CPFC v Chelsea

Crystal Palace v Chelsea 30.12.2018 // 12pm

CONTENTS 03

Inside palace

Crystal Palace v Chelsea Sunday 30th December, 12pm

Directors Steve Parish (Chairman) David Blitzer, Joshua Harris Chief Executive Phil Alexander

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Programme Editor Jonathon Rogers

Graphic Design

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Billy Cooke, Luke Thomas

Contributors Jonathon Rogers,

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James Woodroof, Terry Byfield, Ian King, Dominic Fifield, Chris Smith, Chris Waters, Grace Cullen, Ben Mountain

Photography Neil Everitt, Sebastian Frej, Peter Hurn, Reuters, Pinnacle, Rex, Tara Hook

Printer Bishops Printers

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I HAVE TO THANK THE PALACE FANS FOR THEIR SUPPORT THIS YEAR. IN VAST NUMBERS YOU HAVE BACKED US THROUGH THICK AND THIN

THE MANAGER 05

a year for Eagles fans to remember Today marks our final game of 2018, and we’ve been blessed with a mouth-watering fixture to see off the year as we welcome Chelsea to Selhurst Park for a London derby.

Once again, programme deadlines have meant that I am unable to reflect on the Boxing Day meeting with Cardiff City, but before then we produced probably our best result during my time in charge by beating Manchester City away.

I was so proud of the players as many teams have crumbled after going a goal down at the Etihad Stadium, but we bounced straight back and were really clinical in our attacking play. They introduced an abundance of riches off their bench but our spirit was so good that we didn’t look like letting the victory slip away to give our fans an early Christmas present which delighted me greatly.

I would like to welcome Maurizio Sarri and his Chelsea team to south London, who provided us with stern competition when we faced them at Stamford Bridge last month. A lot of football has been played since, especially so in the last couple of weeks, so I’m expecting a vastly different, if equally difficult, match.

However, as we showed against Manchester City around this time last year, the fixture congestion around the Christmas period can throw up some extraordinary results such as ours last New Year’s Eve, which leads me on nicely to reflect on what we have achieved during the last 12 months.

My aim when I took over was to ensure that Crystal Palace remained a Premier League club at the end of the campaign, and I was proud that we managed to pull that off despite the huge handicap we started the season with and the lengthy injury list we had to juggle at times.

Our form in the latter months saw us soar up the

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table. In April and May we really hit a groove that saw us play some scintillating football at times, especially in the 5-0 win against Leicester City.

In a strange way, the end of the season came at the wrong time for us as we were flying, and this season didn’t start exactly the way we wanted. On the whole our performances have been good, but perhaps our points haul hasn’t reflected that at times.

But I am confident that will soon change. I am pleased with the quality that I currently have at my disposal, and believe there is more than enough in the squad to ensure we once again secure safety. Hopefully we can bring in one or two new faces in January to help ensure that.

Lastly, I have to thank the Palace fans for their support this year. In vast numbers you have backed us through thick and thin up and down the country, in all sorts of weather conditions and all times of day. You really are a remarkable fanbase, and being a Croydon boy myself it makes me proud to deliver good results.

We never take your support for granted, and the players and I always want to reward your efforts by putting in displays you can enjoy. Hopefully in 2019 we will continue to do that, and make it a year for Eagles fans to remember.

Enjoy the game!

BEING CAPTAIN OF A PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM BRINGS A LOT OF SATISFACTION FOR ME, AND I WILL TRY TO NEVER DISAPPOINT ANYONE AND ALWAYS DO MY BEST

THE CAPTAIN 07

i am so pleased to be captain of Palace This is our final game of 2018, and it would be good if we could take some points against Chelsea and celebrate the new year with you all in a good mood!

Both teams will have played a lot of games in the last few weeks so perhaps it is a good moment to play them, but games against Chelsea are never easy. I have been impressed by them this season; they are playing a different style under Sarri, but I am not surprised by that because I watched a lot of Napoli games as my best man Nikola Maksimovic plays there.

Sarri’s philosophy is to play with a lot of possession. It’s very nice to watch but it’s very hard to play against as they have a lot of quality players and they have adapted easily to his style. We played against them not long ago, but every game is a different story and playing at this time of year that is true too.

I can say that 2018 has been a very successful year for me. In our first game of the year we played Southampton and I was captain for the first time when I scored and we won the game, and I am so pleased to be captain of Crystal Palace.

Nothing has changed for me as I am still trying to do my best for my teammates, but someone recognised to put me as captain and since then I have tried to do it the best I can. It is not easy, but being captain of a Premier League team brings a lot of satisfaction for me, and I will try to never disappoint anyone and always do my best.

After we finished 11th in the league which was a great achievement, I played in the World Cup which is one of the biggest things in my career. It is something that everyone dreams about when they start playing

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football, so it was a very nice feeling. We didn’t go to just be a part of it; we tried to get some good results but in the end we didn’t do as well as we wanted.

However, it was a great experience for me and I am so happy that I can say to my children that I represented my national team at a World Cup. I have a few aims for 2019. Hopefully we can pick up the points to ensure we stay in the league, and if we can do something more than that then let’s try. We are thinking really positively about the FA Cup so we want to go as far as possible, and hopefully my situation with the national team will get better and I can come back and try to help them reach Euro 2020.

I also want to wish health for myself, all my teammates, everyone at Palace and all the fans next year. It is the most important thing because if we are healthy, then we can dream and try to achieve everything we want.

Make some noise!

08 THE CHAIRMAN

focused on progressing Welcome to the supporters, staff and players of Chelsea, and of course to each and every Palace fan. As today’s match marks the last of the year, here I will look forward to what we have planned in 2019.

When I penned my notes for the Cardiff City match, it was amazing to think about what we had achieved in a calendar year. I have no doubt that 2019 will be even more action-packed as we look to accelerate our growth and maintain our status as a stable Premier League club, on and off the pitch.

As usual, we begin with the January transfer window. Our squad is in good shape as we have invested significantly in recent windows, but naturally Dougie and I will be looking for suitable additions in areas where we need cover.

Much of our energy in 2019 will be focused on progressing the Selhurst Park redevelopment project, working with Croydon Council and several other parties.

Considering we only unveiled our plans to the world a year ago and secured planning permission within four months of launch, we have made immense progress.

But of course, I’m sure you all appreciate the scale of this mammoth project, and whilst we will encounter setbacks along the way, rest assured we are making progress and are absolutely committed to this gamechanging build.

We recently announced the 75-year lease we have secured on our academy site in Beckenham, which we will reap the dividends from in years to come. Having long-term security will help us develop facilities that our coaches and young players deserve, and also help us attract the very best talent in south London. The development work will begin in earnest in 2019.

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THE CHAIRMAN 09

Our focus will also be on improving your Selhurst Park matchday experience even further. You may be aware of the Visit Football awards, which are run in conjunction with the Premier League. When I arrived at the club, we were ranked bottom for the matchday experience we provide for supporters. Over the years we’ve climbed that table through a concerted effort to improving our service to you, whilst maintaining Selhurst unique charm. They recently informed us that we’ve risen to fourth place in the rankings, and even won the “Extra Mile Award” for the second year running.

Catering on a matchday remains a real challenge because everyone wants to grab something to eat and drink just before kick-off, and in a tiny window at half-time. So we’ve been trialling a new food and drink pre-order service in the Main Stand via our app, which has cut down queuing times.

We will also be making our concourse bars mainly cashless to help quicken up the queues further, so make sure you bring a credit or debit card! We’re also looking to enable your tickets to be synced to the app so you will be able to enter Selhurst using your phone, as well as trying to improve your mobile phone reception. It really never stops!

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We are going to be doing even more in local schools to help inspire a new generation of Palace fans, and are also exploring a new ‘free’ Junior Membership for local children to take advantage of which will provide ticket access for new young fans.

Last, but by no means least, our singing section in the Lower Holmesdale will become a reality which I believe will further enhance the amazing atmosphere you create at Selhurst Park, and have an even greater impact on our team. There is tons to do across the whole club, and I feel as excited as I ever have to get cracking on with everything.

As for today, we’ve enjoyed some brilliant wins over Chelsea in recent seasons, and we all know Roy’s team are capable of toppling the best in the country.

Let’s make some noise, and sign off 2018 in style.

Up The Palace!

10 TODAY'S GAME

Crystal Palace v Chelsea // Sunday 30th December // Selhurst Park

Today's game Palace round off 2018 with a London derby against Chelsea, just 54 days after the sides met at Stamford Bridge and the Blues ran out 3-1 victors.

That was Maurizio Sarri’s first encounter with the Eagles following his summer appointment, who started his tenure brilliantly by remaining unbeaten in his first 12 league games before falling to successive away defeats against Tottenham Hotspur and Wolves.

However Chelsea bounced back from those setbacks by ending Manchester City’s hopes of an unbeaten season with a superb 2-0 win in west London earlier this month, and that fine start to life in the Premier League, combined with emerging from the UEFA Europa League group stages with barely a mark on them and progress to the Carabao Cup semi-finals, means Sarri has endeared himself to the Chelsea fans.

Those same supporters will be weary today because of recent encounters against Palace, who registered two wins against the Blues in 2017 including the corresponding fixture between the teams last term when Roy Hodgson claimed a memorable first win as Eagles boss following Wilfried Zaha’s first half winner to begin the surge to survival.

Hodgson will be hoping to rekindle the spirit of that display with a similar result this afternoon, as Palace aim to win their final game of a calendar year for the first time since 2011.

andros townsend has scored three goals in eight appearances against Chelsea; he has not scored more against any other side during his career.

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TODAY'S GAME 11

Previous encounters:

Earlier this month, Willian became the third Brazilian in Premier League history to be directly involved in 50 goals in the division (27 goals, 23 assists).

Head 2 head

One to watch:

All-time

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02 02 03 04

15 13

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Palace wins Chelsea wins draws

Form guide: Palace have claimed a win against Chelsea in four of the last five seasons, including each of the previous three.

There hasn’t been a draw in this fixture since March 1995 when the sides played out a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge.

Last week's line-up Chelsea 0-1 Leicester city 1 Kepa Arrizabalaga 28 Cesar Azpilicueta 2 Antonio Rüdiger 30 David Luiz 3 Marcos Alonso 7 N’Golo Kante 5 Jorginho 17 Mateo Kovacic

eden hazard has scored just once in 11 career appearances against the Eagles, but that goal sealed the 2014/15 Premier League title for the Blues.

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SUBS

11 Pedro

12 Ruben Loftus-Cheek

10 Eden Hazard

18 Olivier Giroud

22 Willian

4 Cesc Fàbregas

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28 5 2

10

1

7 30 17 22

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12 NEWSROOM

Newsroom EAGLES DUO HELP HOMELESS PEOPLE Mamadou Sakho and Christian Benteke took time out of the busy festive schedule to help out at the Crisis Skylight Centre for homeless people in Croydon.

The pair helped to decorate the centre’s art room for the members’ Christmas party, and also spent time meeting and speaking with members and volunteers.

Crisis Skylight Croydon has been open for three years, and helps people who are currently homeless or have been in recent years. They offer advice, support and training for essential life and employability skills to its members, as well as running a wellbeing project to help improve people’s self-esteem and give them access to local mental health support.

“I think it is great that this centre takes care of people by giving them a place to take a shower, and a place that gives them hope,” Sakho said. “The people here deserve this kind of day, and we want to give them a smile, give them power and show them that this world needs them.”

Benteke echoed the sentiments of Sakho, saying: “If you can change people’s life by just five or 10 percent, then it’s a massive extra for them. I remember how grateful I am today and how hard it is for other people.”

GRIMSBY TICKETS ON GENERAL SALE Palace have been handed a home tie to kick off their 2018/19 FA Cup campaign, with League Two side Grimsby Town providing the opposition in what will be the first meeting of the sides since 2003.

