Crystal Palace v Manchester United matchday programme 2223’

Directors

Chairman Steve Parish, David Blitzer, Joshua Harris, John Textor

Chief Financial Officer

Sean O’Loughlin

Sporting Director Dougie Freedman

Club Secretary Christine Dowdeswell

Head of Sports Medicine

Dr. Zaf Iqbal Academy Director Gary Issott

Director of U21 Development

Mark Bright

Chief Operating Officer

Sharon Lacey

Chief Commercial Officer

Barry Webber General Counsel

David Nichol Head of Ticketing Paul McGowan Head of Retail Foz Bowers

Chief Marketing and Communications Officer James Woodroof Head of Safeguarding Cassi Wright

Head Groundsman

Bruce Elliott

Editor Will Robinson

Design Billy Cooke, Stu Ellmer, Lucas Gough

Contributors Ian King, Robin Johnson, Ben Bailey Smith, Toby Jagmohan, Tommy Macarthur, Sam Lyall, Hollie Olding

Photography Neil Everitt, Sebastian Frej, Pinnacle Photo Agency, Getty

Printer Bishops Printers

Palace fans are fans who take you in straight away. They’re fans who’ll always give you support on a good or bad day. I would call my time here a beautiful story because of them

Palace’s Duncan Edwards tribute recreated

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A recreation of Crystal Palace’s little known tribute to Manchester United icon Duncan Edwards has been unveiled at the Copthorne Hotel by the organisation Duncan Edwards United. Edwards lost his life in the 1958 Munich air disaster alongside seven United teammates and 15 others. In 1961 Palace helped to fund a stainedglass window in Edwards’ hometown, Dudley, at St Francis

On this day: January 18th

Tony Pulis faced former club Stoke City for the first time, with Jason Puncheon’s smart finish past a young Jack Butland proving enough for bottom of the table Palace to clinch a crucial three points at Selhurst Park.

palace √ united wed 18 jan | 20:00

church. The precise reason why remains unknown, but United had appealed to their fellow clubs for donations, to which Brentford also responded.

Duncan Edwards United meet annually in the Duncan Edwards boardroom in the Copthorne Hotel, Dudley, alongside those who played with or against Edwards. The boardroom is adorned with imagery and memorabilia from Edwards’ career, and last month a replica of the St Francis stained-glass window was also unveiled, including Palace’s 1960s crest.

Crystal Palace Season

Ticket holder Chris Dunsmore attended and alerted the club to its unveiling. You can read more about the Edwards tribute on Page 34.

Fan update

Supporters are reminded to keep off the Selhurst Park pitch at all times. Perpetrators may be prosecuted.

What’s inside

Find out… about Ben Bailey Smith’s search for pretty Palace Patterns (Page 40), how Hollie Olding overcame serious illness to fulfil her professional dream (Page 42) and why Palace v Man Utd will always be a special fixture for Don Rogers (Page 50).

Welcome to Selhurst Park to everyone supporting us today, and welcome also Erik ten Hag, the Manchester United coaching staff, directors, players and visiting fans.

iam writing this before our game against Chelsea, but the work of the players in training has been good. The staff have been challenging them, and those challenges will make us stronger. I haven’t forgotten that last year we went through some difficult periods – as every team does in a season – where we didn’t get what we deserved, but what is important is to keep improving those details.

We have focused on both areas of the field. We had a couple of chances to score and we didn’t take them, and there are goals that we shouldn’t have given away. It is important to understand that you win or lose games on these details.

Tonight is our second of three tough games in just seven days, but we have had time to adjust our training schedule and we will be ready both physically and mentally. Every game has its own challenges, and what is important is to compete in every one of them. We have to focus on ourselves: looking at how we can improve individually so we can more strong collectively.

Since the first day the message has been really clear: we

are a team. Each game you choose 11 players to represent the football club, but things can change and we have so many games that everyone has to be involved. When you look

the title shows the direction of the football club and the talent of the Academy. John-Kymani, Jack and David have spent the last couple of weeks with the first-team, which is an important experience for them. I was also pleased with Killian Phillips’ debut for Shrewsbury. The gap between Under-21s and the Premier League is massive, and so we send those players on loan to be tested in men’s football because they need these kinds of experiences.

