A Return To Old Haunts In Richmond

Richard Bamber

30th Jul 2014

 

After two days spent in various East Coast cities such as Washington DC, a lot of the touring Palace faithful arrived in Richmond the day before the final tour game against USL Pro (a 2nd tier of sorts after MLS) side, the Richmond Kickers.

 

After we explained why we were in Richmond, it took the barman about 2 seconds to break into 'You'll Never Walk Alone' & proudly explain how he was a Liverpool fan who'd actually been to Anfield. He laughed at our response, a chorus of '3-0, & you f*cked it up'. One interesting fact is that of all the cities & towns in America that tune into Premier League action, Richmond punches way above it's weight in being the 6th market for this.

 

There was only pub to go to pregame, the Commercial Tap House, an establishment that has almost legendary status amongst traveling Palace fans after it hosted us 8 years ago when we played the Los Angeles Galaxy in Richmond. That day Palace completely took over a bar which normally sees a handful of customers. The manager remembered us from years ago & joked that the bar had been surviving on the takings from that day ever since!

 

If you want proof of what the Premier League & good ownership does, you only has to see the crowd who were twice as strong as last time. This included a group of about 15 American lads, who had latched on to Palace in the past year and had formed a local supporters group.

 

The bar really hadn't changed & this was evident by comparing it with old photos posted on the BBS (www.cpfc.org). Apart from drinking, we amused ourselves by trying to recreate the old shots of people slumped over the bar & striking silly poses.

 

A short cab ride to the stadium & we were introduced to realities & disorganization of lower league football, USA style. After two designated away fans section at Columbus & Philadelphia, it appeared that the Kickers hadn't quite understood the message & made the whole stadium general admission. This resulted in pockets of Palace fans, all worried that our chanting, singing & chanting would annoy the locals. After 15mins of hurried conversation & a general stadium-wide round up of Palace fans, we had an away section of sorts.

 

The line-up was the first interesting thing about the game as due to Ward, Dann & Delaney having picked up knocks, our centerback partnership comprised of Glenn Murray & Peter Ramage - not exactly who we are expecting to play there in the Premier League!

 

The game began & apart from the odd attempt by the home side, Palace rarely looked troubled in a 3-0 win with headed goals from 'defenders' Murray & Ramage plus Chamakh. With a relaxed atmosphere, the away end started going through the songbook, much to the amusement of the home fans sitting nearby. Palace fans scanned around for other Premier League shirts, with Liverpool, Chelsea & Arsenal particular targets for songs. I should add that in America it is perfectly acceptable to where any football shirt to a game, regardless of which two teams are playing. Hopefully a few people learnt that the unwritten rules are a bit different in England!

 

After the game we all headed back to the Tap House for a few more beers to wrap up the tour.  There was one final treat in store as I ran into the entire squad at Richmond Airport the next day as we all began our respective journeys home.

 * A big Thank you to Richard Bamber for his coverage of Crystal Palace's tour of America for Burchyspalaceblog.* his twitter # is @ColoradoPalace.

 

Brentford 3 – 2 Crystal Palace: Palace’s Preseason Preparations Hit by Bees Sting in Tail!

Palace travelled to West London for their only preseason fixture in the UK. In what was a split squad with new signings Hangeland and Campbell both sent to Forest Green to play in an XI that included Club Captain Paddy McCarthy and striker Dwight Gayle. 

At Brentford, Palace fielded a strong squad but could not quite find a way to beat a solid Brentford team at the end of their Preseason routine, and ready for their Championship bow against Charlton Athletic next weekend. A game that would see Brentford take their Championship bow with their first match back at that level in twenty one years since 1993.

Palace played under the captaincy of Australian World Cup goal scorer Mile Jedinak and fronted up with a strong squad. Joe Ledley partnered Jedinak in midfield with Yannick Bolasie and Jason Puncheon playing down the wings. Glenn Murray started up front on his own with support coming from deep offered by Marouanne Chemakh. At the back Wayne Hennessey started in goal with Julian Speroni playing the second forty five minutes. Damian Delaney and Scott Dann was the centre back partnership with Joel Ward and Adrian Mariappa playing the wingback positions.

In what was a watchable first half that ended goalless both teams had opportunities but with Palace looking somewhat lethargic after returning from their American tour, it was clear that Brentford was further along their Preseason match fitness programme given their big kick off against Charlton is only a week away. With the Premier League kick off a further two weeks away, the biggest test of Palace’s preparations for Arsenal on the opening day will come against Bundesliga Team Auchsberg in Bavaria Germany next weekend.

Meanwhile at Griffen Park in the second half, Brentford took control with two quick goals from Jonathan Douglas and Andre Grey. The shock of the goals seemed to wake Palace up, and with flares being lit in the away end Palace hit back with two quick strikes of their own. Within minutes the lead was gone, Glenn Murray neatly finished past David Button in the Brentford goal after a defender slipped to make it 2 – 1, then Marouanne Chemakh tapped in an equaliser as red smoke from a flare caused confusion in the box. 2 – 2.

Yet roared on by a passionate home crowd Brentford’s record signing from Leyton Orient, Moses Odubajo capitalised on an error from Delaney at the back to skip past Ward and score past Speroni to give Brentford a surprising yet well-deserved 3 – 2 victory.

Next weekend Palace face Auchsburg in Germany in what will be a tough test in preparation for their League opener against Arsenal. Brentford meanwhile can look forward confidently to the Season opener against Charlton Athletic in what is worth remembering will be their first game in the second tier of English football for twenty one years!     

 

German Beers, School Buses & A Game In Philly.

Richard Bamber

July 27th 2014

Friday night saw the traveling Palace support converge on a German bar located a few blocks south of Philadelphia's bustling city centre. The reason was simple & was nothing to do with a sudden love of all things Teutonic; the bar was the only place providing a fun & easy way to get to Philadelphia Union's stadium, which is located about 20 miles south of the city in the suburb of Chester. While the stadium lies just of the I-95 interstate, parking was a slightly ridiculous $20 & the public transport option involved two trains & a bus. There was a degree of hopefulness amongst the fans, in particular the English contingent as we all clutched PayPal confirmations that claimed a bus would duly pick us up 90 minutes before the game.

 

Throughout the afternoon, fans clad in red & blue arrived, with a particular mention going to the New York Eagles who brought their giant 3x2m flag which was hung from the upstairs balcony to rapturous cheering. Old friends caught up with each other & a large amount of German pilsner was consumed.

 

Much to some relief, two American style yellow school buses arrived at the allotted time & the Palace faithful  started to board. Better still, these vehicles each featured two enthusiastic Union fans who begun handing out canned & bottled beer immediately. My red & blue flag was attached to back of one of the buses & we set off.

