IT might have been a wet Tuesday, but Crystal Palace fans were determined to play a key role in saving their club.

Around 250 supporters gathered outside Lloyds Bank headquarters in central London to make a last ditch bid to stop the club from going into liquidation.

And with television cameras and news reporters gathering at the scene their point was being made loud and clear.

The fans had also gathered at Selhurst Park the day before. The aim was simple -to make sure anybody in that building who could stop Palace from becoming extinct knew how much the club meant to the fans.

And with the news filtering back later that the Eagles had been saved, it's fair to say this was mission accomplished.

Richard Wilsher, who helped to organise the march through supporters message boards CPFC BBS and social networking website Facebook, said he felt "elated".

He believes the fans helped push things through.

The 27-year-old said: "I'm just absolutely delighted, I can't put it into words.

"Yesterday (Tuesday) I would like to think made all the difference. We put pressure on the bank in a very public way."

Jane Vigus, 56, from Selhurst, agreed the supporters played a vital role in saving the club.

She said: "In these last few days I think the fans have been very important.

"Putting pressure on the bank was very important, as I'm sure Lloyds was very concerned about its public relations.

"But the consortium, I love you. They have done a brilliant job in overcoming all sorts of obstacles, trying to bring the club and the ground together."

Raj Chandarana, 39, a member of the Crystal Palace Supporters' Trust board, thought there might have been panic from inside the bank when the supporters headed up en masse.

"They probably thought we were going to raid the bank or something stupid because that's the impression some people have of a bunch of football fans," he said. "What they don't realise is that football fans are living their lives day in, day out like anyone else.

"They just happen to have a passion for football. It's been peaceful and good humoured."

And he too believes the role of fans, with the demonstrations and vocal support, cannot be underestimated.

He added: "I just think it was the thing that tipped it over to the side of common sense.

"There was a real danger that a silence of fan involvement may have led to things quietly disappearing."

Despite the nervous wait, the fans tried to keep their cool on Tuesday by kicking a football about and singing songs, some tongue-in-cheek about "bankers".

A yellow Lamborghini parked outside the bank was left covered in red and blue posters, scarves and flags, as the Eagles made their mark on central London.

The passion was clear at the peaceful demonstration.

Paul Raeburn, 27, said: "This is a great example, in a bad way, of how difficult it is to run a football club at the moment.

"It's clear people care strongly about what happens to a club that has been around for over 100 years."

Paul Paige, 42, who stood in the rain with his eight-year-old daughter Ashleigh, said: "I had to come down here. If this club was taken away no way would I support another team like Millwall or Charlton."

John Humphries, 38, explained: "It's so much more than just a football club in Croydon.

"Crystal Palace is the lifeblood of the community.

"It shouldn't have been in this position."

Dave Ling, 46, added: "Even if we had achieved nothing, I couldn't have just sat at home and done nothing."

There were celebrations when the news was announced and now fans are starting to look forward to next season.

Describing the protests, Clive Wilder, 47, from Kenley, said: "It was more symbolic than anything else.

"It showed that people care and whether we made a difference is questionable.

"But when everything's signed and sealed we can now look forward to next season."