There are no easy games in the Premier League, but looking at the games we have played there are times when we have played good football. We have to take advantage of the good spells we are having in games.

at the majority of our games, the players coming from the bench always bring energy to the team and this is what the squad is about.

The Under-21s are doing well, and to see them challenging for

We are in a period where we need your support behind the team. The atmosphere here is always so important. I don’t think at the minute that we are getting what we deserve, but at the same time we have to keep our heads up and be strong together as a football club, and – like we did last year –we will get back on track.

Thank you for your support .

Tonight is our second of three tough games in just seven days, but we have had time to adjust our training schedule and we will be ready both physically and mentally

Our focus in training this week has been to learn from our last two games at Selhurst Park and put together a performance that will bring us a positive result against Manchester United.

The games against Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton were an example of what can happen if you fail to take your chances when in control, and we will learn from that as we try to improve throughout the season. The players, the manager and all of the staff are working hard every day to make that happen.

The Premier League is never easy, but the fixture list has given us a very hard seven days to deal with. I am writing this before our trip to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea, which we know will be a very tough game. As always, we want to thank you for your support when we play away from home.

Playing three games in a week emphasises how important it is for the entire squad to be pulling together in one direction. We will need everyone to be at their best to secure positive results against some of the top sides in the league, from the starting XI to the substitutes. When I look around the dressing room, I see a collection of players who are determined to give their all for Crystal Palace and want to send you all home with a smile on your face.

Tonight we face a Manchester United side full of confidence under Erik ten Hag. Although this game was rearranged recently, we feel fully prepared and have been focusing on the details. We are hoping for a repeat of last year’s game, when we managed to finish the season on a high and claim all three points.

We know how many talented players they have, but we also know that if we play to our full potential we can go head-to-head with any side in the Premier League. We have already shown that this season away from home against Manchester City and Liverpool, where we were unlucky not to come away with more. Although recent results at Selhurst Park have been disappointing, we are determined to show how good we are once again.

Your support is more important than ever in these kind of fixtures, and it is always special to play a massive game under the lights. I cannot wait to hear the atmosphere you are going to create this evening. I hope we can make you proud.

Make some noise! .

we feel fully prepared and have been focusing on the details. We are hoping for a repeat of last year’s game, when we managed to finish the season on a high

Welcome to the directors, staff, players and supporters of Manchester United to Selhurst Park tonight, and to each and every Palace supporter here to get behind Patrick’s side.

Patrick’s team delivered a much-improved performance at Chelsea on Sunday, and if it wasn’t for some excellent stops by the hosts’ ‘keeper, we would have been fully deserving of a point or perhaps more. Throughout the game we created some excellent chances, all the way to the final whistle. But regrettably, a fine header was the difference.

During his media commitments, Patrick rightly praised the performance and leadership of James Tomkins who deputised for Joachim when called upon during the first-half, and whilst we very much hope Joachim recovers soon, to have James’ experience and quality in the ranks is reassuring.

Elsewhere, I was pleased to watch our Under-18s secure an excellent 0-4 win at Fulham, and this weekend several of our Academy prospects contributed positively to their loan clubs. There was a goal for Jesurun for Charlton and also for John-Kymani on his Carlisle debut. Killian has impressed greatly in his opening

two matches for Shrewsbury. Congratulations and good luck to them all.

These are encouraging signs for the future with our players getting their first taste of senior

Of course, results are not what we all hope for at the moment, but we have come through difficult periods before and I am sure with your support we will come through this one. Make no mistake: it will be a tough game tonight against a vastly improved Manchester United team but if we create that electric atmosphere that we always do under the lights I feel sure we can start to turn things round.

football in competitive divisions, and we very much look forward to welcoming them back in the summer having benefitted and developed from regular minutes in league football.

It is January and I know supporters are always looking for transfer news and to hear about new players. Rest assured we are working hard to see what is available to improve the squad we have. That really is the key point: we won’t do things for the sake of it; we need players that are the right fit for the club and the manager’s style of play that can come and make a difference now. That said I’m sure you will see one or two things happen before the end of the window.

In the meantime, let’s get right behind the boys and be that extra man you so often are.

