Month: May 2013
Wilf, KP, Unity and the Omens!
Monday May 27th 2013 at Wembley Stadium, KO 3pm.
The Championship Play Off Final, Admission 76 pounds (Cat 2), programme 6 pounds.
Crystal Palace (Phillips pen 105) 1-0 Watford, after extra time
Attendance 82,025.
The facts;
Palace were in administration in early 2010, we were deducted 10 points.
Then the ‘CPFC 2010 consortium’ took ownership of the club from Simon Jordan, CPFC 2010 being composed of four lifelong Palace fans, at the same time they also gained ownership of the stadium.
In May 2010 we needed a point at Sheff Wed in the last game to secure Championship football, a dramatic 2-2 ensued, survival.
Hillsborough reverberated to ‘Going down, are we f8ck, minus ten and we’re staying up’.
Step forward three years, and a remarkable unexpected season occured. Palace, pre-season being tipped as potential relegation candidates rather than pushing for promotion. And for this game academy scholar Wilfried Zaha was playing his last match for the club before departing to Man Utd, as part of a five month loan back after a fifteen million pound transfer fee was agreed in January.
Kevin Phillips, at 39, having played 672 matches, today on the bench, potentially involved in his last game.
Paddy McCarthy, club captain, injured all season, watching from the sidelines.
Glenn Murray, 31 goal striker this season, on crutches, watching from the sidelines, injured in the play off SF 1st leg.
Also out, Jonny Parr (injured), and influential Stephen Dobbie (loan from Brighton, not allowed to play in play offs).
Palace became the first team to win promotion to the Premier League four times apparently. And the New Wembley became the fourth venue we have now won top flight football at, for the record;
1994 – Champions, title secured at Ayresome Park, Middlesbrough.
1997 – Play Off final – Beat Sheffield United 1-0 at the Old Wembley.
2004 – Play Off final – Beat West Ham 1-0 at the Millenium Stadium, Cardiff.
2013 – Play Off final – Beat Watford 1-0 at the New Wembley.
Not sure why is it that the older I get it seems the more emotional I get at these bigger games, at the final whistle, my eyes were very wet, and I only ‘just’ about kept my composure in front of Ros, as my ‘little old Palace’ had gone and bloody done it again.
A similar committed performance from the team that they’d shown at Brighton in the SF 2nd leg, but on the day just lacking the end product, a goal. Frustration and tension grew as Palace wrestled control of the game with captain Jedinak, as usual influential in midfield. But as the minutes ticked by, that goal was proving elusive.
However in the 105th minute during extra time in a fairy tale ending to his Palace career, Wilf’s pace got him past Watford defender Cossetti, who seemingly in an attempt to win the ball, stuck out a leg, unfortunately for him, Wilf had already just played the ball, and he made contact with Wilf’s leg.
It looked a penalty at the time, and the TV replays seem to confirm it, even Cossetti himself seemed resigned to it.
For seconds after we wondered who’d take the penalty, but up stepped ‘super’ Kevin Phillips ball tucked under his arm, who’d started his league career nearly twenty years previously at Watford, and born in Hertfordshire.
He then took one of the most perfect penalties I’ve ever seen, two strides, and then tucked firmly into the top left corner out of the reach of the excellent Almunia, the ripple of the net was met with an enormous roar from the Palace end of the stadium.
<
All day we had kept raising little things as 'omens' pointing to our victory, a Palace friend of ours had died four months before the 2004 win, another Palace friend had died a few weeks before this game, 'an omen' we said. From important things like that, to ridiculously inconsequential things, they were 'omens', our friends Steve and Ffi who we'd met in the Prince Regent on Marylebone high street pre-match were also spouting omens.
The truth of the matter was, the club has been as united as it had ever been over the last three years. CPFC2010 appear on the message boards interacting with fans. You have a concern/worry, go online ask, and you get a reply, no invisible foreign owners here!
Also the 'Holmesdale fanatics' have created a fantastic atmosphere at games this and previous recent seasons, today securing a block together behind the goal and leading the singing, to my biased ears it sounded like much more passion and noise was coming from the Palace end.
I'm not saying Watford fans aren't as passionate, that would be ludicrous, but on this day I sensed the unity flowing from our stands to the pitch and back again gave us an added advantage.
It seems now, in speaking to friends, but we hadn’t said at the time (a bad omen of course), that many of us were quietly confident we’d win this game.
