Crystal Palace 2-1 Coventry City : Youngsters shine as Palace leave it late

You would have to travel far and wide to find a better atmosphere than that under the Selhurst Park floodlights during a midweek match, and Crystal Palace’s game with Coventry was no different as both sides served up a cracking spectacle. The much anticipated return of football to SE25 delivered The Eagles a satisfying three points on Saturday, leaving Palace fans optimistic of a repeat result against The Sky Blues who were looking to avoid their worst start to a season since 1968.

The opening exchanges saw the home side playing some neat, passing football but with little cutting edge.  Most notable about Palace’s style of play was their ability to play the ball out from the back - a far cry from the frustrating route one approach seen on numerous occasions last season.  The closest Palace came to opening the scoring was a long range effort from midfield general Owen Garvan whose half volley smashed back off the advertising boards.  The young Coventry side took longer to grow into the game and appeared to be lacking in confidence after their poor start to the season.  However, the away side soon looked more comfortable in possession and the impressive youngster Gael Bigirimana was instrumental for the Coventry in spreading the ball to the wide areas. It was Palace though who continued to pose a more potent threat up front, and Sean Scannell went close forcing Joe Murphy into a smart save low down to his right. 

Both sides were forced to make early substitutions with Gary McSheffrey replaced by seventeen year old debutant Josh Ruffles for Coventry, while Dougie Freedman was forced to bring on youngster Wilfried Zaha for the injured Kagisho Dikgacoi. If anything, the change benefited the home side as they instantly posed more of a threat down the flanks.  Zaha and QPR loanee Peter Ramage combined well on the right hand side which allowed the latter to deliver a dangerous cross, only for Jermaine Easter to narrowly be beaten to the ball by the ever present Richard Keogh. The away side lacked killer instinct in the final third, but might have gone ahead had Ruffles not spurned The Sky Blues’ best opportunity shooting harmlessly over the crossbar. 

The cagey first half was very much like the opening stages of a boxing bout, both sides eyeing up their opponent, flirting with one or two efforts but neither able to land a killer blow. Palace had perhaps offered more of a threat, but had by no means shocked Coventry into trepidation, and neither side would have been contemplating making any major alterations to their game plan at the interval. 

It was in fact the away side who broke the deadlock just minutes into the second half.  Cyrus Christie’s attempted cross was blocked by Peter Ramage, but the ball began to loop towards the Palace goal.  Under pressure from Lukas Jutkiewicz, a rare moment of indecision from Julian Speroni saw the Argentine Goalkeeper punch the ball into the back of the Coventry centre forward.  Despite the best efforts of Paddy McCarthy, the ball was adjudged to have crossed the line and a goal was given – much to the delight of the travelling faithful.

In previous seasons, Palace fans might have been forgiven for thinking that following Coventry’s opener, the night would end in defeat for The South Londoners.  However, Freedman claims to have instilled a ‘never say die attitude’ in his Palace squad and, if anything, conceding a goal sparked the home side into life as they went in desperate search of an equaliser.  As Wilfried Zaha begun to find his feet, Coventry left back Chris Hussey might have felt that he was losing his as the young Palace winger produced some unreal moments of skill which will leave Hussey having nightmares for months to come.  Despite often beating his marker, Zaha’s final ball was frequently intercepted by the resilient Coventry centre backs. Palace’s chances appeared limited as Coventry looked to sit back and protect their lead, while goalkeeper Joe Murphy did his best to run down the clock. 

The menacing Sean Scannell again tried his luck from distance but saw his effort well held by the determined Murphy.  Perhaps Palace’s best chance for an equaliser fell to the captain, Paddy McCarthy.  After a short corner routine made its way to Scannell, the forwards scuffed shot fell to the Irish centre back six yards out from goal, but he could only direct the ball into the back of his own team mate, allowing Coventry to clear the danger.    

As the clock continued to tick Palace committed more men forward and Dougie Freedman gave debuts to Australian Mile Jedinak and academy product Jon Williams, hoping that the pair could fashion an equaliser.  The home side, however, continued to look vulnerable on the counter attack, and Coventry might have doubled their lead had Julian Speroni not denied Jutkiewicz on two occasions.  In fact, the away side looked more likely to snatch a second as opposed to Palace forcing a draw, and Speroni made further amends for his earlier error when he somehow hung on to a Sammy Clingan free kick which looked destined for the top corner.

They say good things come to those who wait, and thankfully for the Palace faithful an equaliser arrived in the final minute of normal time.  After an excellent run from the young debutant Williams, the Welshman played a clever pass out to the left for Zaha.  The youngsters shot was initially well saved by Murphy, but just as the danger looked to have been cleared, Sean Scannell ferociously volleyed the ball home while in mid air, sending the home fans into raptures. 

