Huddersfield Town 1 – 0 Crystal Palace; Curse of the Old Boys as Palace Struggle in West Yorkshire Winds!

A goal just after the hour from James Vaughan meant Palace was to suffer from that typical football curse of the old boy at a wind locked John Smith’s Stadium on Wednesday night. On a night where the elements came to dominate both teams struggled to come to terms with the high winds swirling in off the Pennines and around the pitch.

Palace gave a debut to Ashley (Jazz) Richards on loan from Swansea City as Jacob Butterfield continued to partner Mile Jedinak in midfield. This partnership given time to develop as KG Dikgacoi’s absence at the African Cup of Nations remains keenly felt. However Butterfield looked to be settled in to the Palace midfield standing firm in a match where a Palace side showed endeavour without any individual truly standing out. Up against Palace was four old boys from the period of our survival fight that ended so successfully in South Yorkshire at Sheffield Wednesday. Alan Lee and Sean Scannell started on the bench with James Vaughan up front and Neil Danns on loan from Leicester in Huddersfield’s midfield.

Indeed it was Neil Danns who set the tone for the fashion in which the match would be played. Going in two footed on Moritz, Danns escaped without even a booking when in fact he was very lucky not to be sent off. This raised the temperature on the field on a cold night for the supporters off the field as the referee struggled to keep control. The referee’s performance proved frustrating and inconsistent for both teams. On a number of occasions he inadvertently affected the flow of the game upsetting Huddersfield fans. His inability to clamp down on time wasting frustrated the hardy band of travelling Palace fans and led to seven minutes of stoppage time.

In the first half chances were limited as the game was affected by the windy conditions. Both sides tried to maximise the conditions by exploiting the winds with long range efforts. Bolasie stung the palms of Alex Smithies from distance and Huddersfield’s Scott Arfield tested Julian Speroni’s reflexes in the Palace goal. The away wheelchairs were housed in a far corner high up in the John Smith’s Stand behind the goal, a long way from the pitch so it was difficult to gauge distance and depth perception at the far end of the field. What was clear was the intense physical battle going on in the centre of the park. Ultimately the conditions ruined the game but Huddersfield in coming to terms with the conditions the better of the two sides earned what could prove a more than useful three points.

James Vaughan’s neat sixty fifth minute effort was a good finish and proved the rule of the ex. Despite going close to an equaliser through substitute Jermaine Easter the game ended in controversy following a supposed elbow by ex Palace striker Alan Lee on current Palace midfield enforcer Mile Jedinak. The incident went unpunished and Jedinak later required hospital treatment, causing a no show from Palace boss Holloway at the post match press conference and a bad tempered end to the game.

Another frustrating away defeat as Palace came away with nothing in a match where neither side did enough to deserve the win. A cold midweek trip to the edge of the Pennines left Palace feeling cold about their recent away form. Not ideal preparation for Saturday’s London derby against Charlton Athletic but Saturday does present an immediate opportunity to get back to winning ways!

 

Alex Marrow Returns from Long Layoff as Freedman’s Return Ends in Respectful Stalemate.

Play football and be thankful for the memories rather than bitter were the correct reaction from Palace fans to Dougie Freedman on his return to Selhurst Park. Ollie’s boys returned to league action at home after back to back away defeats at Burnley in the league and Stoke in the Cup after extra time. The need for victory seemed pressing after a number of recent draws over Christmas and the New Year has handed the initiative for automatic promotion to Cardiff, although the second automatic promotion spot is up for grabs.

The problem that presented itself to Palace was because originally this was the Palace that Dougie built, he could set Bolton up to neutralise Palace’s threat. The wide men for Palace, Bolasie and Zaha could not get into the game in the first half as Alonso and Lee marked them tightly. This forced Palace to play high balls in the air to Murray and debutant Alex Nimely up front. The conditions were not conducive to free flowing football. Snowy conditions throughout meant a veil of snow fell over the pitch and this was visible from the Arthur Waite Stand during the match. Murray followed up a Bolasie shot to score an offside goal in a more eventful moment of the first half. Yet generally Bolton physicality rather like Stoke in midweek could not cope with the skill levels of the magnificent Wilfried Zaha. Indifferent refereeing however meant Palace could not fully capitalise on his brilliance.