Up the Palace .

results are not what we all hope for at the moment, but we have come through difficult periods before and I am sure with your support we will come through this one

The past 12 months have been a remarkable period for Tyrick Mitchell, as he established himself on the domestic and international stage. But, as he tells Robin Johnson, he is not ready to sit back and reflect just yet…

In football, you know you always have to do more

It’s been like, I would say, a beautiful story,” Tyrick Mitchell smiles, when asked to describe his association with Crystal Palace Football Club. Few surmising his remarkable time in south London so far could disagree.

As widely documented, Mitchell is Brent-born, Harrow-raised, and spent most of his formative years in north-west London, growing up in a single-parent household alongside his mother and sisters. Indeed, a destiny with Crystal Palace would have seemed far-fetched as recently as seven years ago, when Mitchell was offered a scholarship at Brentford’s academy, later closed down.

Yet after joining Palace in 2016, a six-and-a-half year spell in south London has brought about 75 topflight appearances; a nomination for the 2022/23 Premier League Young Player of the Season award; the equivalent prize at club level; and the first and second of surely many caps to come for his country.

Now in his fourth full season as a Premier League left-back, Mitchell remains reluctant to describe himself as such. Whilst proud to be Palace’s No. 3, the defender continues to speak with the same humility and hunger you sense drove his rapid rise in the first place.

The best chapters of this “beautiful story”, as Mitchell puts it, seem still to be written. “In football, you know you always have to do more,” he explains. “You have to do better than the next player, and then the next player, and then the next player, so that’s just something I aim to do.

“2022 was an amazing year for me. There were a lot of things I ticked off that maybe I didn’t think I would tick off so early. It was a proud year: getting called up by England and going to Wembley [for the FA Cup semi-finals] with Palace…

getting called up by England and going to Wembley with Palace…

“But it’s hard to look back on it all when you’re still playing, because every day is a new day. I feel like, at the end of my career, I’ll look back on those achievements and feel proud of myself, but for now it’s just about ticking off the next box.”

It’s clear that Mitchell is a young man of deeply ingrained – and impressive – values. In that way, while it took some time to come about, his eventual arrival at Palace formed the perfect fit: a player of steadfast commitment, celebrated by supporters steadfastly committed.

“Palace fans are fans who take you in straight away,” Mitchell says. “They’re fans who’ll always give you support on a good or bad day. I would call my time here a beautiful story because of them, the staff, and the players I’ve been around. It’s a family-based club, everyone’s close-knit, and that made it easy to transition into.”

2022 was an amazing year for me. There were a lot of things I ticked off that maybe I didn’t think I would tick off so early. It was a proud year:

One of seven first-team Palace players aged 23-years-old or younger, Mitchell believes that family feel extends well into Patrick Vieira’s squad. He explains: “It’s a team that you would want to go onto pitch and fight for. Sometimes it doesn’t always go so well, sometimes it goes brilliantly, but they’re always teammates that you want to try your best for regardless.

“We’ve also got established Premier League players. They’ve done it over countless seasons, and speaking to them, and hearing them give advice on this and that, is always helpful. There’s always a positive influence you can turn to.

“You want to know that someone will run for you and you will run for them, so I think that’s the main thing about Crystal Palace: knowing how close-knit it is as a club.” Such unity shines in particular on matchdays at Selhurst Park, when 25,000 ardent supporters give Mitchell and his teammates one of the Premier League’s loudest backings.

It was an atmosphere which struck Mitchell in particular, after the left-back made his first-team breakthrough behind-closeddoors following the COVID-based interruption of 2019/20. “It’s weird,” he laughs. “My first-team debut [against Leicester City in July 2020] feels like a long time ago, but at the same time, when I actually think about it, it was barely… what, three years ago, if that!

“Sometimes it feels like ages ago, but sometimes when I sit down and think about certain games, it

feels like they were last week! It was super different [playing without fans]. The difference in noise when fans came back, especially when we were playing at home, and how the fans here are… you just get that extra boost you need at certain times in a game.

“It [playing at a full Selhurst Park] was definitely different to the COVID season – from hearing only

the manager, to then hearing 25,000 people shouting for you!” These days, Mitchell is a more experienced top-level athlete – but, typically focused, he stops short at calling himself an established Premier League player.

“At this point, I just think of myself as another player,” Mitchell notes. “I look at certain other players who have played maybe 250 or 300 plus games in the Premier League, and I still have a long way to go to get to the point where I can say I’m one of them.