As Ollie (Manager, Ian Holloway) said, in regard to our campaign in the Premier League, “Gawd help us”. Indeed, yes.
But at this moment, who cares eh, currently our pride outweighs our fears.
Thanks CPFC 2010, thanks Palace, another day to remember for the rest of our lives.
omen >
1. a phenomenon or occurrence regarded as a sign of future happiness or disaster
2. prophetic significance
<
Purbeck Derby tussle
Saturday May 18th 2013, kick off 15:00. 
Dorset Premier League.
Wareham Rangers (Amber/Black) 2-2 Swanage Town and Herston (White/Black).
Att 84, admission 3 pounds prog included, a half of Ringwoods ‘Boondoggle’ 1.65.
Ahhh wonderful Dorset, rolling green hills, ancient coastline etc.
Certainly one of my favourite counties in England. With leagues now finishing as we reached the third Saturday in May, opportunities for new ground visits were starting to recede. However I’d noticed in the Football Traveller a tasty looking Derby at Wareham Rangers. I had my wedding stag weekend in Swanage in June 2010. We enjoyed a circular five-mile walk out to the coastal path and back, which set us up for an afternoon at possibly my favourite pub in England, ‘The Square and Compass’ in Worth Matravers.
Ros was keen to visit to one of our favourite parks in the UK, namely ‘Monkey World’ at nearby Wool, a beautiful spot, and on the day the sun was out and the celsius was high, all looked good as we headed down the M4/A34/M3 and M/A 27.
<
Wareham is a small market town about eight miles south-west of Poole. Built on a dry channel between the Rivers ‘Frome’ and ‘Piddle’. The delights of Corfe Castle (and village), Studland Bay are also nearby. The town’s oldest features are the town walls, ancient earth ramparts surrounding the town, likely built by Alfred the Great in the 9th century to defend the town from the Danes.
During the English Civil War, Wareham changed hands several times between the Royalists and Parliamentarians and in August 1644 was the site of a fierce battle with 2,000 Cromwellian soldiers besieging the town.
Wareham Rangers play at the Purbeck Sports Centre on the outskirts of the town. It took only about twelve minutes to drive from Monkey World, where Ros stayed for the rest of the afternoon for further primate watching.
The pitch itself is not visible from the car park, but is behind the sports centre, in fact it’s a good 100 yards walk from the back of the sports centre building, with an all-weather all surface outdoor five/six/seven a side courts running behind the back of the small covered shelter of Rangers.
Rather unusually clearly the sports fields are also used for athletics, as markings from a running track were still visible on the grass, a first for me in watching football. Quite a pleasing aspect with trees hugging two sides of the pitch, and some rolling countryside teasing the eye through the trees opposite the stand.
<
Taking up a position on the sports centre side, I was soon joined unexpectedly by a fellow hopper. Steve from Harrow, who I’d met at one of (2010) Kid Hedwall’s excellent annual Swedish hops. Steve being a rather unusual animal in this hobby of ours in being an ex semi pro player (conf/isthmian etc) who turned to hopping after finishing his playing career. We decided to stand between the dugouts, and shortly before HT we were joined by his travelling companion, a Watford fan, some lively banter about the upcoming Pal/Watford play off final ensued.
Strange then at HT that we should get chatting with a Yeovil fan being another nonleaguematters poster, and another off to Wembley, in his case the following day, to take on Brentford in their final.
In fact all we needed now was a Brentford fan, and we had a representative of the full set of Championship and League One play off finalists! Sadly no bees buzzed by, ahem.
<
The game was a lively affair, on a day more frankly suited to cricket whites. Swanage dominated the first thirty minutes and took a two goal lead after strikes from Kittle and Mullins. just as I was heading for the shade of the sports bar for a HT drink, Wareham were awarded and converted a penalty, 1-2 at ht.
<
The second half was rather a reversal in fortune, as Wareham equalised on fifty-six minutes, and then the last half hour was rather end to end, with neither side seriously looking like adding to their tally, a deserved draw in my opinion. Steve was doing a champagne job on the Dorset Premier, whereas for me it was a new Step7 league to add to my collection list, and one I fully intend to return to in the future. Apparently we were lucky to get a programme because issuing can be very ad hoc, although I believe Swanage do a particularly good programme, a club and ground high on my tick list, especially as because they have floodlights they are the only entrants from this league in the FA Vase each season.
<
Celtic survival
Saturday May 11th 2013, kick off 14:30pm at ‘Celtic Park’
Welsh League Division One.
