed to bring in a significant number of new additions to Selhurst Park in the summer, but have the likes of Wilfried Zaha and Darren Ambrose to lead their campaign.
Desperate to steer clear of danger this season, Sports Mole considers how the Eagles have fared so far this term.
August
Crystal Palace had a dismal start to their fresh campaign with an away defeat to Peterborough in the club's opening fixture. However, the Eagles soon gained points on the board with three consecutive victories against Burnley, Coventry and Hull City.
A positive start to their league season was mirrored in the Carling Cup as they overcame League Two side Crawley Town 2-0 at Selhurst Park.
September
The Eagles' five-game unbeaten run came to an end against Leeds United, but Freedman managed to lead his men to through the early stages of the Carling Cup following a 2-1 win over Premier League side Wigan Athletic and a victory over Middlesbrough.
Despite a successful run in the domestic cup competition, league form began to falter as Palace came unstuck and dropped six points in a fortnight. However, they did manage to finish off the month with a 3-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion at Falmer Stadium.
October
Freedman's side regained their form and snatched 11 points from a possible 15 in October, including a 2-2 draw with Championship title contenders West Ham United. The Eagles also continued their run in the Carling Cup with a 2-0 victory over league leaders Southampton, which put them through to the quarter-finals to face Premier League champions Manchester United.
November
Palace took a brief setback in the league following defeats courtesy of Cardiff City and Leicester City. However, November will be remembered as a successful month for the Eagles supporters as they watched their side claim a shock 2-1 victory over Man United in the Carling Cup quarter-final.
Palace were drawn against fellow Championship side Cardiff City, who defeated them 2-0 at the beginning of the month, in the semi-final of the competition.
The Eagles' performance against Sir Alex Ferguson's side alerted interest in their star man Wilfried Zaha, with reports claiming that a number of clubs from the top flight were interested in signing him in January.
December
Palace shared points with Derby County at Selhurst Park in their first fixture of December, but were boosted by the news that Zaha had agreed a new five-and-a-half-year deal with the Championship club.
The Eagles picked up their form against Nottingham Forest with a slender 1-0 win but couldn't force a breakthrough against Birmingham City and ended the match with a goalless draw.
Despite defeating Southampton in the Carling Cup, Palace couldn't overcome the title favourites at St Mary's Stadium towards the end of December.
Danielle Joynson