 

The flag didn't last three blocks as it seems that having one job is too much for some of our inebriated regulars! I am reliably assured that the driver behind got a bit of a fright & had to swerve as it exited the window at the back of the bus.  Luckily it was a generic club shop one so replacing it shouldn't be hard.

 

This wasn't the only casualty of the trip, as with the traffic not being great & nearly an hour after departure, it all became to much for one Palace couple who hadn't been to the toilet. They were let off & presumably had an enjoyable time walking the last mile to PPL Park.

 

We got into the stadium, which is only a few years old having opened in 2010 after being expressly built for Philadelphia Union to join the USA's Major League Soccer.  About 100 Palace fans gathered in a corner section on a beautiful summer's evening.  The game kicked off & To be fair was nothing remarkable. Palace broke the deadlock on midway through the first half with the game's only goal, which unfortunately was scored by the Union's Ethan White. However the highlight was the moment that the away contingent spotted a young guy sporting a Liverpool top sitting next his mum who had a Palace scarf on. '3-0, & you f*cked it up' & 'If it wasn't for the Palace, you'd be top' chants rang out for the next few minutes. Hopefully that kid learnt his lesson that if you aren't wearing the colours of one of the teams playing, it really should be plain clothes!

 

Special mention should also go to Palace co-owner Steve Parish, who took the time to come over to the away end at half time & chat with fans. The gesture was roundly appreciated by those lucky enough to meet him.

 

After the game, we headed back to the buses which were restocked with beers. The ride back was excellent with the 'old guard' teaching the newer fans some of the more obscure ditties from the Palace songbook. We arrived back at the bar around 10pm for more drinks after which things begin to get a little blurry!

 

Most on the fans on tour spent the day after in either New York, Philadelphia or Washington before heading south to Richmond, Virginia for Monday's nights game against local side, the Richmond Kickers. Some of the latest updates & pictures from the tour can be found on Twitter via @ColoradoPalace.

 

Again Thank You to Richard Bamber for keeping all us UK based Eagles supporters updated with the latest happenings on Crystal Palace's American Adventure!

 

Palace Meet The Crew: A Guest Blog by Richard Bamber! (apologies for colour formatting erors.)

July 23rd 2014

 

Richard Bamber

Palace kicked-off their USA tour with a friendly against Major League Soccer side Columbus Crew. 'The Crew' were crowned MLS Champions by way of a play-off final victory as recently as 2007 however the team as such has done little of note since then. The Crew Stadium was about half full for this midweek match with approximately 100 Palace fans filling a south stands section underneath the giant video wall / scoreboard which gained notoriety last year when it caught fire, delaying the start of a Crew home fixture. Most supporters were already enthusiastic about the local hospitality after attending a traditional American 'tailgate' in the car park hosted by the home fans before the game. Red & blue were happy to mingle with Black & Gold before kick-off. The match started & Columbus went 1-0 up after 15 minutes courtesy of a superb Adam Beddell header. However Palace made their Premier League presence felt throughout the 1st half, which finally paid off when Glenn Murray equalized in the 36th minute.

 

At half-time, several Palace fans were curious what the large canopy & lack of seats was for behind the goal at the other end of the stadium. The answer is that Columbus were the first team to get what the Americans call a 'Soccer Specific Stadium' in 2001. Like many stateside sporting arenas, the venue was also intended to be used for concerts too. The 18,000 for soccer / 25,000 for concerts capacity template has now been copied several times by MLS teams, however newer stadia such as Sporting Park in Kansas feature more elegant solutions than simply sacrificing many attractive seats directly behind the goal.

 

The stadium has also gained legendary status amongst USA national team fans as it is the venue usually selected to play any home World Cup qualifiers against bitter rivals Mexico. The USA have a great record here, with the last 3 contests resulting in 2-0 victories for the Yanks. Because of this, the Spanish inspired 'Dos a Cero' chant has entered the repertoire of many a supporter based over here.

 

The second half started with Palace changing goalkeeper Julian Speroni for Wayne Hennessey with another three substitutions on 51mins. The Eagles went ahead in the 70th minute thanks to a Jake Gray goal. However Columbus's Daniel Paladini equalized with 10 minutes to go & the match ended with the score at 2-2, a quite respectable score for the Americans given that their league counterparts suffered heavy defeats on a night where several English teams played MLS sides.

 

Palace head to the east coast next where a Friday night fixture against Philadelphia Union awaits. Some of the latest updates & pictures from the tour can be found on Twitter via @ColoradoPalace.

 

Many thanks to friend of the blog Richard Bamber for his report live from the Columbus Crew game this last Wednesday Night. Do follow him on Twitter @ColoradoPalace for the latest fan pics and action updates from Palace’s latest American Adventure. Last night Palace beat Philadelphia Union 1 – 0

Sweeping into 2015: A Pre-Season blog taking in old memories of a US tour and development of US soccer alongside a world cup, hosted in Brazil in 2014.

Hey-Ho and welcome back to my blog covering all things Crystal Palace into our first consecutive Premier League campaign and our sixth Premier League season in total. As usual and as of the last three years since 2011, this blog will keep you updated on Palace’s top flight fortunes! As others such as Brighton and Charlton struggle to catch up, whilst hopefully arrogantly failing miserably.

Since I wrote about the Gayle that blew across the Thames at Fulham on the last day of last season, there has of course been the small matter of a World Cup Quarter finals in Brazil containing the 8 group winners for the first time since the tournament was extended to its current eight group thirty two team format. What followed was a very exciting set of matches that prevailed with Germany winning the tournament including an efficient 7 – 1 mauling of hosts Brazil on their way to the trophy.

Meanwhile Crystal Palace have prepared for Pre Season in Austria which is now under way in the form of a three game tour of America with games against Columbus Crew (2-2), Philadelphia Union, Friday evening (25^th July) rounding off with a match against the Richmond Kickers days later. Preparations during Preseason are being overseen by the Stoney eyed guidance of the excellent never relegated Tony Pulis; surely a fact to tempt fate with given Crystal Palace’s history but for now let us hope not! On Palace’s return to UK soil they play Brentford on August 2 and then travel to Bavaria, Germany to play Augsburg a week before the season begins at the Emirates Vs Arsenal.

Crystal Palace’s current tour of the States brings back many happy memories for me having attended the clubs previous tour of the States in 2010 when Simon Jordan was still Chairman. Just thinking of that tour brings back so many happy memories as access to the then first team squad was very open and then gaffer Neil Warnock was also totally approachable to every Palace fan on the trip and at that time led the club brilliantly. As a result I will always hold Warnock in great affection. 2010 was a tough battle to keep Palace in existence which was fortunately successful. On a personal note it culminated wonderfully with Palace’s Championship survival and me been given the honour of CPFC fan of the year 2010.

