September 17 2003

Crystal Palace

Three weeks ago when the Eagles were perched on the Division One summit, I said that the next three games would provide an acid test of our promotion chances.

One point from games against Sheffield United (h), Millwall (a) and Sunderland (a) is certainly not the stuff of champions, and Palace's ninth position provides a more realistic guide to their chances this term.

But beneath the naked statistic of 10 points from six games, lies a degree of misfortune which cannot continue much longer (can it?).

The late late defeat to a harsh penalty at Sunderland is the latest hard luck story, following Millwall’s last-gasp equaliser and Neil Shipperley’s penalty miss against the Blades.

Lady luck and some poor officials have conspired to rob Palace of four points from those games, but the performances against three key promotion rivals suggest there’s better to come.

Having lost Routledge, Derry, Popovic, Hughes and Black to red cards alongside eleven bookings, the "dirtiest" team in Division One have had their squad stretched to the limit.

Injuries to Dougie and Shipps among other regulars have further hampered the cause, but the youngsters and squad players have stood up and severely tested the promotion front-runners.

Now with the suspensions expired and the squad nearing a clean bill of health, two home games give Palace a chance to jump back up the table.

Ninth is a precarious position to be in: a couple of defeats and a relegation dogfight beckons.

Bradford at home is a must-win game, but the visit of high flying West Brom on Saturday provides another stern test. Let’s hope for a bit of luck - for once!

****JO’S on Wednesday ****

There was no bad luck in the lame defeat against Bradford last night. A good first half performance was followed by a woeful second, where Palace were short of ideas, cutting edge and a fit centre forward.

Sadly we also heard the first boos of the Kember era. Let’s hope a fit Dougie can make the difference on Saturday.

If you can’t make it in person, join me from Selhurst Park on Saturday at 3pm for the fastest free text commentary available on the web.

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