The game in SE25 will be held on Saturday 5th January at 5.30pm, and tickets are now on general sale, meaning you do not need to have a paid membership to purchase them.

They are priced at £15 for adults, £10 for senior concessions and just £5 for junior concessions, and there will also be a dedicated "singing section" in Block E of the Lower Holmesdale Road Stand, which is also on general sale.

Tickets can be purchased at tickets.cpfc.co.uk, over the phone on 08712 000 071 or in person from the box office.

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NEWSROOM 13

Palace The

NEWS

in brief

CPFC FOUNDATION SANTA DRAW The Palace For Life Foundation Super Draw has been given a very festive overhaul, and as well as handing fans the chance to win the Santa Draw jackpot of £2,000, there will be a range of other Christmas prizes on offer.

The proceeds will go towards the Foundation’s goal of purchasing three more electric wheelchairs for the Crystal Palace Powerchair Football Team, so buy your ticket today!

CPFC TO GO CASHLESS To help alleviate queues inside and outside the ground, the food and drink outlets inside Selhurst Park and the Fanzone will be going cashless from the Watford game on 12th January, so please remember to bring your debit or credit card to the game with you.

FREE COACH TRAVEL FOR LIVERPOOL GAME

REPRESENT PALACE IN EPREMIER LEAGUE

Season ticket holders and paid members can receive free coach travel should they purchase tickets for Palace’s trip to Merseyside to take on high-flying Liverpool next month.

Roy Hodgson returns to his former club on Saturday 19th January to face the Premier League title contenders in a 3pm kick-off, and Anfield has been a happy hunting ground for Palace who have won three of the past four encounters at the venue.

Match tickets are currently on sale to season ticket holders and paid members who can purchase up to two per client reference number. The coaches will depart Selhurst Park at 7.30am and are free for those season ticket holders and paid members, or £29 per seat for non-members, and can be reserved in the usual ways that tickets are purchased.

PRE-MATCH MOMENT OF REFLECTION

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Registrations for the inaugural ePremier League are now open. The competitive FIFA19 tournament starts in January and consists of three rounds: online qualification, live club play-offs and the eventual live ePL Final in London in March.

If you’re a UK-based Palace fan, over 16 and fancy representing the Eagles, make sure you register before 4th January at e.premierleague.com.

There will be a minute's silence prior to today's kick-off to remember all those connected to Palace and Chelsea who have passed away over the past 12 months.

This will include former players, club staff and supporters of both teams, with the names of those that the clubs have been notified of their passing displayed on the big screen.

Jordan Ayew's exploits over the past few years have helped him become a household name, but what you might not know is that he is a part of one of world football’s most decorated dynasties.

Jonathon Rogers speaks to the youngest of three brothers who have all starred for their country having descended from one of Africa’s greatest ever players.

JORDAN AYEW 17

If you asked anyone from Ghana in the 1990s about Abedi Pele, his name would have brought responses such as ‘legend’, ‘the African Maradona’ or ‘a pioneer’. To Jordan Ayew though, he was simply known as ‘Dad’.

One of the biggest stars in his nation’s history, Pele is seen as the first African footballer to make a substantial mark on the European game during stints in the top tiers of Italy, Germany and France, the latter being where his crowning moment would come as he put in a man-ofthe-match display in the 1993 UEFA Champions League final for Marseille to claim their only European Cup. The three-time African Player of the Year would also leave a legacy to Ghanaian football in the form of his three sons – Ibrahim, Andre and Jordan who have all represented the national team at World Cups. It could have been very different though for the youngest Ayew thoroughbred, who despite being born into footballing royalty was never forced to become the heir to his father’s throne.

“It was something that happened naturally; Dad never put pressure on us,” Jordan said.

“I grew up with my grandparents in Ghana and my mum, dad and brother travelled around wherever my dad went, then towards the end of his career I followed him too. I was too young to see him in his prime, but I saw him play one or two games towards the end of his career. I’ve heard lots of positive things about him and he talked about his career a bit, but nothing more than that.

“He kept protecting us and letting us do what we

wanted to do to achieve our dreams. He supported us and the whole family, but I was never pressured into football. My brothers and friends in the area would play football like everyone does, and I started playing at school. Naturally you begin to dream that you might become a footballer.”

Just like his 1993 brothers, father and even two of his uncles, Jordan’s dream would come true as he became part of the Ayew dynasty when he was approached to tread in his father and Andre's footsteps and join Marseille.

However, it wouldn’t be a friendly word from one of the club’s most legendary figures that would open the

Abedi Pele

"my dad kept protecting us and letting us do what we wanted to achieve our dreams"

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doors, instead it was pure pedigree and teenage talent that saw l’OM bend their own rules to snap up the blossoming hot-shot.

Reflecting on his early beginnings in the game, Jordan said: “When Andre started playing for Marseille I was happy for him but my dream was to also play football. It was just about enjoying the game, nothing about competitions or anything like that. It was a

18 JORDAN AYEW

passion for me; I grew up watching football because it’s something that is in the family. I mostly watched French football, and before I moved away the Premier League came to Ghana in around 2001 so I’ve been watching it ever since.

“My dad had a team in Ghana and we played in a tournament in Switzerland. Some scouts were there and I had the opportunity to have a trial with three teams in France. I went to Marseille and was successful, but I had to be 15 to get into the academy, and I was only 13 because I was always playing with older people in Ghana. There was another team that wanted to take me anyway, but Marseille found a way to put me in, and that’s where everything started.”

Upon his ascension to first-team football in the south of France, there were plenty of highs. Ayew’s professional debut would see him score off the bench to help clinch a 2-1 win against Lorient in December 2009, a campaign that ended with the Ligue 1 title and the first of three League Cup successes at the Stade Velodrome, and featured 14 times in the Champions

at Marseille and he wanted to keep me but I went to Sochaux for six months on loan to get gametime ahead of the World Cup and I really enjoyed it.

“When I came back I wanted to be a really important player somewhere. In Marseille they had my brother and [Andre-Pierre] Gignac and other really top players, so the only thing I could do was move to a team that would give me an opportunity and responsibility.

I could have stayed at Marseille my whole life; I had friends there, it was like my home and I had come through the youth team, so everything was perfect but I didn’t want to just be there and relax, I wanted challenges and to test myself.”

Ayew's step backwards would eventually propel him two or three forward. He opted for a permanent move to Lorient in the summer of 2014 and would plunder 13 goals in 33 matches to attract the attention of Aston Villa, who were searching for a new striker following Christian Benteke’s departure to Liverpool.

Despite dreaming of playing in the Premier League having grown up watching it, he admits he eventually ended up in the division not by choice.

“Funnily enough, I didn’t really want to go to England!” he smiled. “I enjoyed the season I had with Lorient and really wanted to stay another year to continue playing but the money was too good for them so I had to go. I went to Villa which was OK but we were unlucky that we went down, and then I went to Swansea City. The following year we were unlucky as well and went down which is something you can’t really explain.

I learnt a lot from those moments, and they have made me stronger mentally. Relegation is something that I don’t wish for anyone.”

Having battled against the drop for the entirety of his time at Villa Park, the Liberty Stadium and now in SE25, you’d think that the 27-year-old would be

"I didn’t want to just be at marseille and relax, I wanted challenges and to test myself" League where the ghost of Pele’s successful 1993 side constantly loomed large.

However, with his brother among other stars blocking his pathway to regular action, Ayew decided to step out of the shadows and make it on his own. “It was a very difficult moment because Marcelo Bielsa was

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JORDAN AYEW 21

immune to pressure, but he believes that scrapping for Premier League points is a world away from 29 million Ghanaians craving success at international level.

It has been 36 years since the Black Stars last lifted the Africa Cup of Nations, when they were spearheaded by non-other than Abedi Pele himself. In each of the last five tournaments, at least two of the three Ayew brothers have come tantalisingly close to reclaiming the silverware, but fell short when it matters most. Jordan admits playing for his nation can be a burden, but one he is proud to shoulder.

“The only pressure I’ve felt was when I came into the national team, because of the pressure from the population,” he admitted. “I’ve not really felt under

However, with Ghana’s participation for next summer’s AFCON hanging in the balance, both Ayew brothers recently ended their international exile for a crucial game against Ethiopia that saw Jordan score twice to book their spot in the finals, and hand him a fourth crack at trying to emulate one of his father’s many feats.

That morale-boosting brace were his first two goals since his desperate attempts to keep Swansea in the Premier League earlier this year, and he is hoping a mixture of faith, self-belief and graft will ultimately help him rediscover the goal trail and ensure Palace avoid a similar fate to the one that befell the Swans.

“I have goals in my legs – I know that,” Ayew

"Goals will come, it’s not something that I’m worried about because everywhere I’ve gone I’ve scored goals" pressure in Europe where the most important thing for me was just to try and have a career. When I made my national team debut I was very proud because even though I grew up in France, my childhood was in Ghana, so when the opportunity came to play for France youth or Ghana, there was no question for me.

“I don’t regret it at all, I’m very happy. I have had a lot of experiences with them; I’ve been to three Africa Cup of Nations and always been to the semi-finals or the final, so there’s been good and bad moments. I also love that I can say that I have played in a World Cup; it’s a dream for any footballer to play in the biggest competition in the world so it was a proud moment and it’s great to have on my CV. It gives you a lot of confidence as not many players have done it.”

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added. “The most important thing is for the team to win a football game. Whoever scores is not my problem, I just want to win and go home happy. Goals will come, it’s not something that I’m worried about because everywhere I’ve gone I’ve scored goals.

“I leave everything in God’s hands. I’m a very big believer and pray every day, and God has never disappointed, so I’ll keep on working hard and we’ll see.

Every minute I get I will give 100% and try and do my best to help the team win every game, and we’ll see what happens.”

As well as calling upon divine inspiration, Ayew is fortunate enough that he can also gain guidance from one of his country’s hottest goalscorers and favourite sons – his father.

24 GETTIN’ SHIRTY

Throughout this season we’re finding out which shirts matter most to the Palace squad. Here, Luka Milivojevic gives us an insight into the most special jerseys in his collection.

real madrid

Gettin’ Rad Belgrade

red star

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST SHIRT AS A KID?

WHAT WERE YOU WEARING ON YOUR PRO DEBUT?

WHICH IS THE MOST SPECIAL SHIRT YOU’VE WORN?

It was from an ex-basketball player who played in Spain, and he brought me a Zinedine Zidane shirt when he was at Real Madrid.

That was at Rad Belgrade back in 2008/09, and they play in light blue shirts. It was a nice one and I liked it a lot!

It would have been a Red Star shirt from one of our derby games against Partizan Belgrade – they’re always massive games.

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GETTIN’ SHIRTY 25

Shirty

With vic Luka Milivoje

Palermo

Manchester united

red star

WHO IS THE BEST PLAYER YOU’VE SWAPPED WITH?

WHO WAS THE LAST PLAYER YOU SWAPPED WITH?

WHICH IS THE BEST SHIRT OF ALL TIME?

I don’t swap shirts usually but when I was young I swapped with Javier Pastore when he was playing for Palermo and I played against him for Rad.

It was Nemanja Matic when we played against Manchester United last season, who I obviously play with for the Serbian national team.

It would have to be any Red Star Belgrade shirt!

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ADVERT TAKE YOUR SEAT PALACE

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This season, Ian King celebrates a century of the Palace matchday programme as he charts its evolution from a humble pamphlet to its current form.

Part X

100 Years of the Crystal Palace Programme

1972-1976

28 PROGRAMME HISTORY

relevant stats. The team line-ups on the back page were shown to novel effect with the central section displaying the opposition surrounded by headshots of the 12 Palace players.

1973/74

1972/73

With the club making a major alteration in the design of their shirt, the cover of the programme mirrored this change alongside the appearance of a new club badge and the centre picture switching for each issue. It also reverted to more standard dimensions as the cost of 7p for 20 pages included The Football League Review.