A good friend of mine, Richard Bamber who travelled with me on the 2010 Palace tour has since moved to the States and is based permanently in Denver Colorado. Hopefully he will deliver some observations on the 2014 tour including some reports which will be possibly uploaded onto this blog! No doubt he will enjoy the 2014 version of a Palace tour to his adopted homeland. A key difference between the 2010 tour and this years’ incarnation is the proliferation of soccer from east to west with the college system feeding MLS in the men’s game alongside the continued growth of the Women’s game.

In 2010 the experience of being able to watch Crystal Palace play football in a country as culturally diverse as America was immense. Yet it was still definitely a minority sport in America at that time, with games being played to various back drops from Athletics fields, to adapted Baseball diamonds. Compare the difference four years makes and Palace’s 2014 tour is very different as soccer finds its backbone in American sporting psyche, with every game vs The Crew, The Union and the Kickers being played in custom built stadiums filled to capacity most weekends as MLS makes a definitive mark on the American sporting landscape.

In 2010 we had a blast but it did appear many of the matches were piggybacking of the infrastructure of the existing sports such as Baseball. There is no doubt the 2014 tour to America takes place in a very different backdrop. The Success of the American National Team in Brazil under the control of German maestro Jurgen Klinsmann with his policy of naturalising German players to represent America, finally gives soccer/football in America the foothold it needs to be embraced in the hearts of America’s sporting public. MLS has organised purpose built stadiums to bring a competitive viewing and pricing policy, competitive with other sports such as the NHL, MLB, NFL, and NBA.

After the game against Brentford on 2^nd August Preseason wraps up in Germany against Augsburg and although I will only be attending the Brentford match keep tuned to my blog as I will bring some of the flavours of all the matches through friends that will be in attendance. We can confirm today the signing of Fraizer Campbell as rumours continue surroundings a return to the club of Palace youth heroes Victor Moses and Wilfried Zaha.

In concluding this preseason note, a big thank you to those who check my blog regularly. Although last season was an incredibly difficult one to get through personally, Palace showed me the way and gave me the strength to come back and continue this blog process. A big thank you to all my friends and family, Including my PA Elliot and little nephew Ali Joe, who will hopefully grow up to love Palace as much as I do.

 

Enjoy the new Campaign!                                                                               Samuel    

 

 

Fulham 2 – 2 Crystal Palace: Cold Gayle Blows out Fulham’s Premier League Status!

Fulham said farewell to the Premier League with a spirited 2 – 2 draw against Crystal Palace on a crisp, windy, early summer Sunday afternoon by the Thames. Another brace from Palace’s Dwight Gayle capped a good week for the striker following up his two goals against Liverpool at Selhurst Park the previous Monday evening. He has now taken his goal tally for the season to seven goals from five starts and a handful of substitute appearances.

Eagles’ fans were in a jolly mood and ended their season jovially singing about survival and gently mocking the opponent Fulham fans about their status as a relegated club. With an eye to the future one key change to Crystal Palace’s starting line-up came in goal when Wayne Hennessey was handed his debut in place of season ever present and Player of the Year Julian Speroni who’s future maybe in doubt long term despite some very consistently excellent performances, as Palace have been linked to relegated Norwich City goalkeeper John Ruddy.

Palace took the lead on twenty eight minutes when Gayle diverted the ball home from a Joel Ward cross after he was played in by an excellent one touch layoff from Yannick Bolasie. New Keeper Wayne Hennessey’s distribution was very good despite the obviously nervous start given the difficult task of filling such big shoes left behind by Julian Speroni. Quick well thought out distribution pass kicks from Hennessey played in Ince and Bolasie on both flanks with great regularity. Following the goal Palace went close to a second when a Thomas Ince crossed free kick was met by a Scott Dann header which was saved by David Stockdale.

Fulham, already relegated decided to go with youth up front in the form of Cauley Woodrow (19yrs) and Chris David (21yrs). They went close when Fernando Amorebieta’s header was saved by Hennessey. They did equalise when Hugo Rodallega lay off was perfectly into the path of Woodrow who curled the ball accurately into the corner of the net on sixty one minutes. Palace retook the lead when Dwight Gayle brilliantly curled a free-kick home with less then ten minutes to go that looked like the winner. Almost immediately Palace could have wrapped up the match and the season when substitutes Puncheon and Murray combined for Murray to hit the crossbar as Gayle missed the chance for a hat-trick as the rebound hit him and bounced wide.

Palace paid for this profligate miss and their sloppiness in closing out the game as Dutchman Chris David scored for Fulham slamming home a brilliant shot from distance with their last kick in the Premier League for now to make the final score 2 – 2 in this entertaining if relaxed end of season affair. What a campaign that sees Crystal Palace finish in 11^th position. With Tony Pulis picking up Premier League Manager of the Season Award whilst also being nominated for the LMA Award won deservedly by Brendon Rodgers. A season met with great satisfaction by all around Selhurst Park from the management, owners, and players through to fans, recovering from a dreadful start to end in relative comfort with the achievement of denying Liverpool the title with an amazing draw.

With Tony Pulis most likely to be in charge for next season 2014/15, it promises to be one of progress as Tony Pulis is not the kind of manager to stay around without signs of relentless and sometimes ruthless progression. Part of this progression may involve evolving the goalkeeping position. If this is in fact the case and there is a change of goalkeeper then a word for longstanding Argentine custodian Julian Speroni. After ten seasons and five Player of the Year Awards, his latest last Tuesday, he has been a fantastic servant to the club and is one of Palace’s best ever keepers, up there with John Jackson and Nigel Martyn. He remains the best ever keeper I have seen at Selhurst Park. He will be unlucky not to be included in the Argentinian World Cup squad for Brazil, it is their loss if he does not go. If and when he does leave Palace next season, I for one like all Eagles fans will wish him well wherever he ends up playing his football.

 

Thanks for reading my Palace Blog this season, Burchy’s Palace Blog will return for another Premier League campaign in 2014/15!!     

 

Crystal Palace 3 – 3 Liverpool: Gayle Force Rocks Reds Title Bid!

Three goals in the final eleven minutes of the season at Selhurst Park potentially destroyed Liverpool’s title challenge as they blew a comfortable 0 – 3 lead in a match they needed to win. In a pulsating atmosphere under the lights at Selhurst Park on an early summers evening the ground was jumping and the Palace faithful were ready to celebrate one of the most successful seasons in their clubs’ history. The players emerged to a cacophony of noise, banners and a ticker tape display at the Holmesdale Road End as Palace songs of celebration filled the Selhurst air.

