October 18 2009

Mark Hudson

Jamesey reflects on our current good run of results and hopes we can keep it up.

Who needs the help of a beach ball when you've got Mark Hudson to deflect the ball into his own net? That early own-goal against Cardiff City (Oct 17) certainly gave us a flying start although the final 1-1 draw was certainly a credit-worthy result for the Eagles.

And just for once we seemed to have a Palace-friendly referee. Alassane N'Diaye was extremely fortunate to avoid a second yellow and the official made several other decisions that definitely that did us no harm at all.

Cardiff City now, of course, have a brand spanking new stadium and on this occasion were able to fill it with 21,457 souls Would we could ever do that at Selhurst for a run-of-the-mill league match, apart from Man U of Chelsea in the FA Cup?

This columnist must admit to more than a touch of nostalgia for the demise of good old Ninian Park after 99 years. Part of my boyhood was spent near Cardiff and in those days the Bluebirds were a high-flying team in the old First Division and I travelled to see many Cardiff City games before my family moved to south London and I threw in my lot with the Glaziers.

I last visited Ninian Park in our promotion season of 03-04, little thinking that a few weeks later we would be appearing a couple of miles up the road in the Millennium Stadium and beating West Ham for a place in the Premiership.

It was the first time in decades that I had been inside Ninian Park and it was rough and ready, like Selhurst, but to me held many memories. The Cardiff City Stadium, of course, ticks all the boxes for comfort, modernity and facilities, but the history will only come long after we are all long gone.

Anyhow in 2004 I left Ninian Park with a big smile on my face after we won the match with goals from Andrew Johnson and Wayne Routledge.

But nowadays Cardiff City are a much tougher proposition and, as I write, lie third in the league table and look like serious Premier League contenders.

However, I do hope that Cardiff aren't going to be a "problem" side for Crystal Palace. Respective managers, Dave Jones and Neil Warnock, claim to be good mates although you would never think so the way their sides kick lumps out of each other.

In last season's home game on Easter Saturday Cardiff took three points with a 0-2 win. Dave Jones had to be physically restrained from attacking Palace defender Claude Davis over an alleged elbow incident.

Jones then had the brass neck to complain to the FA and got Claude banned for three matches. Absolutely ridiculous and outrageous.

At the end of Saturday's game there have been allegations of racist incidents in the tunnel after the match. Jones is threatening to call in the Welsh Football Association to investigate although what possible jurisdiction that body would have over Cardiff or Palace is difficult to imagine. I thought we played in an English league.

Anyhow, leaving that nonsense on one side, we have not lost in our last five matches and have notched up 11 points out of 15. And with a game in hand on all but QPR, the play-off zone could soon be an attractive reality.

Email Jamesey with your comments to jevans3704@aol.com

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