Inside you found the ‘Bert Head Column’, ‘Behind The Scenes’ portraying club employees and ‘On The Ball’ which usually gave information on recent reserve or junior games. ‘Match Action’ pictures of a recent game preceded ‘Palace On/Off The Field’ containing a player interview, and former editor Roy Peskett had a page to air his views.

In the middle, four pages were devoted to the visitors highlighting their manager and captain then 'What the Papers Say...' contained all the recent headlines concerning the club.

The Social Section had their inclusion while the remainder of the inside pages displayed all the

Another redesign saw the dimensions change to 24cms x 17cms, and the 24 pages cost 8p with the cover portraying the new club colours of red and blue with the centre divided into four action photographs.

More photos followed on the first inside page and then Malcolm Allison had his say. The visitors were afforded four pages and ‘Palace off the Park’ interviewed a club employee from behind the scenes and a small section entitled ‘Platform’ contained letters from supporters. ‘Palace in Action’ was spread over the centre pages and ‘Club Scene’ detailed events at Selhurst Park.

An interview with a Palace player with a full page photo filled up pages 16 and 17 and ‘For The Record...' contained all the relevant statistics including reserves and the first level of the juniors.

General news from the world of football was contained in two pages of ‘Scene & Heard’ and club shop merchandise

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PROGRAMME HISTORY 29

was listed towards the back, when a full replica kit would cost a maximum of £3.50! Meanwhile, line-ups and the half-time scoresheet were to be found in their usual place on the back page.

1974/75

After a second successive relegation and inflation hitting the country, the programme was reduced to 16 pages but increased in price by 25% to 10p.

Opening every issue was an advert for club sponsors Philips with the next page devoted to manager Allison and followed by ‘Player Profile’, containing an interview with an Eagles player.

The section given over to the opposition was now cut to two pages instead of four and the centre illustrated a two-page action photograph of a recent encounter.

Pages 10 and 11 were headed ‘Statistics’ with results, fixtures, tables and line-ups down to third-team level.

The club was encouraging the younger supporter and to this end had introduced the ‘Palace Guard’ with a page in the programme signed off by ‘The General’, thought to be centre-half Ian Evans!

Throughout the season Nigel Sands produced a series on the history of the club entitled ‘Palace in the Past’ and ‘Roundabout’ completed the inside pages with a general news section and travel details. The back page showed the team line-ups and half-time score grid.

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1975/76

With inflation still affecting the country there was again a hike in price, this time by 50% to 15p, but at the time it was considered one of the best programmes in the Third Division.

The front cover saw a rotation of three different action shots and had a cleaner look to it compared to the previous two campaigns.

Internally there was little change to the format, with notes from Allison, a player profile, two pages concerning our opponents, a centre-pages picture spread and the usual collection of statistics.

Towards the back the ‘Palace Guard’ feature for junior supporters continued and Nigel Sands contributed a historical section that concerned games, players or seasons in ‘Palace in the Past’.

The final inside pages of the 16 produced were entitled ‘Palace Off The Park’ and contained all the general news from around the club that included a ‘Choose A Caption’ competition.

In the season which the club reached the FA Cup semi-final for the first time ever, a replica felt Allison-inspired fedora would set you back £1 and the back page contained the line-ups and details of forthcoming fixtures.

REACT evoKNIT sock and Form-fitting textile base provide support for lightning on-pitch reactions.

ADAPT NETFIT technology for a customizable fit.

ACCELERATE Lightweight RAPIDAGILITY outsole for super sharp bursts of speed.

FIT evoKNIT sock and FUSEFIT technology for a glove-like fit and adaptable lacing options.

FEEL Super soft K-Leather for pin-point touch and ball control.

.

FAST Lightweight RAPIDSPRINT outsole for supreme acceleration.

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#10

The mini MAG for eaglets!

Today's Mascots

Junior Eagles DON'T FORG ET YOUR jorda n ayew POSTER ON THE BACK COVER !

Sam Smith | Age: 5

Reggie Harris | age: 13

Lucah Drew | Age: 8

Charlie Smith | Age: 10

Sonny Dering | age: 8

Joshua Keyes | Age: 13

32 JUNIOR EAGLES

Matchday quiz n er of which Italia s previously manag Maurizio Sarri wa g Chelsea? club before joinin

1.

in their 2-1 win winner for Palace Who scored the last season? against the Blues

2.

e r League titles hav How many Premie Chelsea won?

3.

a career at Chelse d his professional Which Eagle starte earances? and made eight app

4.

have y London club to lsea are the onl True or false? Che mpions League? won the UEFA Cha

5.

ntry at resents which cou Jordan Ayew rep el? international lev

6.

Spot the ball

A B

C

of these is the Can you work out which l from when correct position of the bal this photo was taken?

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JUNIOR EAGLES 33

Who am I?

s and in all of 1. I have played for 11 club England’s top five leagues ier League in 2. I have played in the Prem s each of the last nine season inst Palace aga 3. I once scored a hat-trick

Eagle eyed view

Can you guess which Premier League ground this is by just looking at it from above?

Pictogram es make When combined, these clu

up the name of a Palace

player – can you work out

who it is?

WHO AM I? Jason Puncheon EAGLE EYED VIEW: Anfield PICTOGRAM: Jonny Williams ANSWERS – QUICK-FIRE QUIZ: 1. Napoli 2. Wilfried Zaha 3. 5 4. Patrick van Aanholt 5. True 6. Ghana SPOT THE BALL: A PALACE

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PL AY IT NO W CHAMPIONS RISE IN FIFA 19

Games and entertainment streaming services can output up to 2160p; PS4™ Pro upscales lower resolutions to 2160p.

HDR not supported by all games and entertainment streaming services. 4K/HDR TV required for 4K and HDR. © 2018 Electronic Arts Inc. EA, EA SPORTS, the EA SPORTS logo and Frostbite are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. Official FIFA licensed product. © FIFA and FIFA’s Official Licensed Product Logo are copyrights and/or trademarks of FIFA. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. “2”, “PlayStation”, “DUALSHOCK”, “KHJL”, “Ø” are registered trademarks of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. All titles, content, publisher names, trademarks, artwork and associated imagery are trademarks and/or copyright material of their respective owners. All rights reserved. Manufactured under license by Electronic Arts Inc.

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LEGO PALACE 35

LEGENDS IN

BY CHRIS SMITH

@BRICKSTAND SURVIVAL SECURED

#10

the 2013/14 The Eagles went into t they’d tha g campaign knowin in any of n tio never avoided relega r League mie their four previous Pre in the run erb seasons, but a sup safety ch clin m latter months saw the d in ite Un m Ha after a win at West en we bet ons ati April, sparking celebr s. fan players and

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36 GABOR KIRALY

Official beer of

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Whether he’s building huge scale replicas of some of Britain’s best stadia or reproducing famous Palace photographs, you can be sure that Eagles fan Chris Smith has enough Lego bricks to create something spectacular. Here he chats to Jonathon Rogers about combining his two passions to wow fans all over the world.

38 BRICKSTAND BRICKSTAND BRICKSTAND

"I’VE REVISITED SELHURST TWO OR THREE TIMES AND I’VE NEVER QUITE BEEN HAPPY WITH IT, POSSIBLY BECAUSE I’M A PALACE FAN!"

Fortunate Palace fans young and old might have discovered some Lego under their Christmas trees over the past few days, and swiftly allowed their imaginations to run wild as they hurriedly began assembling the famous multi-coloured bricks. Despite that, it is highly unlikely they unwrapped enough to construct their very own version of Selhurst Park.

That though isn’t an issue for Eagles fan Chris Smith, a modern day version of the famed Edwardian architect Archibald Leitch as he builds superior stadia with painstaking detail, albeit with Lego. His recreation of Selhurst in miniature form contains all the features that makes the famous old ground unique – the arched Holmesdale roof and its huge floodlights, the various lounges poking out from the Main Stand and even the transparent pitchside dugouts.

Better known on the internet as Brickstand, Selhurst Park was the prototype in Chris’ project to recreate all 92 English league grounds in Lego form, but the Eagles’ SE25 home’s nuances meant that it has proven to be one of the most awkward constructions so far.

“It is one of trickiest because of how much bigger the Holmesdale Road Stand is and how it curves back over,” he said. “The Arthur Wait Stand is almost sunk into the ground, so trying to represent that is tough. I’ve revisited it two or three times and I’ve never quite been happy with it, possibly because I’m a Palace fan!

“I’ll have to wait until the new Main Stand is built and then have another go at it. It should look quite good as in the designs there is a lot of transparency, and that always looks quite cool when it’s featured in a build.”

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BRICKSTAND BRICKSTAND

Altrincham-based Smith has been an Eagles supporter since the late 1980s thanks to his Croydonbred father, and would regularly make long journeys down from Leeds or Manchester to watch matches. “I once drew Mark Bright a picture of him scoring against Millwall when I was a kid and he wrote me back a whole A4 page letter!” laughs Chris when recalling the levels of his fandom.

However, years later two of his childhood favourites would interlock as smoothly as his beloved bricks, leading to a brainwave which has become a major part of his adult life. “I remember playing with Lego as a kid and building castles and things, but I went off it for a long time. Then when I hit 30 I saw some NFL stadiums that people had made out of Lego and thought they looked incredible.

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39

“I searched to see what the Premier League grounds looked like as I thought someone would definitely have done them, but they hadn’t so I started myself. I just thought I’d do all 92 league clubs, no matter how long it takes. Four years later I’m just over half-way, so I’m regretting it!”

After his first attempt at recreating Selhurst, some of the most famous grounds in England followed. Huge accurate replicas of Wembley, St James’ Park and Old Trafford sprang up, garnering plenty of interest from fans eager to own their favourite team’s venue.

Commissions from all four corners of Britain were sought, leading Smith to build Sincil Bank, Blundell Park and other obscure grounds. “As I couldn’t post them, I would have to drive to the person’s house to deliver them,” Smith chuckles. “Once you’ve driven from

40 BRICKSTAND BRICKSTAND

Manchester to Aberdeen a couple of times, it kind of puts you off!”

Now building for pleasure, once another is ticked off and the evidence uploaded online for posterity, he almost masochistically bulldozes his creation into individual pieces and begins the next masterpiece.

Going into his methods, he said: “Each stadium tends to take a couple of weeks because I don’t draw plans, so it’s just trial and error and quite a slow process but it’s quite relaxing. I start by getting loads of pictures off Google and do the inside first, followed by the exterior. I look on Google Maps to see all the different angles, and I’ve started to become a bit more obsessed with the little details and wanting to get them right, which isn’t ideal!

“I use between 1,500 and 2,000 individual pieces depending on the size of the actual stadium I’m trying to build. I started doing them at home but my girlfriend turfed me out because I started leaving Lego around the house, so now I’m in a little studio in Altrincham where I can keep everything in one place.”

To keep his interest levels up, this summer saw Smith begin a sideline project – Brickstand FC. The team - nicknamed the Builders who play at Brick Lane against the likes of Blockport County and Atletico Buildbao – “play” matches each Sunday on Twitter, with Chris selecting a real-life game that weekend at random that will determine Brickstand’s fate.

Supporters can simply follow the team’s fortunes or purchase a seasonal membership, giving them access

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BRICKSTAND BRICKSTAND

41

"EACH STADIUM TENDS TO TAKE A COUPLE OF WEEKS BECAUSE I DON’T DRAW PLANS, SO IT’S JUST TRIAL AND ERROR"

to vote on issues that will affect the fledgling club's fortunes. There is even the ability to buy pitchside sponsor boards at Brick Lane – the only stadium still standing in Chris’ personal collection.

“The football club has inspired more creativity and fun and people are getting more involved,” Chris said.

“They’re sending in design work to go around the club, built a pub where the fans can meet afterwards and some are even keeping stats on each game!