Despite the atmosphere of celebration in the air and a relatively even start, it was Liverpool who took the lead when Joe Allen peeled away from Joe Ledley at a corner to score at the back post. Allen was not picked up, it was poor marking that allowed Allen to meet Gerrard’s corner planting a header past Speroni into the bottom corner. Palace pushed on and despite Liverpool claiming a penalty when Bolasie challenged Johnson, Simon Mignolet was forced into action to make excellent saves from Jason Puncheon and Mile Jedinak just before halftime.

In the second half and needing to win Liverpool charged out of the blocks and seemingly had control of the game. Sturridge was superbly denied by Speroni when he tipped his shot onto the post only for Suarez to wildly slice wide the rebound in front of an open goal. Liverpool did make it 0 – 2 when a Sturridge shot deflected off a defender to trickle agonisingly out of Speroni’s reach and into the net. The game seemed over with more goals possible on fifty five minutes when Suarez netted Liverpool out of sight to make it 0 – 3 with his thirty first goal of the season.

The match changed with eleven minutes remaining when a Damian Delaney pile driver took a deflection to find its way into the top corner to make it 1 – 3. Substitute Dwight Gayle then took advantage of sudden Liverpool uncertainty as Bolasie surged down the wing roared on by a raucous and vivacious Palace crowd. When he found Gayle with a neat cut back his cool finish was greeted by jubilation in the crowd as the deficit was cut to 2 – 3.

Two minutes later Selhurst was sent into raptures. Liverpool had thrown away a three goal lead to seriously dent their title hopes! Substitute Glenn Murray combined perfectly with Gayle he chested the ball into his path allowing Gayle to comprehensively blast the ball home past Mignolet to make it 3 – 3 and leave the home fans delighted and Liverpool fans comprehending the end of their title challenge. At the end of the game the Palace sides’ achievement was celebrated during a deserved lap of honour. Yet with Speroni throwing his gloves to the fanatics with no new contract signed, and Pulis’s managerial stock never being higher it could be a summer of uncertainty as a result of great success in SE25 before the next Premier League campaign of 2014/15.

The season ends next Sunday with a trip to relegated Fulham. Crystal Palace’s season awards night takes place on Tuesday evening and whilst revenge maybe on the cards for Fulham’s 1 – 4 victory at Selhurst in early November that saw an end to Ian Holloway’s tenure, it will be interesting to see who takes home the Player of the Year gong out of Speroni, Ward, Delaney, Puncheon, Jedinak, and Chemakh. Although all are worthy of the gong, for sentimental reasons alone in case he is not at Palace next season I hope Jules wins it!

Crystal Palace 0 – 2 Manchester City: City Slickers Hurt Kopites as Eagles Fly to Beach!

This match kicked off twenty minutes after Chelsea reinvigorated Manchester City’s title bid with a surprise 0 – 2 victory at Anfield against Liverpool. As a result it took a mere four minutes from kick off for City to take the lead knowing their fate is in their own hands, win their last four games and they will be Champions. As for Crystal Palace survival was assured with three wins in a week and after five consecutive wins their seasons’ objectives was achieved, but against Manchester City they were caught cold early on Edin Dzeko heading home a Yaya Toure cross on just four minutes.

After such a good season it is slightly unfair to say Crystal Palace was on the beach after all with survival assured their job this campaign was done. Yet a combination of Manchester City’s riches and talented squad and their urgency to capitalise on the earlier result did Liverpool no favours as Crystal Palace could not live with Manchester City’s early pace or fast start. Dzeko got between Dann and Mariappa exploiting the freedom of the penalty area to convert Yaya Toure’s cross.

Yaya Toure controlled the game in midfield as new title favourites City outclassed a tired Palace side that never recaptured the heights of their victories against Chelsea and Everton. Crystal Palace was lethargic, unable to live with the calm anchoring control in midfield given to city by Javi Garcia or Vincent Kompany at the back. City needing the win to keep their title chances on track had the game sown up two minutes from halftime on forty three minutes when Toure swapped passes with Nasri to curl a shot past Speroni into the top corner after slipping past Delaney.

Crystal Palace’s race for this season looks run. Manchester City controlled the game and City’s supporters celebrated the victory vigorously and while Palace offered up a few corners while closing the back door in the second half they never really got close to City’s level of performance. Effort and commitment was there as always from Palace as it has been all season under Pulis but Palace was on the back foot from the start but come the end Palace knew they had nothing riding on the match and could just play the match knowing safety was assured.

Liverpool visit Selhurst Park next Monday night keen to banish the memories of Chelsea and force City and Chelsea to play for the title right to the end of the season. The motivation for Crystal Palace is they will be performing under lights and they will want to give their excellent home campaign this season a proper send off in front of a passionate home support. Also in such a competitive league and in front of a global television audience against Liverpool Palace will want to do themselves justice profiling their style of play to a wider audience whilst maintaining competitive integrity in the league.

West Ham United 0 – 1 Crystal Palace: Pulis Enjoys Jedi Powers!

A fifty ninth minute penalty from Mile Jedinak gave Palace victory in this London derby at West Ham United. It puts Crystal Palace six points above their London rivals making it mathematically impossible for Palace to be relegated this season. Before the match an emotional minutes applause took place to mark the untimely death of Dylan Tombidas, West Ham United striker who died of cancer aged a mere twenty years old.

The Hammers approached the game in a direct style knocking long balls up striker Andy Carroll to limited effect with little or no sign of a plan B or any variety in their play. Crystal Palace on the other hand had the magic of a Jedi in their line up and had the better of the chances with attractive pacey counter attacking football matching West Ham United’s threat. KG Dikgacoi went close with a header cleared off the line by Andy Carroll. Bolasie and Puncheon were dangerous on the flanks and it was Palace who took the lead from the spot when Cameron Jerome was fouled by Pablo Amero and Palace’s Jedi captain converted the spot kick.

This was a match short on quality and clear cut chances. After the penalty substitute Joe Cole went close for West Ham United and when Andy Carroll did outmuscle a well drilled Palace defence led by Delaney and Dann he was foiled by the magnificently consistent Julian Speroni. This result led to the travelling Palace fans singing the praises of manager Tony Pulis upon Palace’s survival. West Ham United fans were not so impressed with Sam Allardyce singing, ‘’you don’t know what you’re doing’’ at substitutions, and jeering the team off at fulltime.

Palace on the other hand took the plaudits of their supporters upon the final whistle celebrating mathematical safety with three games to spare. Indeed German style celebrations with the fans met the final whistle and a sense of unity permeated around the club, Palace fans celebrating safety for the first time in their Premier League history. Crystal Palace return to Selhurst Park under no pressure to face two massive games against Manchester City and potential Champions elect Liverpool with Fulham away on the last day of the season.