With five minutes of added time motivating both sets of supporters, the game entered a frantic conclusion as both teams went in search of an unlikely winner.  Just as the game looked to be heading for a stalemate, Wilfried Zaha again found the ball at his feet on the left hand side. Having left his man for dead, Zaha fired a low shot towards goal which Murphy could only parry, leaving the outstretched foot of Jermaine Eater to poke the ball into an empty net – sparking delirium amongst the Palace faithful. 

The Sky Blues were not even given the chance to respond, as not a moment too soon, referee Patrick Miller brought to a close one of the most memorable nights at Selhurst Park in recent times.  In the space of just five minutes, Coventry had gone from returning to the Ricoh Arena with three points, to heading back up the M1 with nothing. The Sky Blues will count themselves unlucky, but will need to expand their style of play if they are to go any way to rectifying their poor start to the campaign.   For Palace, the three points represents more than their best start to a season in five years, it exhibits the new found belief that Freedman has provoked in his squad.

Here we go again!

The phrase "It's never boring supporting Palace" is one we are all very familiar with from supporting the Eagles.  I can't think of anything else more appropriate to sum up what it means to support Crystal Palace.  In the last two seasons we have narrowly avoided relegation twice, come through administration, had three different managers and have seen new owners take control of the club.  Not much for this season to live up to then.  However, there is no reason to suggest that the forthcoming campaign won't be as exciting as those before it - but for the right reasons.  As football fans, you could say we have been made to suffer in the last two seasons, watching the team struggle on the pitch while CPFC2010 worked tirelessly to clean up the mess left by our previous owner.  Although the bookies believe we are in for much of the same this season, I believe there are many reasons for Palace fans to be optimistic about the new campaign.

The arrival of KG is a popular move
with Palace fans

In what was has been his first summer as Palace manager, Dougie Freedman has made some shrewd signings to fill the gaps left by those who have left the club.  The departure of Neil Danns to Leicester was one which split the views of the Palace faithful with some claiming that he owed another season to the club for sticking by him through an injury prone first year in South London. However, most Palace fans would agree that Danns has been one of our most influential players in the past two seasons, and would not begrudge him his move to what appears to be an exciting project at Leicester City.  Perhaps the most telling reaction to Danns' departure came from Palace Chairman Steve Parish on Twitter, who stated that "One brick doesn't make a castle".  Indeed, no player is bigger than the club, and Freedman has acted quickly to strengthen the midfield with the additions of Mile Jedinak and Kagisho Dikgacoi - both of whom have international experience.  After his loan spell last season, we are already aware of what KG will offer to the side, but it will be interesting to see what role Freedman has in mind for twenty-six year old Jedinak.

Palace fans will be hoping for Glenn
Murray to show the same form he did
rivals Brighton.

Football is a simple game. You score more than the opposition and you win. One of the significant reasons that Palace have struggled in the past few seasons is their inability to score enough goals due to the absence of a twenty goal a season centre forward.  James Vaughan showed last season the quality of striker you need in this league to succeed.  However, with our hopes of signing him dashed by the lure of Premiership football at Norwich City, Freedman has been forced to focus his attention on other targets.  Securing the early signature of former Brighton striker Glenn Murray on a free transfer was an excellent piece of business.  Having scored twenty two goals in League One last season, Murray  will be hoping that under the guidance of Freedman, he can recreate the same kind of form in The Championship. Palace Manager Freedman described Murray as "a very good player who is intelligent, holds the ball up well and brings other people into play".  Not only that, but Murray is a natural born finisher as well, which is the type of attribute that has been lacking from Palace strikers in recent years.

Freedman has made no secret of his desire to bring in another striker.  However, with very few Championship standard centre forwards available for a bargain, it may give those waiting in the wings a chance to stand up and be counted.  Jermaine Easter will be hoping that Freedman gives him a more sustained run in the starting line up than he did during last season, while youngsters Sean Scannell and Wilfried Zaha will be looking to make their mark in the first team after showing some promising signs during the Pre-Season fixtures.  This season may even see a return to the first team scene for a certain Calvin Andrew.  Sent out on loan on two occasions last season, Andrew has been heavily involved in The Eagles Pre-Season campaign and looks set to play some sort of role within the first team squad.

The signing of Aleksander Tunchev
will go some way to solving Palace's
defensive problems.