"It’s created a bit of a community – the fans voted for the manager and we had a kit design competition.

It’s better than me just building things and showing them to people.”

Something else that has been keeping the 35-yearold teaching assistant busy this season can be found

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in these very pages, as he has been recreating famous Palace photographs in the 'Legends in Lego' feature in every matchday programme, once again combining his beloved Eagles with his other favourite pastime.

“It’s been really enjoyable because working with Minifigures is not something I’d thought of doing before, but now I’ve got into it, it’s been really interesting,” he added. “You have to realise the limitations of Lego because you can’t stretch it every which way, so it’s just trying to make the representation as good as you possibly can.

“I’ve got the Wilf header against Brighton in the play-off semi-final to do later this season so that’ll be intriguing, and I quite liked doing the Puncheon goal from the FA Cup final too. It’s been a lot of fun!”

Mens Puma RS-0 Reflective

JDX LIVE ON THE APP

a e s l Che

I n t r od u ci n g

44 OPPOSITION

Chelsea f.c

THE BLUES FOUNDED: 1905

FIVE-TIME PREMIER LEAGUE WINNERS

The manager Despite not playing professional football, Sarri embarked on management with lower league Italian sides alongside his day job working as a banker. In 2005, he was handed his first Serie B job at Pescara and in 2014 he got his first crack at the top-flight by winning promotion with Empoli. After impressing there he was hired by Napoli to manage in the city of his birth and Sarri would help them to three successive top-three finishes before moving to Stamford Bridge back in July.

Club legend In his nine years in west London, Didier Drogba won every accolade he could with the Blues, including four league titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. He is the fourth-highest goalscorer in Chelsea’s history with 164 strikes, with nine of them coming in cup finals, including an FA Cup record of four, and is also the highest-scoring African player in both the Premier League and the Champions League. He recently retired having played for Phoenix Rising in the USA.

The stadium Stamford Bridge Capacity: 41,631 Opened: 1877 Record attendance: 82,905 Chelsea v Arsenal First Division, 12th October 1935

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OPPOSITION 45

x6

x8

x5

x4

x2

x1

LAST 5

Watford v Chelsea Premier League

Chelsea 0-1 Leicester City Premier League

Chelsea 1-0 Bournemouth Carabao Cup

333

Petr Cech

429

Frank Lampard

492

John Terry

MOST PREMIER LEAGUE GAMES

492

Brighton 1-2 Chelsea Premier League

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76

Eden Hazard*

104

Didier Drogba

147

Frank Lampard

MOST PREMIER LEAGUE GOALS

147

MOL Vidi 2-2 Chelsea UEFA Europa League

x1

46 OPPOSITION

01

Age

24

Signed from

Athletic Bilbao

CFC Debut

August 2018

I N T E R N AT I ON AL C AP S : 3 GOAL S : 0

The world’s most expensive goalkeeper at £71 million kept six clean sheets in Chelsea’s first 12 unbeaten matches of the campaign.

Born the Basque Country, Arrizabalaga was a member of Athletic Bilbao’s youth academy from the age of 10 and debuted for the first-team in September 2016. After only 54 appearances and upon his return from the World Cup where he was Spain’s third-choice keeper, Chelsea triggered his release clause to replace Thibaut Courtois.

CFC Games: 24 CFC Goals: 0

26

I N T E R N AT I ON AL C AP S : 1 3 GOAL S : 0

Age

Torino

25

September 2017

Roma

CFC Games: 44 CFC Goals: 2

IN T E RN AT I O NA L CAP S : 2 5 G OAL S: 0

29

Marseille

Age

22

September 2012

Scholar

Signed from

Age

October 2014

28 CFC Debut

Signed from

IN T E RN AT I O NA L CAP S : 2 3 G OAL S: 1

CFC Debut

27 CFC Games: 53 CFC Goals: 0

21 Signed from

Age

August 2017

CFC Games: 66 CFC Goals: 4

CFC Debut

Signed from

I N T E R N AT I ON AL C AP S : 2 9 GOAL S : 1

CFC Debut

02

CFC Games: 303 CFC Goals: 8

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OPPOSITION 47

03

Age

28

Signed from

Fiorentina

CFC Debut

September 2016

I N T E R N AT I ON AL C AP S : 3 GOAL S : 0

The left-back completed a century of appearances for the club earlier this month, during which time he has lifted the Premier League and the FA Cup. After playing just once for Real Madrid as a youngster, Alonso’s first taste of English football came at Bolton Wanderers in 2010 with his breakthrough campaign coming in 2012/13 under Dougie Freedman, leading to a move to Fiorentina. After a spell on loan at Sunderland, Alonso would star in Italy, earning him a return to England with Chelsea.

CFC Games: 101 CFC Goals: 15

24

I N T E R N AT I ON AL C AP S : 2 GOAL S : 0

Age

Napoli

27

CFC Games: 20 CFC Goals: 1

IN T E RN AT I O NA L CAP S : 1 3 G OAL S: 1

Age

August 2018

31

Signed from

Barcelona

05 CFC Debut

Age

August 2014

CHELSEA

I NT E R NAT ION AL C A PS : 1 1 0 GO A LS : 1 5

Signed from

v

Roma

31

CFC Debut

PALACE

February 2018

Paris St Germain

CFC Games: 15 CFC Goals: 1

04 CFC Games: 196 CFC Goals: 22

Signed from

Age

February 2011

CFC Games: 223 CFC Goals: 16

33 CFC Debut

Signed from

I N T E R N AT I ON AL C AP S : 5 7 GOAL S : 3

CFC Debut

30

48 OPPOSITION

22

I N T E R N AT I ON AL C AP S : 1 0 GOAL S : 0

Age

CFC Games: 26 CFC Goals: 3

Scholar

25

December 2014

Everton

12 Signed from

Age

January 2018

CFC Debut

Signed from

I N T E R N AT I ON AL C AP S : 2 5 GOAL S : 2

CFC Debut

08

CFC Games: 47 CFC Goals: 8

07

Age

27

Signed from

Leicester City

CFC Debut

August 2016

I N T E R N AT I ON AL C AP S : 3 6 GOAL S : 1

The last three seasons have been incredible for the defensive midfielder, who has lifted two Premier League titles, the FA Cup and the World Cup. Back in 2014 he was playing in France’s Ligue 2 for Caen, but after playing a key role in Leicester City’s remarkable Premier League triumph and earning his first French caps, a £32 million move to Chelsea followed. He completed back-to-back league title wins and was named PFA Player of the Year in his first season at Stamford Bridge.

CFC Games: 111 CFC Goals: 5

IN T E RN AT ION AL

Scholar

18

January 2018

Age

Signed from

24

20 CFC Debut

Real Madrid

CFC Games: 22 CFC Goals: 0

IN T E RN AT I O NA L CAP S : 4 8 G OAL S: 1

Age

August 2018

Loaned from

CFC Debut

17

CFC Games: 10 CFC Goals: 1

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OPPOSITION 49

32

I NT E R N AT I ON AL C AP S : 8 7 GOAL S : 3 3

Age

Arsenal

31

February 2018

Barcelona

CFC Games: 156 CFC Goals: 34

18 Signed from

Age

August 2015

CFC Debut

Signed from

I NT E R N AT I ON AL C AP S : 6 4 GOAL S : 1 7

CFC Debut

11

CFC Games: 39 CFC Goals: 10

Real Madrid

26

I N T E R N AT I ON AL C AP S : 2 7 GOAL S : 1 3

Age

30

August 2017

Anzhi Makhachkala

10

Signed from

Age

September 2013

CFC Games: 263 CFC Goals: 48

CFC Debut

Signed from

29

I N T E R N AT I ON AL C AP S : 6 5 GOAL S : 8

CFC Debut

22

CFC Games: 69 CFC Goals: 22

Age

27

Signed from

Lille

CFC Debut

August 2012

I N T E R N AT I ON AL C AP S : 9 8 GOAL S : 2 7

2018 has been kind to the mercurial forward, who scored the winner in the FA Cup final and led Belgium to third-place in the World Cup, where he won the Silver Ball.

Hazard started at Lille where he would enjoy a league and cup double in 2011. Since his £32 million move to west London a year later, he has won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, the League Cup and a UEFA Europa League, and netted three goals at the World Cup as Belgium captain.

CFC Games: 321 CFC Goals: 99

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50 CHRIS WATERS

Things you didn't know...

ABOUT CHELSEA

s r e t a W s i r Ch By

Each week, Chris Waters delves into the archives to find some obscure facts about Palace’s opponents. Here, he looks back at all things Chelsea.

Brothers Henry and Joseph Mears bought the Stamford Bridge Athletics Club in 1896, but it wasn’t until they could purchase the freehold in 1904 that they tried to make it into a football ground. Their original idea was to convince Fulham to move in, but once that failed due to a dispute over the rent they founded Chelsea the following year.

Based upon the horse racing colours of Lord Cadogan, Viscount Chelsea, the Blues’ initial kit comprised of a mint green shirt, white shorts and black socks, with the famous blue shirt adopted in 1907 and remained relatively unchanged ever since. Alongside Arsenal, Chelsea were the first ever club to put numbers on their shirts when they played Swansea in 1928.

The club has a fondness for player-managers; indeed, the very first man appointed to run the team, Scottish international John Robertson, comprised the role.

The Blues are the only club to have appointed three player-managers in a row: Glenn Hoddle in 1993, followed by Ruud Gullit three years later and then Gianluca Vialli in 1998.

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CHRIS WATERS 51

Chelsea fielded the first ever non-British player in the Football League in 1913 - Denmark’s Nils Middelboe - so it was perhaps fitting that they were also the first club to select an entirely non-British starting XI against Southampton in 1999: De Goey (Holland), Ferrer (Spain), Lebouef (France), Thome (Brazil), Petrescu (Romania), Babayaro (Nigeria), Poyet (Uruguay), Deschamps (France), Di Matteo (Italy), Ambrosetti (Italy) and Flo (Norway).

The club holds the record for the longest run of unbeaten matches at home in the English top-flight.

Starting with a 2-1 win over Fulham in March 2004 and ending with defeat to Liverpool in October 2008, the undefeated streak lasted an incredible 86 games.

Sunderland bore the brunt of the team’s wrath after the run ended as they were drubbed 5-0 at Stamford Bridge in the next league match.

Jose Mourinho has been in the news a lot recently, but his record at Chelsea was not to be sniffed at. Under his tenure the Blues racked up the then-record number of Premier League points, 95, when they won the league in 2004/05, which was only recently broken by Manchester City. That same season Chelsea also set the record of the least goals conceded in a Premier League season, a miserly 15.

The Blues are the only British club to have won all three major UEFA trophies; the Champions League, Europa League and Cup Winners Cup. Thanks to the quirks of the fixture calendar, they were also the first club to technically hold both the Champions League and Europa League simultaneously, albeit for 10 days in 2013 following their defeat of Benfica.

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52 DREAM TEAM

Combined xi

Palace & Chelsea Neil Sullivan

Paddy Mulligan

Charlie Cooke

Micky Droy

Steve Kember

Bobby Tambling

Steve Wicks

Ray Wilkins

Ashley Cole

Jerry Murphy

Neil Shipperley

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DREAM TEAM 53

A foot in

Both camps

IN EACH EDITION, WE WILL TRY AND FORM THE BEST STARTING LINE-UP POSSIBLE COMPRISED OF PLAYERS WHO HAVE REPRESENTED BOTH THE EAGLES AND TODAY’S OPPONENTS, AND SEE WHICH CLUB COMES OUT ON TOP WHEN IT COMES TO APPEARANCES AND GOALS.

GK: Neil Sullivan – CPFC 1/0 CFC 8/0 Better known for his stints at Wimbledon and Tottenham Hotspur, the Scot spent time on loan at Palace in 1991 and was Carlo Cudicini’s deputy in 2003/04.