Crystal Palace can enjoy their last games of the season playing pressure free football with potential revenge on the minds of the Palace players against Fulham for the Cottagers 1 – 4 victory at Selhurst Park earlier this season. Victory at the Cottage for Palace could see Fulham relegated to the Championship. Victory for Palace over West Ham United has seen Palace pick up five wins on the spin and fifteen points from the last fifteen available. The best run for Crystal Palace in the top flight since 1992/93.

Everton 2 – 3 Crystal Palace: A Hard Day’s Night for Toffees as Pulis’s Palace Hit Magical 40 Points!

A night of high emotion at Goodison Park got off to a poignant start as Everton and Crystal Palace football clubs paid their respects to the ninety six football supporters who lost their lives at Hillsborough on the twenty fifth anniversary of the disaster in 1989. Children stood along the length of the pitch holding Liverpool and Everton scarfs linked together during a minutes applause. It was a moving and fitting tribute.

The game had important implications for both teams. If Everton avoided defeat they would return to the Champions League positions and as for Crystal Palace any victory would see them reach the magical forty point mark. It was Crystal Palace that took the victory to land a damaging blow to Everton’s Champions League hopes and secure the tally of forty points, leading to manager Tony Pulis to declare Palace safe in the Premier League at the end of a season for the first time.

When the match kicked off Everton started well but Yannick Bolasie and Jason Puncheon’s pace on the wings troubled Everton and brought Crystal Palace into the match. Palace’s pace moving the ball up the field and the precision with which they passed it from back to front was impressive with Maroanne Chemakh in from the start for the injured KG Dikgacoi playing in a deep lying position, holding the ball up well in support of the attack.

Indeed it was this combination that gave Palace the lead on twenty three minutes when Bolasie’s pace led to a cross which was palmed back into play by Tim Howard for Maroanne Chemakh to calmly control the ball and tee up Jason Puncheon by laying the ball off for him to slot the ball home past Howard on the half volley from the edge of the box.

Palace led 1 – 0 at halftime but Everton dominated the possession statistics with Speroni saving well from Lukaku and Aiden McGeady putting a long range curler over the Palace crossbar. Yet Yannick Bolasie remained dangerous not far short of unplayable and narrowly missed the chance to double Palace’s lead when he struck the post from range. The Eagles did double their lead four minutes into the second half when defender Scott Dann scored his first goal for Palace when he rose unchallenged in the Everton box to head home a Bolasie corner. Defenders such as Baines and Stones failing to deal with the danger.

Everton seemingly got back into the game on sixty one minutes just past the hour when substitute Stephen Naismith bundled home a Leighton Baines nod back from a deep cross at the near post by Kevin Mirallis to make it 2 – 1. The scoring continued and Crystal Palace fought back on seventy three minutes when Cameron Jerome finished off a classy move of neat pace and passing from the whole Crystal Palace team especially Bolasie Puncheon and Chemakh to make it 3 -1. Everton made it a nervous finish for the loud and boisterous travelling army of Crystal Palace fans by making it 3 – 2 on eighty six minutes when Kevin Mirallis tapped home when a Naismith shot was deflected into his path by a Julian Speroni save.

Between this 3 – 2 result to get Palace to forty points there followed a nervous twelve minutes (8 of which was stoppage time). The toffees had chances to equalise during this time but Speroni was again fantastic saving superbly from substitute Leon Osman with his feet to turn the ball past his far post.

Palace reach forty points and historic safety with four matches left this season. It is a tremendous achievement by the Palace management and playing staff. Tony Pulis came in in November in this campaign when Palace had seven points from thirteen matches, since then Pulis has picked up thirty three points from the next seventeen games a magnificent achievement that rightly sees Tony Pulis up for consideration for manager of the year.

Now Crystal Palace have secured a second consecutive season of Premier League football for the first time in their history they now face the very exciting prospect of Crystal Palace enjoying regular spells at top flight level under the tutelage and guidance of Pulis’s expert leadership. For this reason alone Crystal Palace fans could not be happier, even if the antics of the bizarre Vincent Tan wants to sully Palace’s name and reputation over a farfetched espionage saga. Pathetic is not the word but when all is said and done this campaign as well as being enjoyable it may turn out to be one of the most significant in the clubs proud recent history.    

Crystal Palace 1 – 0 Aston Villa: Punch and Julian Show Puts Palace on Brink of Historic Survival!

A second half goal from Jason Puncheon and a fabulous save from Julian Speroni combined to give Palace a vital 1 – 0 win at Selhurst Park, moving Palace above Villa and into twelfth place and virtual safety. Aston Villa came to Selhurst looking for a point and was ultimately behind the pace of the game with Ledley and Jedinak controlling the midfield for Palace with Bolasie looking dangerous on the wing and Puncheon joining him to terrorise the Aston Villa defence.

An injury to KG Dikgacoi saw Maroanne Chemakh coming off the bench for the second match in succession to combine well with Cameron Jerome bringing the Crystal Palace attack further up the field exploiting Jerome’s hold up play to push Aston Villa onto the back foot. Palace thought they could have had a penalty which was turned down when a well worked free kick led to Bolasie being felled in the box only for replays to show he had tripped over his leg and it was not a foul. In the second half referee Howard Webb awarded Palace a penalty for a hand ball by Nathan Baker only to reverse the decision after consultation with his linesman. To say the least the home supporters thought this was another refereeing performance characterised by mediocrity and average decision making.

Aston Villa was poor and Crystal Palace had control but without the lead the game remained tight and Villa was involved throughout although it was Palace who created the clear cut opportunities with Puncheon and Jerome both striking the post. When it arrived the winning goal came for Palace in the second half on seventy six minutes with just under a quarter of an hour to go. Jason Puncheon became Crystal Palace’s leading scorer this season. He outmuscled Ryan Bertrand to be first to a Yannick Bolasie cross to turn and score with a neat shot in off the post from eight yards out.

After taking the lead Palace gave some of the impetus away as Villa pushed for an equaliser. It was at this stage Palace could have doubled their lead when Puncheon hit the post. Yet Cameron Jerome was forced into defensive action clearing a Ciaren Clark header off the line when Clark initially beat Speroni to the ball from a corner. An otherwise anonymous and ineffectual Grant Holt spurned a great chance to equalise before Julian Speroni again starred preserving the victory with a superb save from a fantastic Andreas Weimann shot. Another example of a superb contribution from the Argentine shot stopper who had virtually nothing to do for the rest of the match, and yet his brilliance preserved victory for the Eagles.

Jonathan Parr came on for Yannick Bolasie to sure up the Palace defence at the end of the game and saw out the result with a massive 1 – 0 victory. Palace move to thirty seven points into twelfth place, clear daylight from the relegation zone. On Wednesday night the team travels to Merseyside and a battle with on form Everton in fourth and battling for a Champions League place. Pulis and his Palace team have done a fantastic job to get to this position and although not yet on forty points it is in fact Aston Villa now looking over their shoulders nervously at the relegation battle below them.