“As everyone knows, every season is different, so God willing I keep progressing, but you never know in football, so until I hit certain points, I won’t call myself a Premier League player.

tyrick mitchell

We’ve also got established Premier League players. They’ve done it over countless seasons, and speaking to them, and hearing them give advice on this and that, is always helpful

As everyone knows, every season is different, so God willing I keep progressing

it’s always good to pit yourself against the best players in the best league

“It’s great for me to be playing first-team football. It’s something I’ve always dreamed of doing, and something I’m proud to be doing. Every season is different, every match is different, so it’s always good to pit yourself against the best players in the best league. I’m definitely grateful for that.”

Playing at the top level does incur its fair share of harsh lessons, however, regardless of

how long you have done so. In Mitchell’s last appearance at Selhurst Park, an unfortunate tackle midway through the first half against Fulham resulted in the first red card of the full-back’s professional career.

“It was definitely one where I was disappointed in myself, but more disappointed that I’d made it harder for my teammates,” Mitchell said. “It took a few days to get over, but it’s part of the game. It’s something where I know that it can happen. You just have to keep a level head and make sure you help your team the next time you get out onto the pitch.”

It’s great for me to be playing first-team football. It’s something I’ve always dreamed of doing, and something I’m proud to be doing

It’ll definitely be a game we are ready to compete in

That need to remain focused is what Mitchell believes is the most important aspect of football he himself has grasped over the last few years. “You still always have those little nerves [before games], which is good – you don’t get too comfortable. I maybe don’t have as many as my first game, but they’re still there.

“It’s important just to keep a level head – don’t get too up, and don’t get too down. Especially in the Premier League, emotions fly everywhere, so sometimes you might not have the greatest game, or you might not win, but it’s all about understanding the end product or where you want to be at the end.

“One match out of 30, or five matches out of 30, is not going to determine that, so it’s all about keeping a level head. Personally, I still see myself as someone who has so much still to learn. I feel like the first season I was in the Premier League, it was a massive learning curve. I was coming in and out, in and out of the team.

“The next season, I feel like I cemented my place a bit more, but at the same time, this season has been completely different to last year, so it just shows me that I’m someone who doesn’t want to get too comfortable.”

Three points against this evening’s visitors to Selhurst, Manchester United – two of whose players, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw, Mitchell now knows through international duty – would be a good start.

The Red Devils arrive in south London having been in fine form in recent weeks, but Mitchell believes the onus is on the Eagles to apply their own qualities as a team.

“I’ve watched them recently and they’re an in-form side,” Mitchell noted. “They’ve got players who are dangerous all over the pitch, so I think it will be an exciting match.

“They have great players. That’s why they play at the top, top level – World Cups, and against the best teams in Europe… but there are also players on our team who have a lot of quality too, so it will be an interesting game. It’ll definitely be a game we are ready to compete in.”

So after such a remarkable calendar year of 2022 – Premier League appearances, England call-ups, Wembley semi-finals and more – to what goals does 2023 Tyrick Mitchell aspire? Not resting on his laurels –that much is for certain.

“I just want to put myself in a position where I’m spoken about higher than I’m maybe spoken about now. I want to be in a position where I’m considered one of the best left-backs in the Premier League. I think that’s the main goal for a lot of players – to be the best players in their position – so that’s definitely a goal for me.

“I always feel like I’ve got more to learn and more to achieve. I feel like I’ve got so much more to do.”

in the Premier League, emotions fly everywhere, so sometimes you might not have the greatest game, or you might not win, but it’s all about understanding the end product or where you want to be at the end

Tyrick Mitchell had a remarkable 2022 for club AND country –but can he sit down and answer the very toughest questions?

the follow the follow -up -up

#3 Earliest football memories?

Watching Match of the Day on the BBC. I’d constantly watch Match of the Day, every Saturday and Sunday. I loved watching the players that were on at that moment in time.

#17 What do you do when you get home from training?

Nap! I also like watching TV series. Sometimes I get into a good series. I’m watching How To Get Away with Murder at the moment, but I’ve also watched Power, Prison Break, Ozark… the main ones that everyone watches, to be fair, but they’re golden.

#21 Which sport do you not ‘get’?