CM: Ray Wilkins – CPFC 1/0 CFC 198/34 A hugely popular figure at Chelsea, a teenage Wilkins led his boyhood club into the First Division in 1977, nearly two decades before his solitary Palace appearance.

RB: Paddy Mulligan – CPFC 64/2 CFC 84/2 A UEFA Cup Winners Cup victor with Chelsea in 1971, Mulligan joined the Glaziers 12 months later and famously netted twice in that year’s 5-0 win over Manchester United.

LM: Jerry Murphy – CPFC 269/25 CFC 39/3 One of the ‘Team of the Eighties’, Murphy won two FA Youth Cups at Palace as well as top-flight promotion in 1979 but injuries blighted his time at the Blues.

CB: Micky Droy – CPFC 58/7 CFC 313/19 A loyal Blues servant over 14 years that saw them bob between the top two tiers, Droy switched to Palace in 1984 where he spent two seasons.

ST: Bobby Tambling – CPFC 76/17 CFC 370/202 After breaking Chelsea’s goalscoring record during 11 years with the club, the hitman would net both goals in Palace’s 2-1 win at Inter Milan in the 1971 Anglo-Italian Cup in the San Siro.

CB: Steve Wicks – CPFC 19/1 CFC 164/8 Wicks started and ended his career at Stamford Bridge and would also have a pair of successful stints at QPR, but spent just the 1981/82 campaign in SE25.

LB: Ashley Cole – CPFC 14/1 CFC 338/7 The loanee helped Palace survive in Division One in 2000 before lifting eight major trophies at Chelsea, including the Premier League and UEFA Champions League.

RM: Charlie Cooke – CPFC 49/1 CFC 373/30 After tasting FA Cup and UEFA Cup Winners Cup success in six years in west London, Cooke played for Palace in the topflight before returning to the Blues in 1974.

CM: Steve Kember – CPFC 291/38 CFC 156/15 Sandwiched between the Eagles legend’s two Selhurst stints were four years at Chelsea, but he suffered relegation during that spell in 1975.

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ST: Neil Shipperley – CPFC 122/32 CFC 61/10 Given his start at Chelsea, Shipperley would later have two successful spells with the Eagles and netted a Division One play-off final winner against West Ham United in 2004.

TOTAL APPEARANCES

CPFC 964

cfc 2,104

TOTAL GOALS

CPFC 124

cfc 330

RESULT

cfc win

AD-105x148-Football Foundation.indd 1

29/07/2018 10:40

68/69 87 /79

The \

88/89

s r a e lory Y

G

Ian King &

Terry Byfield This season we are celebrating the 30th, 40th and 50th anniversaries of Palace's promotionwinning campaigns via a series of season reviews, interviews and classic match reports, detailing the key moments that saw the return of top-flight football to Selhurst Park.

56 THE GLORY YEARS

1968/69

Story of the

Season Part 4

N

ovember began with a home game against Bolton Wanderers and David Payne opened the scoring just before the break with a shot that rocketed into the Trotters’ net. Cliff Jackson netted the second with 15 minutes remaining after an effort from Colin Taylor had been charged down that would secure a 2-1 win.

During the week manager Bert Head went back to Greenock Morton to purchase Tony Taylor who made his debut at Oxford United in place of his namesake Colin, with Head saying he now had the players to select a side with the opposition in mind. It certainly worked at the Manor Ground with Bobby Woodruff and Steve Kember scoring the goals in an easy 2-0 win that took the club up to fifth in the table, just two points behind leaders Millwall.

The winning habit continued seven days later with a single-goal victory at Selhurst Park over Blackburn Rovers as Cliff Jackson claimed his 12th goal of the season by rounding the keeper, and next up was a short trip to The Den where almost 28,000 spectators crammed in to see an important south London derby.

Palace had done their homework on the Lions' two forwards Keith Weller and Derek Possee with Tony Taylor handed the role of man-marking their midfield playmaker Dennis Burnett. Head’s team found

themselves two goals up at the break thanks to strikes from Mark Lazarus and Woodruff, but it was keeper John Jackson’s turn to earn the plaudits when he turned Weller’s penalty kick around the post and later made a brilliant save to ensure Palace went level on points with their neighbours.

The following Saturday saw another top of the table clash as Brian Clough’s Derby County travelled to Selhurst. A heavy pitch favoured the Rams with Dave Mackay and Roy McFarland marshalling their defence and the visitors scored twice around the hour mark, both of which followed corner kicks taken by Alan

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THE GLORY YEARS 57

Hinton. John McCormick headed home with 20 minutes left but Derby returned to the top of league at the season’s mid-point.

There was little cheer for Palace a week later at Hull City as they fell to a 2-0 defeat, but there was the opportunity to return to winning ways when Aston Villa were next in line in SE25 and John Jackson made another crucial penalty save in a first half dominated by Palace. All six goals came in the second half as the Glaziers ran out 4-2 winners, Colin Taylor netting twice and namesake Tony claiming his first Palace goal, as did Roger Hoy. After the game at Bristol City on the evening of 20th December was postponed due to the state of the pitch, a Cliff Jackson goal secured a Boxing Day point at Sheffield United but the spell of bad weather in the south continued and two days later the only fixture in the London area not called off was Palace’s against Blackpool.

The television cameras raced to SE25 to set up

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their positions for the 3pm kick-off but realistically the match should never have started. Faced with a bonehard icy pitch flecked with snow, some of the Palace players opted to wear baseball boots to combat the conditions. By the 43rd minute the score was 1-1 with Woodruff the Palace goalscorer, but referee John Yates took the correct decision to abandon the game.

58 THE GLORY YEARS

1978/79

Paul

Defender | 1973-1983 319 Appearances, 28 Goals 1988/89 Record: 39 Games, 1 Goals

Hinshelwood How much of a help was it to have your older brother Martin at the club when you were signed having been playing for Croydon Schools?

I was three years behind Martin in our playing days and I wanted to be like him, and I played for the district teams and county teams as he had done. The setup was a lot different then, you didn’t go to clubs until you were 14 unlike now. Martin was in the reserves when I first joined and then reached the first-team, so once again it left me wanting to do what my brother had done. Growing up with someone in front of me gave me motivation and helped me a hell of a lot.

You moved to right-back having started at the club as a forward, how did that come about?

At the beginning of 1976 Malcolm Allison said to me that he felt I had the ability to be a player but he wasn’t sure it was going to be as a centre-forward, so I started playing right-back. Allan Harris was coaching part-time during that period and he used to work with me to learn the position and go through the fundamentals.

A lot of people may say I was not very good as a striker but I scored four goals in around 18 games, and compared to some of the strikers these days it is not too bad! Looking back though, I was certainly a more successful right-back than I ever would have been as a centre-forward.

Having been at the club for a while before 1978/79, could you sense something exciting was brewing?

I can remember going to watch the FA Youth Cup finals at Selhurst Park with the likes of Billy Gilbert, Jerry Murphy, Vince Hilaire and Ian Walsh playing and you could see we were going to be a good side. Those finals left you in no doubt that you would have to be at the top of your game to be a part of it.

It was just the right time and the right place. We had a great manager and an excellent group of young kids all coming through together with great team spirit. Terry Venables believed in what the players were capable of and they grasped the opportunity. Personally I just feel lucky that I had the chance to be part of it.

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THE GLORY YEARS 59

During your time with Palace you were nicknamed Doris as well as Fish, why was that?

When I first started I used to take a lot of unwarranted abuse from the crowd and Doris was a derogatory term. I didn’t like it and I think it was something which drove me on and made me think ‘I want to show these people I can play’.

Fish was from when I was in the youth team and our coach Ernie Walley thought he would give us all animalrelated nicknames. I used to eat quite well in those days and he said the way I ate meat was like a piranha, so that just stuck!

There were only four defeats and 24 goals conceded that season, what was the secret to the team's success that campaign?

I played in 31 of the league games and only played in one defeat. Winning is a habit, you just get that confidence. If you are trailing or on level terms, you feel you just need that one chance and believe you will get something from the game. One stat that is interesting from that season is that if the games were 40 minutes long we would have been a mid-table side, but we scored so many goals late in halves. We always believed that we could get something if we kept going.

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60 THE GLORY YEARS

1988/89

19th November 1988

Crystal Palace 4 Leicester City 2

Match report reproduced from the Croydon Advertiser

L

oads of goals is becoming the catchphrase for Palace-Leicester matches. Spectacular and bizarre, the goals come thick and fast.

Remember the 4-4 extravaganza at Filbert Street last season? Hard to follow, but Saturday’s meeting ran it very close.

Entertaining certainly, although they don’t enhance the health of goalkeepers. George Wood suffered his Palace kiss of death in the last, and Brian Parkin and Paul Cooper had their heart-fluttering moments in this one. Poor Parkin could do nothing about Leicester’s stunning fifth-minute goal and later, was given the fright of his life as his own skipper Geoff Thomas crashed the ball against his own post!

However, the game had some good points for some. Phil Barber turned the game with his double strike in the space of four minutes, and Mark Bright hooked in a superb fourth goal.

Thomas, despite his one lapse, has never hit the ball so sweetly. His 22nd-minute goal, hammered in from a 20-yard free-kick, was just the fillip Palace needed after a sluggish start. And he nearly bettered that in the second half with a sizzling drive which smacked off the crossbar.

It was a happy outcome of a game which had raised some doubt at the outset. An injury-wrecked week forced three changes in Palace’s backline. With John Pemberton and Gary O’Reilly not recovering

sufficiently from treatment and the unlucky Chris Powell having to stand down in the cause of experience, Palace rebuilt their last line of defence with Richard Shaw, Gavin Nebbeling and Glenn Pennyfather. Between them they could only count three full first-team appearances this season.

And those doubts increased when Leicester made a flying start and caught Palace cold in the fifth minute.

Gary McAllister’s brilliantly hit ball out to the right was seized by Paul Reid and a cross of equal accuracy saw Mike Newell volley past Parkin.

Thomas’ reply restored the confidence and Palace finished the half having the edge. Only a full length PALACE

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THE GLORY YEARS 61

Bright skilfully steered in a cross in the 73rd minute to make it 4-1.

Bright followed Wright to the touchline before, in the 84th minute, Leicester sprang another surprise and replied, McAllister lofting the ball home with colleagues standing in offside positions.

The Palace defence looked amazed, and so did the flag-waving linesman when referee D. Hutchinson (Marcham) called for the ball to be returned to the centre, but then it seems that Palace-Leicester meetings lend themselves to tales of the unexpected.

Palace – Parkin, Shaw, Pennyfather, Pardew, Hopkins, Nebbeling, Dyer, Thomas, Bright (Powell), Wright (Salako), Barber.

Leicester – Cooper, Paris, Spearing, Mauchlen, Brien, Morgan, Reid, Cross, Newell, McAllister, Quinn. Subs: Russell, Groves (not used).

save by Cooper kept out Pennyfather’s attempt to match his skipper’s goal from a free kick at almost the same spot.

After the break Leicester lost their way as Palace, now getting better support from behind, played with more direction. Although Ian Wright was still suffering from a tender ankle and was not really in full flight, Barber proved again a good insurance and between the 60th and 64th minutes turned the game right round.

Goalkeeper Cooper was given scant help as Barber picked up an attempted clearance and shot home. Then, in Palace’s next raid, he netted again, off a deflection.

Wright withdrew in the 69th minute and allowed John Salako to see the good work of Bright at close quarters. And new signing Alex Dyer, looking tentative early on, finished the game with his confidence growing. His good work on the right paid off when

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Step Back

While players’ wages may not have been what they get today, many retained an entrepreneurial spirit. Palace midfielder Andy Gray, for instance, had a sportswear shop in Tooting market during the 1980s.

NOTICEBOARD 63

Noticeboard Please note that all views from external contributors in this programme are not necessarily those of Crystal Palace FC. SMOKING Smoking is not permitted anywhere inside Selhurst Park. To smoke you need to be outside the club’s property on Holmesdale Road or beyond the gates to Sainsbury’s car park.