Cwmbran Celtic (Yellow/white) 5-1 Haverfordwest County (Red/Red).
Att 82, Admission 4 pounds, tea and crisps 1 pound.
Still plenty of venue choices only two weeks into the merry month of May, and I fancied another trip to South Wales for one of my favourite leagues.
Ros was happy to visit nearby Tredegar House (NT) and with Cwmbran being ‘not to far’ over the bridge across the Bristol channel, Celtic Park was my chosen venue for the day.
What I hadn’t realised when choosing this game was that Celtic had needed to win one of their last two home games to be assured of Welsh League D1 football in 13-14.
The night before Cambrian and Clydach’s victory had ensured that Haverfordwest could not occupy a top three position, meaning that their hope of Welsh Premier League football had been dashed. Those above apparently not having the suitable ground grading, which West did, to be issued a Welsh Prem membership license.
So, whereas I may have been expecting a rather tame end of season game, what I actually got was a rather exciting end to end game played at a frenetic pace and competitive throughout. Fair play to the visitors who may have just played out this game, but gave a really good account of themselves, and frankly the final score was not indicative of the effort they had put in.
<
It was rather disappointing to find nothing in the way of food available to purchase at the ground, aside from some crisps and chocolate, but I do appreciate that at this level those working for the club do so on a voluntary basis, but perhaps some basic rolls may have helped to stave my hunger, as a small bag of crisps certainly did not. Tip, eat elsewhere before visiting Celtic Park!
I fell into conversation with the fella standing next to me, and coincidentally he was also from the Reading area, Caversham Park to be precise, and doing the ground/game before a two-week holiday. His wife sitting in the car, an NT member and not aware of Tredegar House apparently. Such are the numbers of people I tend to get chatting to a NL football, it was a good half an hour of chat before we realised we’d met at Woodcote/Stoke Row FC at the back-end of the previous season. See my blog ‘village football by bicycle’, he WAS one of the cyclists!
<
A heavy downpour soon after kick off had me running back to the car for my umbrella. Typically by the time I was back pitchside the sun was back out, and the rain destined not to return. I noticed quite a number watching from the car park end, raised above pitch level. Shame that they didn’t wish to, or couldn’t afford the four pounds admission. Perhaps a reflection on the economic situation in South Wales, or the something for nothing mentality some people exude in this day and age?
If County were feeling disappointment at missing out on promotion after the Fri evening result, well then it didn’t really show in the first half, as they gave a good account of themselves.
However Patel struck first for Celtic after twelve minutes with a twenty-five yarder before on thirty-one minutes they made it two after a good team move finished by Connor. Between these goals, County were well in the game and had chances of their own. And three minutes before half time they were back in it, after Christopher scored from a rebound of the post. Just before half time, a serious bout of handbags near the centre circle resulted in Cheedy (home) and Raymond (away) receiving their marching orders. From my view the home player dismissal looked the more valid of the two, 2-1 HT.
At half time you could not have anticipated the final scoreline. But Celtic upped the gears, added three goals and secured the top flight status their performance on the day deserved.
While West had most of the early second half pressure, it was Celtic who secured a two goal lead on 63 after Connor was put clean through and finished well. On 79 it was 4-1 as Llewellyn headed firmly in from a corner. And it was only left for a late penalty from Challenger to drill the nail into the West coffin. The Celtic website described it as their best performance of the season, and they certainly played well against very decent opposition. At games end, the home players received a ‘talk down’ in the centre circle from their management, before bouncing back to the changing rooms chanting “We are staying up, say, we are staying up”, you couldn’t help but be pleased for them, well done lads.
In summary, a pretty basic venue but a cracking little programme, and a really enjoyable game. And as for my rumbling tummy, perhaps I caught them on a bad day, the sign below would imply I had!
Square back four
Monday May 6th 2013, kick off 12pm at ‘Windsors’.
South Midlands League Division Two.
Risborough Rangers (Red/White) 7-0 Hale Leys United (Sky Blue/Black).
Att 82, admission 2 pounds prog inc, bacon roll 2 pounds, tea 1 pound.At last a warm sunny day, the Buckinghamshire countryside looked stunning as we took a slow drive up from Reading. Dropping Ros at Hughenden Manor I was able to leave the car in shirt sleeves at the out-of-town ‘Windsors’ a dual purpose football/cricket set up.
Sometimes a ground makes an immediate good impression, and this was such. Surrounded by green, and with a good lengthy cover running down the clubhouse/T Bar side, Windsors is a very attractive little ground.
