Seven games, no goals, zero points. Crystal Palace suffered a horrendous Premier League start this season—but then stunned everyone in the football world by producing a 2-1 win over champions Chelsea on Saturday.

A run of results such as that is the ultimate test of any fan's loyalty, so we tracked down Ben Mintram, a 25-year-old Palace supporter who has been to every game this season.

He gave Bleacher Report the rundown on how it felt to finally see his side hit the net.

"I didn't realise quite how much I love celebrating goals until my team went five months without scoring one," Mintram said.

"I travel home and away with Crystal Palace and haven't missed a single minute of this season's action. It's fair to say it's been pretty painful—until Saturday, anyway.

"I waited 641 minutes for our first Premier League goal—then two came along at once. It was worth the wait.

"I know people probably think I'm mad at the best of times, spending hundreds of pounds travelling hundreds of miles to watch a football team.

"I don't expect everyone to understand, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Going to watch Palace has become an addiction and part of my life.

"I know some people in London who support Manchester United or Liverpool but only get to watch their team play on TV. I can't really relate to that.

"At Palace, I feel a real connection to the team and part of what actually happens on the pitch. Supporters can really make a difference, and that is something I love about getting behind our players every week.

"I don't really have any major responsibilities in my life right now, so I'm making the most of it. One day, I'll probably have kids and won't be able to do this. So every week it's just a question of how I'm getting to the game, not if I'm going.

"I have been following Palace since I was seven years old, so I'm pretty well-drilled in managing expectation. But I have to admit, I didn't expect us to suffer the worst-ever start in Premier League history.

"We played seven games, lost all of them and failed to score a goal. And what's funny is that I was expecting us to have a good season.

"Before the first game, at home to Huddersfield Town, I was pretty excited. Frank de Boer was our new manager, and I was telling my mates I was optimistic of a push into the top half of the table.

"That dream quickly started to fall apart, as we were beaten 3-0 at home to the newly promoted side, but I put it down to a bad day at the office. We had a new manager trying to implement a new style, and Huddersfield were buoyed by their first game in the Premier League.

"But it was the beginning of the end for De Boer. We went up to Liverpool for the next game and stayed overnight. I spent £40 on a hotel, £30 on the train ticket and another £30 on my match ticket, which is the norm now at away matches.

"Christian Benteke had a good chance to score, but we lost the game 1-0. Generally, we were still in good spirits, and we felt there was no need to panic.

"It was a week later, at home to Swansea City, that the panic did set in. A calamitous moment between Palace goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey and defender Martin Kelly summed up our early season, and with the Swans 2-0 up after 48 minutes, we spent the rest of the game resigned to defeat.

"It was a horrible feeling but one that was becoming all too familiar. My season ticket is in the Holmesdale End, and our fans are noisy and usually have belief. But this was beginning to feel different.

"Next I travelled up to Burnley. I actually stayed with a mate in Manchester, and then a group of us shared a taxi to the ground as it was cheapest option.

"We were 1-0 down after just three minutes after another mistake, and even though we had some good chances in the game, they all fell to defender Scott Dann. Again, we lost.

"Our manager lost his job after that game—and not many Palace fans thought that was the wrong decision. Roy Hodgson took over, and because of his success at similar-sized clubs in Fulham and West Bromwich Albion, I could see the sense in it.

"Still, his first game at home to Southampton followed a familiar Palace theme. We conceded an early goal, were devoid of confidence and lost the game. By now, our terrible record had really become a talking point.

"We had become the first top-flight team since 1888 to start a season with five defeats and no goals. At least we were in the record books for something.

"As a fan who goes to every game, I didn't start to question whether I should remain loyal. Going to Palace is what I do, and I had booked up all my trips by then anyway. That was all sorted on the day the fixture list was released.

"And so, a week later, I went to watch us play at Manchester City. I have been to the Etihad Stadium six times before, and I think the aggregate score from those matches was about 23-1. We started this latest game pretty well, but when City scored before half-time, the writing was on the wall.

"We had not sold out our away allocation for the game—no surprise, really. But I was there right to the end of a 5-0 defeat. At this point, it dawned on me I had another trip to Manchester booked seven days later, this time to watch us at Old Trafford.

"I'm not going to lie, travelling to Manchester Piccadilly was beginning to feel more like going to work than going for a fun day out. But nevertheless, I was there for our 4-0 defeat at the hands of Man United.

"I'd say there are about 300 or 400 Palace fans who go to every away game, and you recognise the same old faces. By the end of the United game, we were making fun of ourselves. Our chant to the United fans at the end of the game was 'How s--t must you be—it's only 4-0.'

"And so on Saturday, we headed back to Selhurst Park to take on Chelsea. I was optimistic in comparison to how I felt about facing City and United but still didn't expect to win—or score.

"The moment we went 1-0 up was totally mad, even though it was actually an own goal. At first, I wasn't sure how to react. After all, it had been a while since this had happened. But then I just got lost in the moment.

"When Wilfried Zaha scored to make it 2-1, I think I went even crazier, along with everyone around me. It was a really good goal and felt special. The atmosphere was amazing, and the whole ground was rocking.

"I still can't believe it turned out to be the winner and that we beat Chelsea. It was an amazing way to end a terrible run of form.

"It's fair to say we celebrated into the small hours. It was great to get to the pub after the game and see people with smiles on their faces again.

"All those disappointing games and low moments were suddenly forgotten, and now the terrible start might actually serve as a good lesson going forward.

"I know I'm never going to forget this season—and I certainly won't be taking goals for granted ever again."