Palace owed much of their survival in the Championship last time around to their back four.  The run of eight successive home clean sheets enabled Palace to steer clear of relegation and it will be important for the defence to be just as conservative this time around.  However, the early summer departures of Claude Davis and Adam Barrett meant that skipper Paddy McCarthy was the only recognised centre back left at the club.  Freedman has brought in several loanees in the form of Peter Ramage, Andrew Davies and Aleksander Tunchev, all of whom are capable of forming a strong partnership with McCarthy at the heart of the defence.  Rumours that Nathanial Clyne has broken his foot will be a huge blow for Freedman, and coupled with the early season suspension of left back Dean Moxey has forced the Palace manager to bring in Ryan McGivern on loan from Man City as cover. Meanwhile, the signing of twenty two year old Jonathan Parr from Norweigan side Aalesund is one which will excite the Palace faithful.  Having fought off interest from a number of clubs for his signature, Freedman will be hoping that the promising Noweigan international can discover his potential at Selhurst Park. Parr, who can play at left back or left wing, will add further strength in depth to Freedman's squad which may even see Dean Moxey moved into midfield.

Towards the back end of last season, Palace fans often found themselves frustrated with the negative tactics employed by Dougie Freedman.  The tactics were, however, adapted to the situation that the club found itself in and in the end brought about the desired results. Having now had the chance to work his way into the job and having the bonus of starting on a level playing field with the other teams in the division, Freedman will have been able to implement a style of play he feels will bring about success. Palace have the players capable of producing a fast and exciting style of football.  The attacking mentality of full backs Dean Moxey and Nathanial Clyne enables us to start putting the opposition under pressure from defence. This paired with skilful wingers such as Zaha and Scannell up top we should be a handful attacking down the flanks, and in theory will be able to get a good supply to Glenn Murray.  It would be nice to see Darren Ambrose played in his preferred position of attacking midfield, where he can play just behind Murray and pick up any loose balls.  We all know the form that Ambrose can produce, and it would be a bonus if he could rediscover the scoring touch he had during his first season at SE25 having returned to full fitness over the summer.

For me, this season is about Palace establishing ourselves as a team capable of pushing for the playoffs next season. It would be foolish to aim below promotion this season, but a realistic aim would be to force our way into the top half of the table.  Freedman needs to build a squad which has the right blend of youth and experience which will be able to compete at the top of the Championship in the future. I agree with his transfer policy of not wanting to overspend and believe that if he can get the squad to perform to their full potential we will avoid the struggles of the previous two seasons.  It came as no surprise to hear that Palace have sold out the away allocation for the first game at Peterborough and if we continue to back the team, management and owners, we could surprise a few doubters by having a very successful season.

Championship Preview

Like an excited child on Christmas morning, Saturday will see football fans around the country wake up with a feeling that has been missing since May.  Anticipation of the new Football League season has been building for several weeks and after a hectic transfer period there will be a number of clubs who fancy their chances of promotion.

The signing of Kevin Nolan signals
West Ham's intent of returning to the
Premiership. 

The Championship in particular is shaping up to be a more competitive league than ever before.  With the return of a number of big clubs to the second tier of English Football, expectations will be high for the likes of Birmingham, Blackpool and West Ham to make an instant return to the Premiership.  Although both The Blues and The Seasiders have been forced to sell key players, they have two charismatic managers in the form of Chris Hughton and Ian Holloway respectively, both of whom are well known for getting the best out of their players.  West Ham, meanwhile, have been able to keep hold of the core of their squad - most notably Scott Parker - while making a number of excellent signings by adding the experience of both Kevin Nolan and Matty Taylor to what is already shaping up to be a very strong group of players.  With 'Big Sam' at the helm, there is every reason for Hammers fans to be hopeful of bouncing straight back to the big time.  

Following Norwich's back to back promotions the likes of Brighton and Southampton will be hoping that history can repeat itself. The Saints were relegated from the Championship in 2009 amidst financial problems but their return to the second tier sees them much more secure off the pitch, and arguably in much better shape with regards to their playing squad as well. Following their promotion from League One, Nigel Adkins will be hoping he can return Southampton to where both the owners and fans believe the club belongs - in the Premiership.  Brighton, meanwhile, have every reason to be optimistic of a successful season.  Saturday will see the first league game at their new 22,000 seater stadium, and Seagulls fans will be hoping that new signing Craig Mackail-Smith can spearhead a push for the playoffs.  Brighton's gain is Peterborough's loss however, and the sale of Mackail-Smith along with the rumoured departure of George Boyd could see The Posh struggle to avoid relegation as they did in 2010.  

Eriksson will be happy with his
summer business

You'd have to go very far to find a club with higher expectations for the season than those of the owners and supporters at the Walkers Stadium.  Leicester have spent no less than £9.5million this summer and with manager Sven Goran Eriksson claiming there could be more signings to come, it is no surprise to hear that The Foxes are going all out for promotion.  Combined with the managerial experience of Eriksson, the versatility and strength in depth of Leicester's squad creates the perfect recipe for success, and few will be surprised if the Foxes are filling one of the automatic promotion places come April. 