This game had no bearing on specific promotion or relegation, although Risborough were warming up for a League cup final against local rivals Aston Clinton on the wed evening, so would clearly like to be going into that game with some form. Having had a successful league campaign and fourth position assured, the locals seemed quite content with their lot. Visitors HLUtd from Aylesbury had been less successful, and I was told that they plan to groundshare with Aylesbury FC, potentially as of the 2013-14 season, presumably to meet floodlighting requirements should they achieve promotion in the near future.
Taking up a position opposite the stand, two middle-aged guys were retrieving balls as they sailed over the fence into the shrubbery. Falling into conversation with them, they were curious about the number of photos I was taking, jokingly “We charge for photos here”. I quizzed them about the little shelter, and they told me it had been built for our “ball boys”, which I took to mean themselves. And I could see, in bleak mid winter it would indeed be a lovely little hideaway from the elements.
As for the game, from the evidence of the first thirty minutes of play it looked like Hale Leys players had never seen each other before, as their back four were clueless and defended as badly as any team I’ve seen on my travels this season. At half time Risborough had eased into a six goal lead, with at least four of these goals being simple through balls, which the defence tried to play offside against failing dismally, allowing RU to run on and score.
RR seemed to score at will in the first half, and I’m not sure why it took HLU until half time to realise a change was required in their back four. The second half was a much more sedate affair, RR took their foot of the pedal, HLU seemed happy to just try to contain, and only one more goal was added to the scoreline.
It really was a lovely venue to take in a game on a Spring day, the locals were enthusiastic, the tea bar was fabulous, cooking up a tasty bacon roll for me, supplemented by a piping hot cuppa in a china cup. I was told floodlights should be up for next season, and it’s possible that they may gain promotion, as finishing in the top four with those light may allow them to move up a grade, we shall see, decision pending from the league.
For the record the scorers, were Shrimpton (3), Dean and Clark with 2 each. Shrimpton looked a very promising young striker for this level. Sadly they lost 0-2 to Aston Clinton in the LC Final.
For a club playing at Step seven in the non league pyramid RR have a lot going for them, pay them a visit, I doubt you will regret it!
<
One Day Like This
Monday May 13th 2013, kick off 19:45 at the Amex Stadium, Falmer, near Brighton.
Championship Play off S/F, 2nd Leg.
Brighton and Hove Albion 0-2 Crystal Palace.
att 29,518, admission £28, programme £3.50, Harveys best £3.90.
It has been forty-three years man and boy since my first encounter.
Just occasionally a special game of importance and with a performance to match, touches one deeply and re-affirms the realisation, that your first love never really leaves you, in fact it probably grows stronger.
Last Monday night, at the Amex Stadium, the PA man rather bombastically encouraged the home support…..
“Let’s make tonight one of those nights, a night to remember, a night to say, I was there”
Yes, I thought, indeed, I hope so, although not for the reason he was hoping.
An almost 30,000 strong crowd had gathered at the this wonderful new ground situated on the North downs, frankly, in the middle of nowhere, with poor transport links, little parking and a small branch line railway station, crazy really, but never the less the Amex is pleasing on the eye.
In our little corner, we were restricted to just 2,000 tickets by the police, and gathered in hope rather than expectation, a lifelong sentence as a Palace fan!
The first leg had finished as a 0-0 stalemate, Brighton had edged the first half with their neat passing patterns and movement, without really creating anything significant. Palace edged the second half.
This result left the form team, unbeaten in ten, Brighton, as firm favourites to progress to the richest game in football (to the winners) at Wembley stadium on May 27th to play Watford, Sunday victors of Leicester.
Meeting friends on the concourse an hour the before kick off, a pre-match ale was enjoyed to calm the nerves. As the beers went down the atmosphere was being slowly cranked up, the beer fuelling the hope and belief of, well whatever happens, we felt, the least we could do, was play our part by supporting our team fully for the ninety minutes.
I found my seat was near the back amongst many of our younger fans, many probably being part of the ‘Holmesdale fanatics’, who have become renowned for their repertoire of euro style songs and flags, many now heard sung by all clubs in England, but not so three or four years ago when the HFs first started to make an impression on the atmosphere at Palace games.
The only change to the Palace team was Aaron Wilbraham replacing the injured ’31 goal’ Glenn Murray. Glenn having done knee ligaments during the first leg, twisting his knee badly whilst unchallenged during the second half.