The next game over Easter sees Palace travel to West Ham United for a pulsating South vs East London derby that could see Palace move ahead of their East London hosts and neighbours possibly cementing an unlikely top half finish. However with only Manchester City and Liverpool left to visit Selhurst Park and only Fulham to visit on the road after West Ham this season a top half finish is likely to prove difficult to achieve as all the teams Palace have left to play have a lot to play for in their own right.

Cardiff City 0 – 3 Crystal Palace: Tan is the Bad Man as Pulis and Puncheon Just Perfect for Palace!

Crystal Palace was ruthless in the Welsh capital with the only piece of charity shown in solidarity between both sets of fans on nineteen minutes and twenty seven seconds with a chorus of ‘Bluebirds’ and ‘Tan Out’ as Palace fans showed support for Cardiff fans and the plight of their club. Here though the charitable sentiment ended as Crystal Palace ruthlessly destroyed Cardiff City 0 – 3 in this relegation battle to take a massive step towards safety and almost seal Cardiff City’s fate at the same time.

Ex Eagle Wilfried Zaha started on the wing for Cardiff City. He was given a heroes reception by the travelling Palace fans and was probably Cardiff’s best player in the first half only to be inexplicably substituted for Craig Noone on sixty two minutes. Part of the reason for this could be Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s frustration after he told him to celebrate if he scored against his former club only to see him acknowledge the Palace fans support at a corner. Yet the tradition in England is not to celebrate against former clubs as was illustrated by Joe Ledley when he scored on seventy one minutes to make it 0 – 2 and did not celebrate. On his substitution Palace fans sang ‘We love you Wilfried’ and ‘He is our Wilfried Zaha and he wants to come Home!’

Limited goalmouth action in the first half saw Speroni turn a header from his own defender Mariappa over the bar from a Jordon Mutch cross when under pressure from Fraizer Campbell. Palace took the lead on thirty one minutes when Jason Puncheon shot home from just inside the box. Maroanne Chemakh replaced Yannick Bolasie on sixty four minutes in the second half after being out for a month and he had an influential effect both in attack and defence as Palace counter attacked and took control of the match. Chemakh cleared a Cardiff attack after Kenwyne Jones beat Speroni to a Noone cross only for Chemakh to clear as the ball moved towards goal. Minutes later Palace doubled their lead and Chemakh was again influential, meeting a Puncheon free kick forcing a fine save from David Marshall only for Joe Ledley to mop up and knock home the rebound.

At 0 – 2 Cardiff was out of the game with less than twenty minutes to go. Desperate to avoid relegation and with problems off the field surrounding Vincent Tan their fans lost hope, urged the team forward but many believed Cardiff’s fate was sealed. Despite all this they pushed forward but were punished on the break. Jason Puncheon completed his brace making it 0 – 3 on eighty eight minutes curling a stunning shot past Marshall into the top corner from twenty yards to secure a rampant victory in this crucial relegation six pointer. The result sees Palace rise to fourteenth place in the Premier League and sends Cardiff plunging towards the Championship.

So Welshman Tony Pulis takes Crystal Palace onto thirty four points and probable safety in his native land against his boyhood club. Based on defensive organisation Pulis really has delivered. Next week Palace are at home to Aston Villa two points behind the Villains and one place behind them in the table. Victory against Aston Villa could see Palace rise into the top half of the table. Considering Palace had one win from their opening nine matches Pulis’s achievements should not be underestimated because safety could make this season one of the greatest in Crystal Palace’s long and fine history.

Palace 1 – 0 Chelsea: Terry Helps Tony as Palace Give Chelsea the Blues!

Following two trips up to the North East in two weeks that yielded a single point against relegation rivals Sunderland, and a painful last minute injury time defeat to Newcastle, Palace returned to home comforts against Chelsea. A capacity crowd created a pulsating atmosphere in the sunshine at Selhurst as the Blues who led the Premier League realised they were in a match right from the off. Palace was defensively organised and used Bolasie and Puncheon to brilliant effect as an attacking outlet for the pace of Jerome up front.

As a team Palace was at it from the start of the game. Clearly up for this London derby and in a first half of limited chances they were more creative and sharper on the ball as Chelsea’s display was characterised by errors and misplaced passes in stark contrast to the dominant display that destroyed Arsenal the previous weekend. Defensively Palace was organised rigidly. Dann and Delaney mopped up Chelsea pressure, neutralising Hazard and Torres to crossing positions and shots from distance. Ward and Mirriappa were excellent in the wing back positions restricting Chelsea’s width and getting forward to offer an attacking overlap to Puncheon and Bolasie through the midfield.

The second half started well for Palace as they profited from Chelsea’s lethargic display and wastefulness in front of goal. Benefitting from Chelsea’s lack of urgency and organisation Palace started to play through Chelsea as attack was the best form of defence. After defending deep in a quiet first half Palace had the best opportunities of the match and although Chelsea looked dangerous and capable of scoring on the break through Hazard and Oscar while Azpilicueta tried to offer support through midfield. Yet Palace offered the greater attacking threat as Bolasie and Puncheon looked dangerous alongside Jerome who held the ball up well for midfield runners KG, Jedinak and Ledley.

On fifty two minutes Ledley got forward to support the Palace attack Ward surged forward on the flank in support of Bolasie to send a cross into the box that was diverted past his own keeper Cech by John Terry under pressure from Ledley. Palace took a deserved 1 – 0 lead with over half an hour to go and the fact Palace went on to win the match was probably only a surprise to those Palace fans in the stadium that they did not win by more.

True Speroni had to be on his guard to save brilliantly from Hazard and Terry could have equalised placing a header just over the crossbar, whilst Fernando Torres was most wasteful scooping a misplaced Stuart O’ Keefe back pass over the bar. Yet apart from these opportunities Palace dominated the game and could have had a penalty after a Cahill challenge on Jerome. Jerome also hit a post that could have made it 2 – 0 and Puncheon shot inches wide of the far post when played in by Jerome. He also drew a save from Cech after good individual skill after Bolasie played him in to create room for a powerful shot. Stuart O’ Keefe made up for his defensive mistake by forcing Cech into an acrobatic save from a curling shot.

This surprise result has shaken things up in both the title race and the relegation battle. Jose Morinho believed this setback for Chelsea has ended their title challenge. At the same time Jose was both gracious, and magnanimous to a battling Palace side saying Palace wanted it more and Chelsea lacked bottle. Although Palace are not yet safe these three points are clearly a bonus putting Palace six points above Sunderland, five points above Cardiff, two points above West Bromwich Albion and a point behind Norwich City above them.