EQUALITY Crystal Palace Football Club is committed to identifying, confronting and eliminating discrimination and intends to ensure that everyone who wishes to engage with the club, whether as matchday fans, staff, players, board members or participants in Foundation programmes has a real and equal opportunity to do so.

The club is also supporter of the Kick It Out programme and would like to remind all supporters to refrain from racist, homophobic or discriminative chanting.

TEXT ALERT NUMBER If you notice an issue on a matchday and want to report an incident, we have a confidential text alert number on 07507 477669 to contact the club directly.

Contact

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Main Switchboard 020 8768 6000 Box Office 08712 000071 Disabled Ticket Enquiries 020 8768 6080 -

SAFEGUARDING Free young supporter wristbands which can include your contact information to keep your child safe can be collected from the Information Centre, located in the main car park by Entrance 9.

STADIUM SECURITY Crystal Palace has been working closely with the police and the Premier League to review security at Selhurst Park. It is vital that everyone remains vigilant and reports any concerns to stewards or police.

EARLY BIRD OFFER Fans who are in the ground more than 45 minutes before kick-off can grab themselves a special offer at the food outlets, with a burger and a drink available for just £6.

Take your pick from a cheeseburger or a hot dog and combine with the choice of a beer, cider, soft drink, water or a hot beverage to start your matchday the right way!

OPENING TIMES The Club Shop will be open until kick-off and then for an additional hour after the game, while the Box Office will also be open until kick-off but closes 30 minutes after the final whistle.

Corporate Sales 020 8768 6010 Conference & Events 020 8768 6013 Club Shop 020 8768 6100 -

Press Office 020 8658 7700 Catering 020 8768 6009 Palace for Life Foundation 020 8768 6047 Customer Services customer.services@cpfc.co.uk

THE INVESTMENT COMMUNITY FOR THE FANS A community for Crystal Palace fans who want to learn more about cryptoassets and investing from some of our best traders.

Join now to also be in with a chance of winning exclusive prizes and experiences.

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DOMINIC FIFIELD 65

Behind The

Headlines

By Dominic Fifield

In his regular column, The Guardian’s London Football Correspondent gives a unique insight into the world of a football journalist covering the biggest names and games in the sport.

The Christmas period is frenetic for

Moyes converted a rather dubious

company, holding the table with his stories and

anyone involved in football, a rat-a-tat

penalty, though my overriding memory

opinions while baffled pub regulars cast eyes at

of games with increasingly erratic

is being spun by Alan Irvine, the former

the huddle and wondered what all the fuss was

kick-off times for television coverage

Palace winger turned Toffees assistant

about. Christmas contact building has never been

sure to confuse fan and player alike. As

manager, on the halfway line who

more enjoyable.

a journalist, the blur of matches can offer

disappeared into the distance while I

a respite from visits from the in-laws,

gasped in his vapour trail. I have never

yet the festive season can also be an

felt more inadequate; a poor excuse of a

opportunity to build closer relationships

centre-half being outpaced by an ex-pro

with those clubs on the patch.

who would have been in his late-40s at

Back in my days as a Merseyside football reporter, both Liverpool and Everton would hold Christmas events

the time. Moyes wore a broad smile for weeks after that humiliation.

There are formal events held

for the press pack which, if times had

these days down south in the build-up

been testing, effectively became a

to Christmas, from drinks with the FA,

bridge-building exercise. A tremendous

attended by Gareth Southgate and the

spread was put on at Liverpool, with

out-going chief executive Martin Glenn

Gerard Houllier and his assistant Phil

this year, to mince pies and a pint with

Thompson mingling with the various

Chelsea’s manager. Antonio Conte,

correspondents. The umpteen bottles

admittedly encouraged by the club,

of fizz and wine would go virtually

welcomed the press to The Old Plough in

untouched with everyone driving, but

Stoke d’Abernon, round the corner from

listening to such experienced football

the training ground, in each of his two

figures speaking candidly and ‘off the

seasons in charge at Stamford Bridge.

record’ was always revelatory.

There he would turn his nose up

Around the corner at Everton,

at the local bitters, and opt instead for

David Moyes once challenged the press

a nice glass of Italian red wine which

corps to take on him and his coaching

would sit untouched as he updated us

staff while the first-team heckled all

on his family’s attempts to settle into

and sundry from the sidelines. Clad

Surrey life, or expanded upon some of

in Everton’s black away kit, we duly

the subjects touched upon in the more

subsided 6-2 with some of the action

formal surroundings of his pre-match

caught on the Sky Sports News cameras.

press conferences. He was engaging

PRE

Wha

t Do

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been

up to

Sun d Eden ay 16th D Brigh Hazard ecembe dazz ton les fo r r Ch else Mon a at d BT F ay 17th ootb Dec emb all W Paul’ er riters s ’ Pod cast Wed at St n Leag esday 1 9th D ue C Che u e p cem quar lsea be te and Bour r-final b r e nem outh tween

ACC PALACE

SS P ASS

m’s

ESS

ALL

ARE

AS

:

COMMUNITY 67

Palace for life palaceforlife.org

MESSAGE FROM FOUNDATION CEO MIKE SUMMERS I’d like to start with a heartfelt thanks to you, the Palace fans, for continuing to support our work with vulnerable young people in the local communities.

Through the tickets you’ve bought in the Super Draw alone, you’ve already helped us raise more than £17,000 this season. This month, that money is helping us buy three new Powerchairs for Crystal Palace Powerchair FC, giving more people with a disability the chance to play the sport they love.

This year we launched two innovative new programmes: Healthy Eagles to help families live healthier lives, and Breaking the Cycle which aims to reduce levels of youth crime in south London. Both are excellent examples of how Palace can help make real, positive changes in our community.

Our existing projects have also gone from strength to strength, with our team delivering outstanding work in areas such as primary schools, community engagement, route to employment, disability, women and girls football and at soccer schools and college academies.

Perhaps our proudest achievement is raising more than £130,000 in the summer through our three major fundraising events. Over 40 committed fans bid to play football on the hallowed turf at Selhurst Park alongside Palace legends, and then 18 supporters braved the weather to

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tackle the 100-mile RideLondon cycle challenge. In October we held our second Marathon March, with 150 fans, legends and Steve Parish walking 26.2 miles across the capital in what was one of the most uplifting days I can remember.

Back in February, we announced five new Patrons, appointing Palace legend Andy Johnson, comedian Eddie Izzard, politician Chuka Umunna, broadcaster Susanna Reid and entrepreneur Stephen Browett. Our Investors Club grew to 28 with each pledging £1000 to us, and we now have 40 talented PlayMakers volunteering their time to support our work.

Vitally, we’ve had wonderful support from the firstteam and Palace Ladies players this year, and I want to thank them all. We’re extremely excited for what 2019 holds for Palace for Life Foundation and we look forward to having you all with us on that journey!

F I R S T- T E A M

Player sponsors Roy Hodgson

Patrick van Aanholt

Luka Milivojevic

James Tomkins

Scott Dann

UNLOCKING POTENTIAL 01737 225 711 |

W S PA . C O . U K

logo-crystal-palace-dec-2017.indd 1

29/12/2017 09:17

Max Meyer

Cheikhou Kouyaté

Andros Townsend

Wilfried Zaha

Mamadou Sakho

Jeffrey Schlupp

Christian Benteke

James McArthur

Aaron Wan-Bissaka

Jason Puncheon

Available Player Sponsorship Packages To sponsor your favourite player, please call 020 8768 6004 or email liam.connery@cpfc.co.uk Julian Speroni

Connor Wickham

Joel Ward

Pape Souare

Alexander Sørloth

Sullay Kaikai

Wayne Hennessey

Vicente Guaita

Jordan Ayew

Martin Kelly

Jonny Williams

Jairo Riedewald

Ashlee Hincks After arriving from Millwall in the summer, the striker reveals why she opted to move across south London this summer to add some Championship experience to the Eagles’ ranks in their first season at that level.

70 IN FOCUS

hin

FACT FILE Date of birth: 04/12/1988 Place of birth: Hillingdon When did you start at Palace?

June this year Team supported as a youngster: Leicester City First footballing idol: David Beckham Career highlight to date: Scoring on my debut for England Favourite food: Pizza Favourite TV show: Friends What do you do in your free time?

Socialise with my friends and family If you weren’t a footballer, what would you be?

A firefighter, but I’m asthmatic!

If you could meet anyone famous, who would it be?

The cast of Friends Hopes for this season: To build a good foundation for next season

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IN FOCUS 71

Ashlee Hincks

I joined Palace because it’s full of ambition. When I first spoke to Dean Davenport, he set out what Palace’s plans were: to build a team to win the Championship and gain promotion. I’d had offers from other clubs but when I spoke to Palace, their ambition matched what I was looking to do so I wanted to tackle the challenge.

Now, with the backing of the club, we’re looking to build and progress in the right way.

We need to settle down in this league and establish ourselves. This year is about growing as a team and learning what it’s all about, so I think a realistic but positive outcome would be to gain the experience we’ll need for next season. We’ve got a lot of players who haven’t been at this level before, but they’ll settle in. There’s a cluster of us at a similar level, and I think we should be targeting to finish at the top of that pack.

Palace have incredible fans and they make all the difference. Having lots of fans like we did for the Manchester United game is amazing. Being honest, when you play women’s football you don’t always get big crowds, so when you do you really notice it. The Palace fans, out of every club I’ve played for, are hands down the best. They’re loud, they bring flags every week and you don’t really get that in the women’s game.

When you get to 70 or 80 minutes and you’re playing good teams like United, it makes a massive difference.

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I played in Iceland for a bit - that was an experience! For one season, I played for a team called Fimleikafélag Hafnarfjarðar. When I moved, the transfer window had closed for the English leagues but they were really interested, so I quit my job and went. It was daunting and the language is completely different - I sounded horrific when I tried to speak it! It was quite difficult but I got really stuck in and gave it everything. I made some lifelong friends and really, really enjoyed it.

Women’s football is progressing every year and it’s great to see. The facilities have got so much better; when I was younger, the shirts were from an extra-large men’s kit! But now, everything’s changed.

We’ve always been technically good enough, but now we’re playing on better pitches which obviously allows for better football. It’s good for the younger generation to know that they can do this full-time – when I was younger, that just wasn’t possible.

We have to juggle our jobs with football. I love it though! I’ve done it since I was 18 and it’s something you have to get used to, but by the end of the week you are exhausted. I travel an hour-and-a-half each way to work and then head straight to football, so I’m not home until 11 at night, and I do that three times a week.

Sometimes you feel like you don’t have a minute to stop and breathe, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. I wouldn’t be the person I am without football.

TICKETS 73

Box office tickets.cpfc.co.uk // 08712 00 00 71*

Classic clash

Wolves v Crystal Palace 02.01.19 // Molineux 7.45pm

22nd March 1995

Tickets are on sale to season tickets holders and paid members at two per person.

Crystal Palace v Grimsby Town 05.01.19 // Selhurst Park 5.30pm Tickets are on general sale, meaning you don’t require a membership to purchase seats.

Crystal Palace v Watford 12.01.19 // Selhurst Park 3pm

WOLVES 1 PALACE 4

Tickets are on sale at Category B prices.

Box Office Opening Times Monday to Friday

09.00 - 17.30

Saturday

09.00 - 17.30

Sunday

10.00 - 16.00

Saturday Home Matchdays

09.00 - kick-off

(& 30 mins after full-time)

Liverpool v Crystal Palace 19.01.19 // Anfield 3pm Tickets are on sale to season tickets holders and paid members at two per person.

