May 12 2008

Action

After a cracker of a performance against Burnley last week, the first leg play-off game against Bristol City was a damp squib, opines Jamesey.

I have to say that 1-2 seems a fair enough result. For much of the game City looked sharper, stronger and tactically more astute than us.

Yes, they were tough tacklers and maybe our youngsters should have been better protected by the ref. But there you go.

What a shame that we couldn't hang on to that 1-1, after Ben Watson's spot kick, following Jose Fonte's theatrical (heh, heh) upending in the box.

Perhaps Neil Warnock's experience and motivational expertise will coax something extra from the boys for Tuesday's away leg?

But it is a massive task which faces us at Ashton Gate and we need to be at our very best.

As a denizen of the much sneered-at Main Stand, I hope our detractors give us some credit for the racket we unleashed in the past two matches.

I have been practising in the morning shower and I exercised my vintage vocal chords with great abandon during the games.

The "Why didn't he play like that for us?" Award has got to go to Dele Adebola. The lumbering quadruped who Trevor Francis imported into our club was a revelation - fast, dominant in the air, clever and always dangerous.

Another classic example of how players can succeed in some situations and look dire in others.

In my euphoria after our 5-0 trouncing of Burnley in my previous column, I completely forgot to mention what a pleasure it was to see five Palace legends on the pitch at half-time.

Jim Cannon, Vince Hilaire, Paul Hinshelwood, Steve Kember and Billy Gilbert were all part of the squad that won promotion in 1979, three decades ago.

I think I would have just about recognised Kember and Cannon in the local pub but the other three I think not. Anyway 30 years is nearly half a lifetime and even your humble columnist, now silver of hair and short on teeth, is not the handsome beast of 1979!

To conclude, it was another pleasure to meet one of my long-time "virtual" friends in the Two Brewers after the Bristol match.

We have exchanged amiable insults for quite a few years but until now never managed a humanoid interface.

In answer to my email on how I would recognise him, he replied that he is a 60-ish lawyer, wearing a yellow Palace shirt inscribed with "Hacker" and his bonce would be topped by a red-and-blue wig.

Funnily enough, I spotted him quite easily and hope to enjoy more of his knowledgeable and amusing company in the future.

Email Jamesey with your comments to Jevans3704@aol.com

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