Brighton fans were given blue/white cards to hold up when the teams came out, which looked impressive, when the teams emerged on the pitch their jaunty old-fashioned club song ‘Sussex by the sea’ rang out. The game kicked off and the Palace fans struck up a tune, and sang, and sang.
Brighton had much of the early possession, but Palace kept their shape very well.
‘Albion, Albion’ rang out around the ground, in our corner….
‘My father said to me, now listen here son, you’re CPFC
So here we are, you know us by the noise
The Pride of South London, the famous Palace boys
Whoaaa Whooaaa Whoaaa Whoaaa’
The first half was a half of few chances, as cagey as the first leg. But the Palace were playing well, although we lacked width and penetration, Brighton were not really making inroads.
A lad behind me was screaming for the introduction of Bolasie to add extra width to our attack.
I was happy with keeping it tight and frustrating Brighton, and creating anxiety amongst the home crowd.
‘We love you, we love you, we love you
Where you play, we follow, we follow, we follow
Because we support the Palace, the Palace, the Palace
And that’s the way we like it, like it, like it
Whoaaa Whoaaa Whoaaa Whoaaa’
Half time, all good, still 0-0, all eleven of the Palace team playing well.
Early in the second half Jonny Williams is put clean through on goal, we all stood rigid in anticipation as one, is this it? No, he just screws the ball a yard wide, to a man (and woman), our hands go to our heads. The support for him is immediate…
‘Ohhh Jonny Jonny, Jonny Jonny Jonny Williams’
The introduction of Brazilian Moritz (for Garvan) and Bolasie (for Williams) introduces more adventurous play from Palace, Zaha is still a menace, and Brighton still kick him, he doesn’t give in. Barnes on for Ulloa for Albion gives them new impetus, but still they cannot break us down.
Some Palace fans had wondered if Holloway had lost the dressing room over recent months, that nonsense and this performance made that thought look ridiculous.
‘We’re the pride of South London
South London’s number one, you know it’s true
We’re the RedNBlue
Whoaaa Whoaaa Whoaaa Whoaaa’
The game ebbed and flowed, not a classic, but engaging and compelling for those of us involved, neither set of fans could bear to lose this, the bragging rights at stake being enormous, as well as the Wembley final (and possibly promotion) as the end carrot.
The Brighton fans in unison used their free clappers, whilst we sang.
‘We are Crystal Palace, and we clap with our hands’
Then in the 69th minute, a ball out to the left wing, was controlled by Bolasie, he swiveled, turned to face the goal and sent a low cross into the area reaching the far right penalty area, time seemed to stand still, as we looked to see Zaha unmarked, he stooped, then headed firmly into the back of the net.
Queue absolute pandemonium in the Palace end, as Zaha ran to us. Palace fans young and old were dancing a jig of delight, arms and legs everywhere, strangers hugging strangers, my programme sent into the air from my pocket.
After two or three minutes of this, our support recovered its composure, and with the realisation that we had still about twenty minutes to hold the lead.
‘We are Palace, super Palace, from Selhurst’
Voices now a little croaky, emotion in the back of the throat, but everyone proud, if we lose this one now, at least we have given our everything, the team, and the fans.
Brighton were still probing, but seemed unable to find a route through our dogged defence, every player to a man on form on the same day, Moxey possibly having his best of the season in keeping Buckley at bay.
Albion crank up the pressure, Speroni makes an excellent one-handed save, Moxey clears one-off the line. We breathe again.
But the fact is that Palace looked the stronger as the game went on, Wilbraham missed a good chance with his head to put the game to bed.
‘We love you, we love you, we love you’
Minutes ticked by, ten to play, five to play, all of us willing the clock down. In the eighty-eighth minute Palace broke again, KG took the ball just outside the area, played a five yard pass into Zaha’s feet in the centre of the area, he turned to his left, wrong footing the defender and hit a rocket with his left foot which flew into the back of the net.
We knew that was it, Zaha again ran over, the end was dancing on seats, people almost crying with joy, emotion, pride all rolled into one. Our boy, the fifteen million pound Palace academy lad, ten years at the club had only gone and done it. His last game for us would now be at Wembley.
It was too much for the lad immediately to my right, who threw up at games end, by then most of us were standing on our seats applauding the team as they now danced in front of us.
Lump in my throat, tear in my eye, this was indeed a night to say “I was there”.
I can’t believe it, I can’t believe it, football, bloody hell (Sir Alex Ferguson, 1999).
hopticklist 