Cat: A/B

Main Stand: Glaziers / Wright & Bright

Main Stand: Stephenson’s

Holmesdale Upper / Lower

Holmesdale Gallery

Arthur Wait

Whitehorse Lane

Adult

£50.00 / £40.00

£53.00 / £43.00

£45.00 / £38.00

£50.00 / £40.00

£45.00 / £38.00

£45.00 / £38.00

Concession

£35.00 / £28.00

£38.00 / £30.00

£30.00 / £25.00

£35.00 / £28.00

£30.00 / £25.00

£30.00 / £25.00

Junior

£26.00 / £21.00

£26.00 / £21.00

£23.00 / £18.00

N/A

£23.00 / £18.00

£23.00 / £18.00

*calls cost 10p per minute

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74

MESSAGEBOARD

Messageboard Send your message (max 25 words) with a picture to programme@cpfc.co.uk for a chance to be in a future edition.

Happy birthday Laura - a fanatic Palace fan. With love from all of your family and friends xx

Happy 12th birthday Rose! Love Mummy, Daddy and Joe xxx

Happy 25th birthday to Dale Smith, at Selhurst today with Mum and his Palace family xxx

Happy 80th birthday Michael Peters! Hope you have a great day (a win would be good boys!). With love from all your family xx

It’s a big day for my son Theo who is over Happy 50th birthday to my precious bestie from Australia to attend his first live game at Lorna Patton. Love you lots xx Selhurst Park!

My lovely wife Mari and our wonderful daughters Tuva and Iben are finally with me on a Palace match. Their first time at Selhurst, all the way from Norway.

Happy 37th birthday for NYE Tom! Enjoy the Happy birthday Samson. I think we’ll win 2-1 match today and we hope you have a great - you? Love from Dad. birthday! All our love from Tamlyn, Kimmy and Jack.

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MESSAGEBOARD 75

Happy belated birthday to the ‘King of Kew’, Welcome to the world Emilia Annie Charlotte Campbell! Love Uncle Robin and Ben Harris. Get those El Clasico tickets Auntie Ruby. We do appreciate this is a bit sorted. of a weird way to welcome you into the world.

Congratulations to Woodsy and Mrs Woodsy-to-be on the birth of their little girl, April Irene Woods.

A huge welcome to Selhurst Park to Serie A legend, Fabrizio Miccoli, who is watching today’s game with Samuele Mura and friends.

Congratulations to Mel and Lloyd on your engagement. The perfect couple! xxx

Happy 18th birthday to Joshua Mauger for 28th December who has a season ticket in the Arthur Wait Stand. From Mum, Dad, Elly-Rose and Dexter.

We recently said farewell to lifelong Palace fan Charley Gates. Family and friends will miss this loving, loyal, funny and truly remarkable man.

Happy 40th wedding anniversary to Trevor and Sue, both are season ticket holders and travel to just about every home and away game.

My stepdad Jim was a season ticket holder for 25 years and he sat with his best friend Mick in the Upper Holmesdale. Missing you loads, love Rebecca and Julie.

Santa has delivered a special present for Freddie Lessiter who will be attending his first match against Grimsby. He has promised to be good as long as Santa delivers some results for the Eagles!

Happy belated Christmas to Alan and Diane Happy New Year to JP and the Ram Dogg, – hope you bring your good luck back to got to get that 83 reunion sorted sometime Selhurst Park in 2019! soon!

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76 FINAL SCORE

manchester city 2 Crystal palace 3 Saturday 22nd December 2018

Christmas came early for Palace as they beat Manchester City 3-2 to record one of their best ever victories in topflight football.

The early stages were one-way traffic, and on 27 minutes Fabian Delph whipped a fine delivery into the area that was just begging to be attacked and Ilkay Gundogan dispatched it into the net with his head.

However Palace fought back and scored twice in two minutes to turn the game on its head. Firstly the ball found its way to Jeffrey Schlupp on the edge of the box and he

LINE-UPS

MAN OF THE MATCH

Manchester City v Crystal Palace 31

Ederson

2

Kyle Walker

30

50 Nicolas Otamendi

14

Aymeric Laporte

18

62 Fabian Delph

20

Bernardo Silva

Vicente Guaita

31

Touches:

41

Aaron Wan-Bissaka

29

Duels Won:

73%

James Tomkins

5

Possession Gained:

11

Mamadou Sakho

12

Distance Covered:

11.8km

Patrick van Aanholt

3

Sprints:

12

Max Meyer 90

7

5

John Stones

Luka Milivojevic

4

8

IIkay Gündogan

James McArthur

18

Jeffrey Schlupp

15

Andros Townsend

10

7

69 Raheem Sterling

33

Gabriel Jesus

19

Leroy Sané

Wilfried Zaha

88

Manchester City: Muric, Danilo, Zinchenko, Foden, De Bruyne

,

Mahrez , Aguero .

Palace: Speroni, Ward, Dann, Riedewald, Puncheon , Ayew , Sørloth.

Own Goal

Yellow Card

Red Card

78 POSSESSION 22

50

DUELS WON

50

11

SUBSTITUTES

Goal

fired accurately past Ederson’s reach into the bottom corner, and then Andros Townsend netted a contender for the Premier League’s Goal of the Season when he volleyed in a dipping shot from 30 yards on his 100th Eagles appearance.

City were shell-shocked and Palace capitalised again on 51 minutes when Max Meyer was chopped down by Kyle Walker and Luka Milivojevic converted the penalty, and despite a fluke cross from Kevin de Bruyne finding the net five minutes from time, the Eagles held on to a famous win.

First Sub

19

SHOTS

05

05

SHOTS ON TARGET

03

13

CORNERS

00

07

FOULS

06

Second Sub

Third Sub

Home Team

Away Team

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FINAL SCORE 77

Venue: Etihad Stadium Attendance: 54,340 Referee: Andre Marrier

Most Clearances: 13

YOU DON’T PRODUCE THAT SORT OF PERFORMANCE BY WAVING A MAGIC WAND OR HAVING A FIVE-MINUTE TEAM TALK, THERE’S A LOT OF WORK THAT GOES INTO THAT STRUCTURE AND WE WERE EXCELLENT

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78 UNDER-18 s

ACADEMY HALF-SEASON rEPORT Home Away

APR

MAR

FEB

JAN

DEC

NOV

OCT

SEP

AUG

U18 Professional Development League Date

Opposition

18/08/18

Hull City

Res 5-0

25/08/18

Crewe Alexandra

1-1

01/09/18

Sheffield Wednesday

0-5

07/09/18

Bolton Wanderers

1-3

15/09/18

Watford

4-2

22/09/18

Cardiff City

1-0

06/10/18

Millwall

1-4

27/10/18

Ipswich Town

1-3

03/11/18

Bristol City

1-0

10/11/18

Charlton Athletic

1-2

Paddy McCarthy runs the rule over the under-18s’ displays so far this season as

24/11/18

Colchester United

1-1

01/12/18

Queens Park Rangers

1-2

they strive for success in both the league and FA Youth Cup.

21/12/18

Leeds United

05/01/19

Bristol City

So far this season, I’m happy in terms

12/01/19

Ipswich Town

of individual success as we’ve had a lot

lot of stuff that puts a smile on my face

26/01/19

Charlton Athletic

of lads playing up with the under-23s.

because every day I come to work and see

02/02/19

Colchester United

09/02/19

Watford

We’ve had some really good, positive

what they’re capable of. Hopefully sooner

16/02/19

Cardiff City

performances but results have been a

or later, I’ll be able to pass them on to

23/02/19

Millwall

little bit hit-and-miss. I expected that

Richard Shaw.

02/03/19

QPR

early on in the year because we’ve got a

09/03/19

Birmingham City

16/03/19

Barnsley

pretty young squad, but while we should

far. Firstly, the Cardiff City away result

23/03/19

Coventry City

be winning more, when you look at the

because, with a young starting line-up,

30/03/19

Burnley

bigger picture we have a lot of young

we won 1-0 despite Cardiff flying high at

02/04/19

Coventry City

players playing consistently and that

the time.

06/04/19

Sheffield United

pleases me. We’ve continued to work

13/04/19

Nottingham Forest

hard and the boys have bought into that,

we played against Cogenhoe United in

giving maximum effort every single day.

a ‘proper’ cup tie. They had about 700

Pts

Looking at the individuals, there’s a

I’ve enjoyed two main highlights so

The second came recently when

Team

P

01

Cardiff City

13

28

02

Millwall

15

25

03

Ipswich Town

15

25

well and there’s good camaraderie.

lads hadn’t experienced an atmosphere

04

Queens Park Rangers

14

23

There’s a lot of really good personalities

like that before, so it was great to see

05

Watford

16

22

06

Charlton Athletic

15

20

in this team and a lot of individual talent.

how they dealt with it and we won 2-1.

07

Bristol City

14

19

We’ve not reached the heights that we

In the new year, the players have been

08

Crystal Palace

12

14

did this time last year but I’m confident

rewarded with a great fixture at Selhurst

09

Coventry City

13

14

once the boys come back from their

Park against Bolton Wanderers in the next

10

Colchester United

17

4

Christmas break, we’ll be a lot stronger.

round and we’re all excited for that.

Off the pitch, the lads have gelled

people inside a tight ground and the

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UNDER-23 s 79

development half-season report Home Away

APR

MAR

FEB

JAN

DEC

NOV

OCT

SEP

AUG

Professional Development League Date

Opposition

Res

10/08/18

Nottingham Forest

4-3

20/08/18

Crewe Alexandra

2-0

28/08/18

Burnley

1-2

03/09/18

Barnsley

4-0

11/09/19

Birmingham City

2-2

17/09/18

Queens Park Rangers

0-5

28/09/18

Watford

1-1

15/10/18

Bristol City

2-0

22/10/18

Coventry City

0-1

29/10/18

Cardiff City

2-2

Richard Shaw casts his eye over how the under-23 side have found the first few

05/11/18

Millwall

2-0

12/11/18

Colchester United

4-0

months of the campaign in the Professional Development League.

19/11/18

Ipswich Town

2-5

26/11/18

Charlton Athletic

4-0

I’ve been really pleased so far because

games and we had a very young side, so

10/12/18

Bristol City

1-1

when you compare what we had last

that always puts a smile on my face. At

14/12/18

Coventry City

3-6

year to now, it is a very changed team.

home, Roy Hodgson and a lot of the other

07/01/19

Cardiff City

15/01/19

Millwall

We’ve got a lot of youngsters out on loan,

staff have been watching and the boys

28/01/19

Charlton Athletic

so we’ve not had a settled side, but the

have equipped themselves really well in

04/02/19

Ipswich Town

ones that have come in have done very

those games.

11/02/19

Queens Park Rangers

well. All in all, I’m delighted with the boys

18/02/19

Colchester United

25/02/19

Watford

especially because they’ve developed a

been helping the youngsters and that’s

04/03/19

Bolton Wanderers

great work ethic in their training.

really pleasing. What gives me delight is

08/03/19

Sheffield Wednesday

25/03/19

Sheffield United

not-so-good performances where we’ve

doing well amongst the older lads who

06/04/19

Hull City

had to field a team that’s probably a bit

sometimes drop down to play or train with

15/04/19

Leeds United

too young. But that doesn’t worry me too

us. The fact that we’re competing with a

much because it gives the younger ones a

young side gives me great encouragement

chance to progress and we can see what

because it makes me think that what we’re doing is right.

We’ve had some good and some

Team

P

Pts

01

Ipswich Town

15

27

02

Queens Park Rangers

15

25

03

Crystal Palace

16

25

they’re made of. When we lose, it’s not

04

Millwall

14

22

a great experience, but they all learn a

05

Coventry City

16

19

06

Bristol City

15

17

lot from it.

07

Charlton Athletic

15

15

08

Cardiff City

14

14

09

Watford

14

13

10

Colchester United

14

10

PALACE

v

CHELSEA

The match against Bristol City that

Recently, some of the first-team have

seeing boys going up to the first-team and

The second half of the season might be more difficult because we’re expecting to send some more players out on loan.

we won 2-0 stands out because we

We will be stretched and use more

played at Ashton Gate against a team

youngsters, but I’m looking forward to

that had accumulated over 500 first-team

giving them an opportunity.