The game away to Cardiff City next weekend could again prove to be an important step to historic survival in the Premier League. The aim now must be to get to a points tally of between thirty six and thirty eight points to guarantee safety from a current points position of thirty one points.

 

Crystal Palace 0 – 1 Southampton: Southampton Class Shines Through as Palace Toil in Sunshine Short of Ideas!

Crystal Palace made three changes in the sunshine as Southampton visited Selhurst Park safely ensconced in mid table with the Eagles still needing points to safely avoid relegation. Dean Moxey came in for Jonathan Parr at left back, Glenn Murray replaced the injured Chemakh up front and Jason Puncheon returned for Tom Ince in midfield. Palace struggled all day to create opportunities or cope with the guile and creativity of Southampton’s England quartet of Luke Shaw, Adam Lallana, Jay Rodrigues, and Ricky Lambert. Indeed it was Rodrigues who profited from a mistake on the halfway line following a Palace corner, when a weak header by Jason Puncheon sold Dean Moxey short in the left back position. Rodrigues beat Moxey to the ball and ran forty yards to challenge Julian Speroni in a tackle one on one and kicking the ball in the process into an unguarded net to make the score 1 – 0.

Both before and after the goal Palace struggled to create any clear cut chances, this despite putting in excess of fourteen crosses into the box. The problem was that Murray and later Jerome when running to support Murray were faced up the wrong way to goal and this meant the deep lying offside trap of Southampton was proving very effective at stopping Palace attacks. Ex Eagle Jose Fonte was paired at the centre of the defence with Dejan Lovran and alongside substitute Wanjama the Southampton defence was well drilled at playing the ball out from the back and as a result it coped easily with crosses into the box and Palace’s direct style. In a game of few chances Palace was short of ideas and although Bolasie drew a smart save from Artur Boric it was Southampton who dominated.

Palace failed to cope with the class of Southampton’s England midfielder Adam Lallana and England left back Luke Shaw. Lallana controlled midfield spraying balls around the park at will, bringing Lambert and Rodrigues and later Chambers into the game with ease. Lambert hit a post, Rodrigues scored the winning goal and Shaw drew a fine save from Speroni after a sharp run and shot. In a flat game from the hosts point of view and a comfortable match from Southampton’s viewpoint the difference in class on show dictated there was only going to be one winner. The fact Jay Rodrigues scored the only goal of the game on thirty seven minutes showed the scarcity of goal scoring chances throughout the game for both sides. It also probably reflected the second half improvement by Crystal Palace in coping with the creative threats of Lallana and Shaw.

Defeat for Crystal Palace does intensify the significance of the big game at the bottom of the table next weekend at the Stadium of Light against Sunderland as neither side are yet safe bunched up together as they are just two points apart at the bottom of the league in 19^th and 16^th place respectively.  

Swansea 1 – 1 Crystal Palace: Murray Rescues Point from Spot as Jacks Pay Penalty for European Exertions!

Palace made two changes from the match against Manchester United for the trip to Swansea with Yannick Bolasie and KG Dikgacoi coming in for Glenn Murray and Jason Puncheon. This match was played in the backdrop of atrocious weather conditions and driving rain, as the game took place just forty eight hours after Swansea City’s European trip to Napoli. The short turn around between games did not seem to effect Swansea as they dominated the first half slotting into their passing style as the Crystal Palace midfield failed to break up play as Swansea’s passing regularly penetrated a deep lying Palace defence.

Early in the match Maroanne Chemakh was injured and after an ineffectual ten minutes he was replaced by Cameron Jerome. The tall striker tried in vain to change the flow of the game in the first half by counter acting Swansea’s passing and pressing. He tried to bring Yannick Bolasie more into the game to see whether his pace could have some effect on the flow of attacks. Leon Britton Wayne Routledge and De Guzman controlled the game through tight pass and move football that Crystal Palace did not have an answer to. The pressing nature of Swansea’s attacks meant KG was ineffectual in the first half unable to either break up play or launch attacks from midfield. The away side needed an outlet.

Palace was under pressure. On twenty five minutes the pressure told and Swansea broke through. Neat and patient passing on the edge of the Palace box pinned the defence back and Routledge sent De Guzman through on goal to slot past Speroni to continue his recent goal scoring run and give the Jacks a 1 – 0 lead. Minutes later and dominant possession stats almost saw Swansea double their lead. Julian Speroni made a fantastic save from Wilfried Bony to keep Palace in touch in the match at a crucial stage. It was a save that would change the game in the second half keeping Palace alive in the contest.

At halftime Glenn Murray came on for Tom Ince who was having a hot afternoon along with Joe Ledley from the locals who gave them both a hostile reception. Murray changed the game getting Cameron Jerome more involved in the match. He read Jerome’s flicks and runs effectively enabling Palace to effectively launch attacks and pressurise Swansea for the first time. KG got more into the game breaking up Swansea’s passing rhythm for the first time enabling palace to pose a threat on the counter attack. Yannick Bolasie was also cutting an increasingly effective figure down the wing running at the Swansea defence for the first time.

On Eighty One minutes Murray latched on to a loose ball as Swansea tried to play out from the back. He beat goalkeeper Vorm, but was fouled in the box by Chico Flores who was judged to be the last man and was shown the red card and sent off. Palace had a penalty and Murray who had been out injured for eight months picked himself up and took the penalty himself. Murray scored with the spot kick to equalise with his first goal of the season to make the score 1 – 1.

After the goal Palace dominated the last ten minutes of the match as they tried to make their man advantage count. Murray had a shot cleared off the line by Jordi Amat. Jerome Thomas who was on as substitute for Jonny Parr fell in the box trying to convert a goal mouth scramble and was booked for simulation. Palace failed to make their man advantage count and the game ended 1 – 1. Tony Pulis will fine Thomas and Chemakh for diving in a creditable attempt to stamp it out at Palace.

Sunday’s game was Crystal Palace’s first away draw of the season. With just two away wins and six away goals all season the performance at the Liberty Stadium showed signs of improvements from Palace away from home. This will have to improve again in a fortnights time when Palace play League Cup Finalists Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. Next Saturday Palace are back at Selhurst Park at home to Southampton.  

Crystal Palace 0 – 2 Manchester United; Rooney Sets up Victory as United too Good despite Glenn Murray’s Welcome Injury Return!

All the talk before kick-off at Selhurst Park on this evening match under lights was of Wayne Rooney’s 300,000 pound a week new contract and how he would choose to celebrate it. Before kick-off the Champions were made to feel welcome by a mural display at the Holmesdale Road End aimed to call for inspiration through togetherness right until the end. Indeed Rooney was given an especially warm welcome by the Palace faithful in the Holmesdale Road End at corners in the first half as bad blood was evident between the two sets of supporters given the past history that existed between them.

