A truly
incredible afternoon which saw a bumper crowd witness a pulsating 4 – 3 victory
as Selhurst thronged with more than 20,000 faithful and for reasons possibly to
do with the score line, memories of my first encounter with Crystal Palace came
flooding back; April 1990 Palace 4 – 3 Liverpool FA Cup Semi Final that Sunday
Lunchtime on TV. How many youngsters experiencing their first taste of football
because of Crystal Palace’s family day initiative will be drawn back to Palace
because of the vibrancy of the crowd, topsy-turvy nature of the team
performance, against a backdrop or red and blue colours and claret and white the
exact ingredients that drew me to Palace twenty two years ago. If they have
half the fun I have had over the years those young supporters will have quite
an experience as they grow up to follow the Palace.
To the game
and almost incredibly in a Keeganesque attacking fashion Palace stormed to a
victory for the second home game in a row after trailing by two goals. Another
Wilfried Zaha inspired phoenix from the flames comeback to quote unquote
comfortably win the game at full time. In the week a slip from Delaney gave
Wolves a lead only for a Zaha brace to win the match then, this time around Delaney
would become the hero with the third goal following another Zaha brace this time in a 4 – 3 rout.
In much the
same way as Wolverhampton Wanderers, Burnley is not a bad side and they played
their part in the match scoring three goals away from home. Goals from McCann,
Paterson and Austin, (the leading marksman in the division) could have set up a
winning away performance yet ultimately Burnley were thwarted by the brilliance
of Zaha undoubtedly the best player in the Championship, if not arguably the
form player in the country illustrated by his England U21 call up earlier in
the week. Single handily he hauled Palace back into the game supplied by the majesty
of Palace’s new midfield magician Andre Moritz and the predatory goal instincts
of Palace’s in form Renaissance man Glenn Murray. Even substitutes Jonny
Williams and Jonathan Parr helped create goals with their first touches after
coming on. In the blink of an eye palace went from being out of the match to
comfortably in the lead.
Strangely at
no point did panic set in to a vibrant old Selhurst instead a rhythmic calm
assurance beat around the ground akin to the days of AJ, Dowie, (or dare I say
it even Bruce). Like the beating heart of a thoroughbred racehorse Selhurst
knew it had the star capable of turning the lock and changing the game in
Wilfried Zaha and that is exactly what he did in a twelve minute spell either side of the
break. From two down to all square
suddenly Burnley, from exploiting a disjointed defensive Performance by
Palace to take a lead were lambs to the slaughter. Two further goals from
Delaney and Murray meant the Charlie Austin strike for Burnley was mere consolation.
It would be extremely unlucky for Burnley to go away from home again this
season score three goals and lose. The brutal reality is at present Palace have
a clinical assurance about them that was simply not there at the start of the
season. The Burgeoning talent of Williams, Moritz, and Bolassie alongside the
explosive brilliance of Wilfried Zaha has led to this rich vein of Palace form.
The new Palace fans attracted by this rollercoaster of a match surely cannot be
disappointed.
This blog is
one year old this week. Thanks to friends who have supported me while writing
it. You know who you are. In the past year it has recorded famous away wins at
Brighton, Millwall, and Charlton as well as an epic cup run recording a famous
Palace victory at the home of the then Champions! Most of all it has recorded a
period of stability at Palace and a period of steady progress, brought about by
Dougie Freedman his love of the club and the strong working relationship and
understanding he has with the owners, his staff, players, and fans. I believe
it is Dougie Freedman who will bring success to the club for a long time to
come. So happy birthday blog and thank you Dougie for Stockport, Hillsbrough,
Hull, Old Trafford and everything else yet to come starting with Millwall after
the international break. Bring It On!
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