Of course it would be foolish to write off the likes of Nottingham Forest and their new manager Steve McLaren, while Cardiff will be hoping  that Malky Mackay can get the best out his new side as he did at Watford.  However, with the Championship becoming increasingly competitive, both Forest and The Bluebirds may find it more difficult to secure a playoff spot than in previous seasons.  Cardiff in particular could suffer from the departure of their entire front line, although the signings of Kenny Miller and Robert Earnshaw will go some way to fill the gaps left by Jay Bothroyd, Craig Bellamy and Michael Chopra. Last seasons playoff finalists Reading will be hoping to go one better this campaign, but after losing Matt Mills to promotion rivals Leicester, The Royals need to keep hold of key players Shane Long and Jimmy Kebe to have a realistic chance of repeating last seasons success.  

After suffering a difficult time last season, Middlesbrough may fancy their chances going into this campaign as underdogs.  Tony Mowbray is an experienced head to have at the helm, and having turned around Boro's fortunes after taking over as manager last October, he will be hoping that his side will be challenging at the right end of the table come April. Another side hoping to achieve more than last season will be Ipswich Town.  Paul Jewell has been working tirelessly throughout the transfer window to ensure his squad is fit to challenge for the playoffs.  The additions of Michael Chopra and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas will make The Tractor Boys more potent up front, and coupled with a solid back four, Ipswich have a realistic chance of pushing for the playoffs this campaign. Similarly to Ipswich, Hull will be hoping that they too can force their way into the top six following a disappointing campaign last season.  Nigel Pearson now has the pace up front to supply goals in the form of Matty Fryatt and Aaron McLean while the arrival of Paul McKenna will add steel to the midfield of a side who pride themselves on conceding very few goals.  Furthermore, despite undergoing a rather subdued summer, it would be naive to discard the likes of Leeds and Burnley who are once again likely to be in the mix of teams challenging at the top come the  end of the season.  

Testing time ahead - Dougie Freedman

Of course, there will be a number of sides aiming to stay in the division this season and will have set realistic targets in the knowledge that they are not yet ready to challenge the big spenders of The Championship.  Crystal Palace have narrowly avoided relegation in the past two seasons and Dougie Freedman will be hoping this season can act as a time to consolidate The Eagles position in the Championship.  Palace legend Freedman has made some shrewd signings to strengthen his squad, and will be hoping to create the right blend of youth and experience which is capable of competing at the top of The Championship in future seasons.  Fellow Londoners Watford will be hoping for much of the same. Following the departures of manager Malky Mackay and top goal scorer Danny Graham, The Hornets could be in for a tough season. However, Sean Dyche will be relishing his first crack at management and has acted quickly to bring in Chris Iwelumo while maintaining the core of his squad in the form of captain John Eustace and goalkeeper Scott Loach. The case will be much the same for the likes of Milwall and Portsmouth, both of whom don't appear to have the financial strength to compete at the top of The Championship and will be looking to build a squad adequate enough to challenge in the 2012/13 season.  

Barnsley and Doncaster are two sides often tipped for relegation at the start of the season, but it would come as no surprise if they were to prove their doubters wrong once more.  Tykes manager Keith Hill has got his new side playing some beautiful football in Pre-Season and will be hoping that his players can carry that form into Saturday's game against Nottingham Forest.  Donny meanwhile will be relishing their title of underdogs. Sean O'Driscoll has the advantage of a settled squad and has strengthened his side over the summer without making any spectacular signings.  Rovers have often earned praise for their style of football, and O'Driscoll will be hoping that James Coppinger and Billy Sharp stay fit to give his side the best opportunity of breaking into the top half of the table.  Coventry meanwhile may find this season a struggle.  With financial problems looming over the Ricoh Arena, the loss of last seasons top scorer Marlon King has done The Sky Blues no favours going into this campaign.  With a new manager at the helm, a good start will be essential for Coventry if they are to steer clear of relegation.  

If asked, I'm sure Keith Millen would tell you that the most exciting prospect about tomorrow's opening game with Ipswich is that he has been able to keep hold of Nicky Maynard.  After a lacklustre campaign last season it is essential for The Robins to keep Maynard beyond the transfer period if they are to stay out of trouble. Derby County meanwhile, look set for another season of ups and downs despite manager Nigel Clough claiming this is the season for his side to take their football to the next level.  Clough is yet to live up to his famous name at Pride Park, and the arrivals of Jamie Ward, Nathan Tyson and Kevin Kilbane are unlikely to cause The Rams Championship rivals any sleepless nights. 

Football supporters up and down the country will go to sleep tonight dreaming of the season ahead and what might be come the end of April.  However, one thought to leave you with, although the sound of the new football season sounds appealing now, we may wish it was the summer break again when sitting in sub zero temperatures at three o'clock in December. Then again, it beats an afternoon shop with the wife. Bring it on!