As the game got going in the first half Palace started assuredly and quite steadily. Tom Ince in his second appearance for the Club was eager to form an understanding with returning striker Glenn Murray who showed no ill effect from his injury. Manchester United was comfortable on the ball, and took control of the midfield using youngster Adnan Januzaj as an outlet on the wing down the left to launch attacks through. Palace defended resolutely as the understanding between Ward, Dann, and Delaney across the back four grew although at least in this match against United Parr was shown to be the weak link. Delaney headed off the line from a Rooney cross shot and Vidic headed the rebound over the crossbar. Maroanne Fellaini should have scored for United just before the break, scuffing a shot wide from close range.

Throughout the match Palace lacked a cutting edge as the midfield struggled to form an understanding with the strikers as they had to such potent effect in the West Bromwich Albion Victory. As a result Manchester United retained a lot of possession and was able to hold onto the ball easily in midfield with sharp incisive short passes across the pitch which neutralised a lot of Crystal Palace’s attacking intent. On sixty two minutes Manchester United made their general dominance and control of the play count, this despite of Crystal Palace’s sporadic attacking threat. Maroanne Chemakh who was having a difficult evening made a clumsy challenge on Patrice Evra in the penalty area to concede a spot kick. Robin Van Persie scored the penalty to give United a 1 – 0 lead.

Palace substitute Cameron Jerome replaced Glenn Murray who got an hours play under his belt in what was a performance full of endeavour and quality upon his full return from injury. Jerome tested De Gea with a low shot to nearly equalise minutes after coming off the bench. Yet unfortunately straight after this United went down the field and killed the game. Chemakh gave the ball away on the halfway line and United broke at pace, the Palace midfield failed to pick up their players and Evra crossed for Rooney to smash home a volley into the top corner of the net from twelve yards. Manchester United had secured the victory by 2 – 0.

Despite another pulsating Selhurst Park atmosphere which really is becoming the rebellious colourful vanguard to the rest of the quieter more sedate polished and corporate Premier League atmospheres, Palace did not have quite enough quality to match or defeat Manchester United. Player for player though the effort and endeavour alongside Pulis’s group organisation could not be faulted. Sadly though it was not enough for a result and Palace was left to look back with pride on some good individual performances and some solid units forming in midfield and defence for the rest of a tough run in. Bolasie came on for Chemakh for the last quarter of an hour as the Moroccan had a tough evening and did not have his best game in a Palace shirt. Bolasie on the other hand used his pace to good effect to test United down the flanks nearly creating a consolation goal for Palace.

Given the hype and anticipation around Selhurst Park in the build up to the visit of the Champions it may come as some surprise that realistically in terms of Crystal Palace’s survival hopes next Sunday’s match in Wales against Swansea City is I think bigger in terms of its importance. Swansea are entrenched in the relegation battle alongside Palace. They are likely to be tired and possibly disappointed after their Europa League Second Leg Tie on Thursday in Italy against Napoli so if Palace can take advantage of this to win some points, it could prove to be a massive turning point in Crystal Palace’s battle for survival.    

Palace 3 – 1 WBA: New Boys Make Telling Impact as Albion Drop into Bottom Three!

In this season of such a compacted bottom half and most congested relegation battle in years, Palace did themselves a massive favour by winning another six pointer against a relegation rival. Palace’s last two home games gathered maximum points as Jason Puncheon netted the winner in both games against Stoke City and Hull City. After the game against Hull City, Palace travelled for the first time in their history to the Emirates to play Arsenal. Despite a fruitless 2 – 0 loss Palace played well, the fans certainly enjoyed themselves, and in many ways the game showed how far the club has come in four years under CPFC 2010’s stewardship.

The day before our road trip to the Emirates the January Transfer Window closed for the 2014 season. It was a good final day for Crystal Palace as Steve Parish, Tony Pulis and director of football Ian Moody worked together to seal deals for goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey, defender Scott Dann, and midfielders Tom Ince and Joe Ledley. Jason Puncheon also made his loan move from Southampton permanent.

After a hectic deadline day of activity, Joe Ledley played at left back instead of Jonathan Parr. Scott Dann came into the defence for Danny Gabbidon. Thomas Ince came into the hole behind the frontman replacing Cameron Jerome. All four deadline signings including Puncheon came into the team to make home debuts against West Bromwich Albion at Selhurst Park. Palace started well and quickly against the Albion, Pulis’s new boys’ settling in seamlessly to a team that looked to carry on good recent home form in another crucial match at the bottom of the league. It did not take long for Palace to make there superiority in the first half count. Chemakh combined with Yannick Bolasie and his pace took him away from the West Bromwich Albion defender allowing him to play a through ball past the centre of defence for Tom Ince to latch onto and dink the ball past Foster and into the net at the far post to score and become an instant terrace hero.

Palace’s quick start took the Albion by surprise. Puncheon and Bolasie showed great understanding with the skilful and hardworking Ince, whilst Scott Dann looked to be developing a solid partnership with Damian Delaney at the centre of defence. Indeed twelve minutes after going ahead Palace’s quick start blitzed WBA again. No Albion defender tracked Joe Ledley’s run from a Tom Ince corner and his bullet header made it 2 – 0 as another debutant opened his goal scoring account as Palace took a vice like grip on proceedings.

In the second half West Brom came out like a train and caught Palace cold as substitutes Scott Sinclair and Thievy (Bifaima Koulossa) combined thirty six seconds after the restart for Thievy to become the third debutant to find the net in the game for their respective teams. In the second half West Bromwich was more competitive but Palace remained in front and were in control of proceedings. Sinclair tested Speroni and Craig Dawson shot over but Speroni was fantastic producing heroics to deny James Morrison and Scott Sinclair again this time from close range.

Palace remained comfortable playing on the break and Billy Jones cleared a flick header from Damian Delaney off the line following a Tom Ince corner. The Eagles capped a good day when Maroanne Chemakh broke from the halfway line only to be fouled by Ben Foster in the penalty area. Chemakh converted the penalty himself to restore a two goal cushion. Despite late chances for Berahino and Anichibe Palace went on to secure a crucial victory by 3 – 1 in this six pointer against another side mired in the bottom half of the table.

The biggest cheer of the day from the Palace faithful was however reserved for the return to action of thirty goal Championship striker Glenn Murray who had been out for eight months with cruciate damage picked up in the Playoff against Brighton. This return of such an Eagles talisman combined with the other new additions that add to Palace’s goal threat in the run in should well be enough to keep Palace up in what is turning out to be the closest relegation battle in Premier League history. Murray has returned to the squad and will be available for selection away to Everton at Goodison Park on Wednesday evening.