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LADIES 81

ladies half-season report Home Away Date

Opposition

09/09/18

Leicester City

Res 0-2

19/09/18

Lewes

1-2

23/09/18

Millwall

1-1

30/09/18

Tottenham Hotspur

1-2

14/10/18

London Bees

1-0

21/10/18

Durham

0-2

28/10/18

Sheffield United

0-1

18/11/18

Manchester United

0-5

25/11/18

Charlton Athletic

1-2

02/12/18

Aston Villa

1-3 0-1

As the festive season approaches, chairman Richard Spokes takes a breath and looks back over a rollercoaster six-month period in the club’s history.

09/12/18

Tottenham Hotspur

06/01/19

Millwall

Having been initially denied a place in

bottom spot will secure this. Currently, we

13/01/19

London Bees

the Women’s Championship, we were

are above bottom-placed Millwall who

27/01/19

Durham

at very late notice offered a reprieve.

we host next week.

10/02/19

Leicester City

Despite being a fair way behind in our

21/02/19

Lewes

preparations, we took up the challenge

all the players and staff, there is one part

10/03/19

Sheffield United

- after all, we are Palace and facing

of our club that has stood out as we battle

20/04/19

Manchester United

challenges is in our DNA.

the odds. Our amazing fans bring noise,

28/04/19

Charlton Athletic

12/05/19

Aston Villa

We knew that patience would be key and that no game would be easy as we faced settled sides with huge budgets.

In addition to the huge endeavours of

colour and support like no other, home and away and have drawn huge plaudits The recent 7-2 win over London Bees

Team

P

Pts

01

Manchester United

10

25

That said, the belief in our squad was

sends us into the new year in a positive

02

Charlton Athletic

11

25

beyond question and it proved well-

mood, assisted by injury returns and the

03

Durham

11

24

founded as we started the season with a

possibility of additions in the transfer

04

Tottenham Hotspur

10

24

penalty shootout win over Tottenham and

window, but we are proud to look back

05

London Bees

11

15

an away success at top tier Yeovil in the

on the massive efforts of everyone this

06

Leicester City

10

13

Continental Tyres Cup.

season including Steve Parish and the

07

Sheffield United

10

13

08

Aston Villa

11

12

09

Lewes

11

10

10

Crystal Palace

11

4

11

Millwall

10

2

PALACE

v

CHELSEA

Both were very close and this proved

board, the players, staff and the fans.

to be the case in almost all league games

We are only a small step into an

that followed. Our Ladies battled in every

amazing journey, but doing ourselves

match, testing title contenders in the

proud. With much still to do, 2019 will be

process. The clear objective for us this

exciting and we look forward to you being

season is survival and finishing above the

a part of it!

82 STATISTICS

Seasonal Statistics Most Chances Created (Open Play)

Most Passes

Andros Townsend

Luka Milivojevic

27

993

Top Goal Scorers 01. Luka Milivojevic

05

02. Wilfried Zaha

03

03. Jeffrey Schlupp

03

Total Goals

43%

Shooting Accuracy

Overall Discipline

1

33

10

Hit Woodwork

17

70

Shots on Target

93

Shots off Target

PALACE

v

CHELSEA

STATISTICS 83

Player In Focus

Statistics correct as of Tuesday 25th December

Pass Success Rate

78%

Average Possession

66

45%

No player has made more successfull tackles (66) in the Premier League than Aaron Wan-Bissaka so far this season.

Most Interceptions

Most Assists

Aaron Wan-Bissaka

45

PALACE

v

CHELSEA

Max Meyer

02

ATT

POS

Fulham

W 2-0

24,821

4th

Mon 20

20:00

Liverpool

L 0-2

25,750

10th

Sun 26

13:30

Watford

L 1-2

20,014

10th

Tue 28

19:30

Swansea City

W 1-0

9,122

CC2

Sat 01

15:00

Southampton

L 0-2

25,495

15th

Sat 15

15:00

Huddersfield Town

W 1-0

23,696

12th

Sat 22

15:00

Newcastle United

D 0-0

25,679

11th

Tue 28

20:00

West Bromwich Albion

W 3-0

10,818

CC3

Mon 01

20:00

Bournemouth

L 1-2

10,199

13th

Sat 06

15:00

Wolves

L 0-1

25,717

14th

Sun 21

16:00

Everton

L 0-2

38,668

15th

Sun 28

13:30

Arsenal

D 2-2

25,718

14th

Wed 31

20:00

Middlesbrough

L 0-1

11,850

CC4

Sun 04

16:00

Chelsea

L 1-3

40,407

14th

Sat 10

17:30

Tottenham Hotspur

L 0-1

25,685

16th

Sat 24

15:00

Manchester United

D 0-0

74,516

16th

Sat 01

15:00

Burnley

W 2-0

25,098

14th

Tue 04

19:45

Brighton

L 1-3

29,663

15th

Sat 08

15:00

West Ham United

L 2-3

56,995

16th

Sat 15

15:00

Leicester City

W 2-0

24,738

15th

Sat 22

15:00

Manchester City

W 3-2

54,340

14th

Wed 26

15:00

Cardiff City

Sun 30

12:00

Chelsea

19:45

Wolves

Sat 05

17:30

Grimsby Town

Sat 12

15:00

Watford

Sat 19

15:00

Liverpool

Wed 30

19:45

Southampton

Sat 02

15:00

Fulham

Sat 09

15:00

West Ham United

Sat 23

15:00

Leicester City

20:00

Manchester United

15:00

Burnley

Sat 09

15:00

Brighton

Sat 16

15:00

Tottenham Hotspur

Sat 30

15:00

Huddersfield Town

Sat 06

15:00

Newcastle United

15:00

Manchester City

Sat 20

15:00

Arsenal

APR

Wed 27 Sat 02

Sat 13 Sat 27

15:00

Everton

Sat 04

15:00

Cardiff City

Sun 12

15:00

Bournemouth

2018/19 Games

Max Meyer

RES

15:00

Wed 02

TV

Red Card

Scott Dann

OPPOSITION

Yellow Card

James Tomkins

KO

Goal(s)

Sat 11

MAY

MAR

FEB

JAN

DEC

NOV

OCT

SEP

AUG

DATE

Unused Sub

Luka Milivojevic

Used Sub

Patrick van Aanholt

Started

Joel Ward

Home Fixtures Away Fixtures Cup Fixtures

Julian Speroni

Fixtures & Results

01

02

03

04

05

06

07

2(2) 19 18(1) 15

2018/19 Goals Statistics correct as of Tuesday 25th December

Palace Career Games Palace Career Goals

403 210 4

12(6)

2

5

62

70

72

136

9

17

6

15

18

Cheikhou Kouyaté Alexander Sørloth Andros Townsend Wilfried Zaha Mamadou Sakho Wayne Hennessey Jordan Ayew Jeffrey Schlupp Christian Benteke James McArthur Jonny Williams Connor Wickham Sullay Kaikai Pape Souare Aaron Wan-Bissaka Giovanni McGregor Vicente Guaita Ryan Inniss Martin Kelly Sam Woods Dion-Curtis Henry Nya Kirby Jason Puncheon Jairo Riedewald

08 09 10 11 12

w

13 14 15 17 18 20 21 25 27 29 30 31 33 34 35 36 39 42 44

tvt

x

13(4) 3(12) 20(1) 15

1

17

5

3

19

100 302

46

1

10

1

46

18

16 9(5) 10(9) 4

3

122

14

18

2

62

75

148

70

35

11

3

20

18

1

9

1

1

0(1) 0(2) 1(2) 19(1)

5

1

6(1) 0(1)

3(5)

3

5

1

111

169

18

62

27

1

1

16

86 STATISTICS

League Table Pos

Club

P

W

D

L

F

A GD Pts

1

Liverpool

18 15

3

0

39

7

2

Manchester City

18 14

2

2

50 13 37 44

3

Tottenham Hotspur

18 14

0

4

37 18 19 42

P-E Aubameyang

12

4

Chelsea

18 11

4

3

35 15 20 37

Harry Kane

11

5

Arsenal

18 11

4

3

40 24 16 37

Mohamed Salah

11

6

Manchester United

18

8

5

5

34 30

29

Raheem Sterling

9

7

Watford

18

8

3

7

25 25

0

27

Sergio AgĂźero

8

8

Bournemouth

18

8

2

8

27 28

-1

26

Richarlison

8

32 48

4

Top Scorers

9

Leicester City

18

7

4

7

22 21

1

25

10

Wolves

18

7

4

7

19 21

-2

25

11

Everton

18

6

6

6

26 28

-2

24

12

West Ham United

18

7

3

8

25 27

-2

24

Eden Hazard

9

13

Brighton & Hove Albion

18

6

3

9

20 26

-6

21

Ryan Fraser

8

14

Crystal Palace

18

5

3

10 17 25

-8

18

Leroy SanĂŠ

7

15

Newcastle United

18

4

5

9

14 22

-8

17

Christian Eriksen

6

19 33 -14 15

16

Southampton

18

3

6

9

17

Cardiff City

18

4

2

12 18 38 -20 14

18

Burnley

18

3

3

12 16 36 -20 12

19

Huddersfield Town

18

2

4

12 11 31 -20 10

20

Fulham

18

2

4

12 16 42 -26 10

Most Assists

Aaron Ramsey

6

Raheem Sterling

6

Statistics correct as of Tuesday 25th December.

Matchweek 20 Fixtures Brighton v Everton

Liverpool v Arsenal

Saturday 29th December - 3pm

Saturday 29th December - 5.30pm

Fulham v Huddersfield Town

Crystal Palace v Chelsea

Saturday 29th December - 3pm

Sunday 30th December - 12pm

Leicester City v Cardiff City

Burnley v West Ham United

Saturday 29th December - 3pm

Sunday 30th December - 2.15pm

Tottenham v Wolves

Southampton v Manchester City

Saturday 29th December - 3pm

Sunday 30th December - 2.15pm

Watford v Newcastle United

Manchester United v Bournemouth

Saturday 29th December - 3pm

Sunday 30th December - 4.30pm

PALACE

v

CHELSEA

crystal palace √ chelsea Julian SPERONI Joel WARD Patrick VAN AANHOLT Luka MILIVOJEVIC James TOMKINS Scott DANN Max MEYER Cheikhou KOUYATÉ Alexander SØRLOTH Andros TOWNSEND Wilfried ZAHA Mamadou SAKHO Wayne HENNESSEY Jordan AYEW Jeffrey SCHLUPP Christian BENTEKE James McARTHUR Jonny WILLIAMS Connor WICKHAM Sullay KAIKAI Pape SOUARÉ Aaron WAN-BISSAKA Vicente GUAITA Martin KELLY Jason PUNCHEON Jairo RIEDEWALD

Referee Craig Pawson

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 17 18 20 21 25 27 29 31 34 42 44

Assistant Ian Hussin

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 10 11 12 13 15 17 18 20 21 22 24 27 28 29 30 31 33 34 44

Kepa ARRIZABALAGA Antonio RÜDIGER Marcos ALONSO Cesc FÀBREGAS JORGINHO Danny DRINKWATER N’Golo KANTÉ Ross BARKLEY Eden HAZARD PEDRO Ruben LOFTUS-CHEEK Willy CABALLERO Victor MOSES Mateo KOVACIC Olivier GIROUD Callum HUDSON-ODOI Davide ZAPPACOSTA WILLIAN Gary CAHILL Andreas CHRISTENSEN César AZPILICUETA Álvaro MORATA David LUIZ Robert GREEN EMERSON Lucas PIAZON Ethan AMPADU

Assistant Eddie Smart

Match Sponsors:

Fourth Official Andre Marriner