In the second half a jinking Zaha run caused chaos in the Bolton defence only for his shot to hit the post as Moritz put the rebound wide. The introduction of Moritz and Williams for Nimely and Jacob Butterfield both of whom had solid if uneventful debuts, added urgency and more fluency to Palace’s play. Zaha starred again. Intricate and precise play with Bolasie, Moritz, and Williams caused havoc for the Bolton defence creating more chances for Murray that the Championships top marksman could not convert. As hard as they tried Palace could not break down a solid, well organised, if slightly clued up Bolton backline.

As a result one of the more significant moments of the second half came with a substitution. The return of Palace defender Alex Marrow from a long term injury on seventy three minutes may prove far more significant to Palace’s season than the return of a former boss. Strength in depth is all important to any squad so the return to match fitness of Marrow to support the backline can only be welcome. The arrival on loan from Norwich of Butterfield strengthens the midfield options to cover KG Dikgacoi’s absence to the African Cup of Nations. The arrival of Nimely on loan from Manchester City offers more striking options upfront alongside Murray and Easter.

Indeed Marrow slotted in nicely alongside Moxey and Delaney in the Palace backline, coping well with the threat from Bolton. Hence it was Crystal Palace on the front foot for the majority of the match. An inability to find a breakthrough and break Bolton down meant the match ended 0 – 0. Another draw and another failure to convert one point to all three may prove a hindrance to promotion. Palace does however hold the longest unbeaten run in the Championship and having not lost at home since the opening day of the campaign Selhurst Park is being turned into a fortress.

A mere six defeats all season in the league shows Palace certainly have the pedigree for promotion the requirement now is to find some new momentum. The questions that may persist in the minds of those Palace fans at Stoke in midweek is can the team bridge the quality gap to the Premier League over an extended period? Or indeed can Palace first of all make it to the Premier League? Regardless of the answers to these questions what cannot be in doubt are the professionalism, heart, and commitment to the cause of this very good Palace side. The answers to the rest will come in the fullness of time.     

A Tale of Two Penalties as Walters Finds Redemption!

Two extra time goals from Jon Walters meant Stoke City ran out 4 – 1 winners over a spirited Palace side in an FA Cup replay played in freezing conditions at the Britannia Stadium. It was a tale of two penalties in normal time as Palace prodigies Zaha and Williams tormented Ryan Shawcross. Yet where Glenn Murray scored on eighty seven minutes, Jermaine Easter failed to convert ten minutes before the break.

Thomas Sorensen starred in goal for Stoke. Saving a penalty from Easter and making a number of other good stops to thwart Palace on a number of occasions, including denying Easter in the closing stages of the second half. Indeed the gulf in experience between the two stoppers on display was evident when a mistake from Lewis Price in the Palace goal allowed a soft Kenwyne Jones header to slip past him when he really should have gathered it up.

There were positives for Palace as the return from injury of Jonny Williams continues at pace as it proved with him being influential in winning the second penalty. Matt Parsons stood up well in defence and the exciting youngster Hiram Boateng linked up well with Zaha in the first half and Bolasie in the second half. Replaced by Moritz on sixty five minutes it was Palace who created a number of chances as the academy product brought energy to the Palace attack, as the Eagles pace and vibrancy was a contrast in styles to the physicality of the Potters attack.

In the end Palace ran out of steam in extra time. Jon Walters came to the fore after last Saturdays horror show against Chelsea to clinically take his chances. An extra time brace from Walters and a Cameron Jerome goal punished Palace for missing opportunities in front of goal. This Put a comfortable 4 – 1 gloss on the score line reflecting Premier League finishing. Palace matched Stoke over two games with two draws in ninety minutes that would have earned two points over a league season.

If they do come up against Stoke in the league next season it will be a clash of styles. Palace has the fight to go toe to toe now when they are still a developing side so with investment on the back of a possible promotion anything is possible. At present however my personal overwhelming feeling is the gap between Premier League and Championship football is absolutely massive and this Palace side is not yet ready to bridge that gap.  

Palace and Stoke to go again after Goalless Draw!

Palace was tested against Premier League opposition on Saturday after a goalless draw at Selhurst Park. In an interesting yet far from classical encounter Palace more then held their own against Premier League opponents. A negative Stoke City was content to contain Palace, seeming happy to settle for a draw from the early stages. This struck me as amusing as despite Stoke City being the Premier League side with the ex England internationals Crouch and Owen in their side, it was Palace who played the better football. It was Palace who was more creative using talents of youth available to them to play exciting football.

Youngsters such as Zaha and Bolasie shone against physically imposing defenders such as Shawcross, Huth, and Shotten. An interesting contrast in styles developed and these ultimately cancelled each other out as a workman like Stoke reverted to a style of play they are comfortable with and enjoy playing. High balls bypassed the midfield to an isolated Peter Crouch up front. Palace in contrast preferred to play with the football on the floor. The midfield was conducted by Brazilian maestro Andre Moritz, as Mile Jedinak and Stuart O’Keefe offered steel and protection to the exposed Palace wingers up against Stoke’s hard men.

Wilfried Zaha who was substituted early in the second half had an interesting afternoon. Not offered complete protection from the referee, he would have learned a lot about the physical realities of top flight football. He will not get a free kick for every challenge that is physical, but that does not mean he is diving. From a fans point of view there are sometimes 50/50s or hard, fair, challenges that cause collisions because the skill level of any attacker is greater than the ability of any defender to deal with it. Yet this does not imply it is a freekick merely the players’ trickery is too good. Wilf Zaha could be a victim of this kind of refereeing interpretation when he plays in the Premier League.

In a game of few chances both teams will do it again in ten days time at the Britannia Stadium. Palace had the better of the few opportunities created but could not break down a well organised Stoke defence. The replay may be a fixture neither side want but the draw of Champions Manchester City at home makes it more attractive. Ian Holloway will have a better idea of his squad strength getting a closer look at Easter, Price, Appaih and exciting youngster Jason Banton. This will help him realise who he can call upon later in the season during the run in. Indeed post match Holloway stated this squad is feeling more like his team.

It is back to league action against Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday with the replay date against Stoke on 15^th January with the prize of Manchester City at home at stake!

 

Palace 3 – 1 Wolves; Moritz Brings Touch of Samba Magic as Wolves are Mauled!

The festive period of football came to an end at Selhurst Park on New Year’s Day with Palace recording their first victory since Brighton on December 1^st. Palace’s Brazilian midfielder Andre Moritz lit up the game with two magical free kicks. The first on thirty one minutes capitalised on half an hour of continuous pressure to deservedly take the lead. Defeat meant Wolves have now only won three times in sixteen matches as Palace dominated proceedings to leave a poor Wolves side in crisis. The Wolves midfielder David Davis crashed a shot off the bar early, but for long periods Ramage and Gabbidon had the measure of the Wanderers attack.

Five minutes before the break Palace got comfortable. Zaha who looked good all game slid a ball into Yannick Bolasie’s path in the box and he slotted the ball past Ikeme rolling the ball into the net for 2 – 0. Danny Gabbidon who went off injured in the second half started the attack that led to the goal. Exploiting yards of space left by Wanderers attackers, he was able to play the ball unchallenged through the midfield and up to Zaha who set up the goal. The space Palace had available to them to create chances illustrates the problems Wolverhampton Wanderers are currently facing. Wolves were very poor opposition. Stale Solbakken does not seem capable of getting the best out of what on paper seems like a talented squad. So in their own way Wolves were perfect opponents for Palace to get back to winning ways against.

Zaha combined brilliantly with Moritz and Bolasie to keep himself at the centre of proceedings keeping a high tempo to Palace’s attacks. He was in the middle of everything Palace did creatively as he zipped from one side of the wing to the other. Dikgacoi and Jedinak dominated and controlled midfield as Palace looked like a team, moving up to third with a convincing victory. If Zaha does move on in this January transfer window it would be disappointing but there is little doubt he is ready for the Premier League and Palace have a great chance of playing there if he does stay. There are other players that make Palace look good through the spine of the team from Speroni in goal to Murray up front that gives a playing structure to create chances around.

Yannick Bolasie and midfielder Andre Moritz are the creative alternatives to Wilfried Zaha that currently complement him. The introduction of Jonny Williams as he returns from injury is another positive. The creativity of Moritz’s set pieces offers a dimension to the Palace attack that they have not been able to fully utilise since the departure of Darren Ambrose. Despite getting a consolation goal through Ebanks-Blake on seventy five minutes, Palace wrapped up a 3 – 1 victory thanks to a second Moritz free kick on fifty two minutes. His ability from free kicks comes from his Brazilian roots but his ability to find both corners means alongside Jedinaks' power Palace now have a potent set piece weapon once again. Palace can now exploit the trickery of the likes of Bolasie, Zaha, and Williams who win free kicks to maximum effect.

A ten day break from the league now follows for the FA Cup and an exciting clash against a traditionally physical side in Stoke City. In a good position in the league we find ourselves third in the Championship tucked in securely in the Playoffs looking nicely positioned for automatic promotion. Just two points behind Hull City the next month is likely to be a test of the board's immediate ambitions and how they are likely to go about achieving them.