Cricket… it’s not that I don’t like it, I just don’t really get it, if that makes sense! I couldn’t sit down and watch cricket – or, golf! I couldn’t sit and watch golf.

#40 What is your favourite film?

The Dark Knight Rises, the Batman film. Off the top of my head, that’s probably my favourite film. You know those movies where you’re just engaged the whole time? That’s one of them. You don’t lose focus or pick up your phone once, especially the first time I watched it! It’s just a great movie.

#53 If you could relive one day in your life, which would it be?

My debut – when I came on the pitch for the Leicester game. That feeling of stepping on the pitch… I just want to relive that feeling of coming on the pitch, or coming on the pitch for England. Those two days… debuts are massive because I know I’ll never make my Palace debut, or my England debut, again, so I feel like those two moments are ones I’ll cherish forever. If I could relive them, I would relive them.

Worth a try? Probably.

Discover the refreshing, crisp and perfectly balanced taste of Carlsberg Danish Pilsner.

Brewed in the UK, the Danish way. Enjoy responsibly.

Did you know?

United forerunners Newton Heath were heading for bankruptcy in the early 1900s, and at a fundraising event captain Harry Stafford’s St Bernard dog went missing. The dog, Major, was later spotted and bought from Stafford by businessman John Henry Davies. While negotiating for the dog, Stafford persuaded Davies to invest in the club. Under his chairmanship Newton Heath changed their name to Manchester United and became the iteration known today.

match preview

Saturday’s stunning comeback victory over Manchester City only further demonstrated the togetherness between the players, staff and fans, and now there is even talk of an unlikely title challenge.

While it may be too early for that talk, the Red Devils are just a point behind Manchester City in second and have given their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League a huge boost in recent weeks.

Palace will be hoping for a repeat of the last Selhurst clash between these sides, when the south Londoners won 1-0 on the final day of the season. Having historically struggled against United, Palace have taken 10 points from the last six meetings.

Wan-Bissaka rapidly came through the Academy ranks at Palace to play 46 times in the first-team, winning Player of the Season in 2018/19. He joined United in 2019 and made more tackles than

Rashford is in one of the richest veins of

in his career, following a stellar World Cup to become the first man since Dennis Viollet in 1959 to net in nine consecutive home games at Old Trafford. With 16 goals already this season, he is on the way to becoming the 20-goal per season forward Erik ten Hag says he can be.

Crystal Palace won this exact fixture 1-0 on the final day of last season, their first home league win over Manchester United since May 1991 (D4 L9 in between).

Manchester United have lost three of their last six Premier League games against Crystal Palace (W2 D1), as many as they had in their previous 31 (W22 D6).

It’s Wednesday afternoon, kick-off is ticking closer and you're first to the pub. Before long, hazy memories and almost-accurate stats will fill the air. Brush-up for your United pre-match below.

did you know…

The club helped to fund a stainedglass tribute to Duncan Edwards in Dudley, his home town, three years after his death in the 1958 Munich air disaster.

Both Palace and Brentford, and local bowling club Wren’s Nest, helped United to finance the tribute inside St Francis church, and as such as there is Palace crest alongside two depictions of Edwards.

Quite why the club became involved isn’t entirely known, beyond paying its respects. They were linked by Peter Berry, whose brother Johnny survived the crash after being treated alongside Edwards.

When Sir Matt Busby unveiled St Francis’ tribute to Edwards, he said: “These windows should keep alive his name forever, and they will

Whatever its reason for helping ensure Edwards’ legacy continues to shine, Crystal Palace Football Club can be proud it did so.

Didn’t he?

Develop at United. Palace’s summer signing Sam Johnstone rose through the youth ranks at United and spent 15 years with the club. He never represented them in a senior competitive game but he did win the FA Youth Cup and complete six successful loans.

He’s not the only United youth product to move to south London, with Timothy Fosu-Mensah loaned out in 2017/18, Zeki Fryers joining in 2014 and Fraizer Campbell representing the club from 2014 to 2019.

Johnstone said in a recent programme interview: “The goalie coach Eric Steele, I was 15 or 16 and he would, once or twice if the timing was right, allow me to go up and train with [Edwin] van der Sar, [Tomasz] Kuszczak, Ben Foster. To do that at that age is an eye-opener.

I was amazed by it. That was always good and they were always good with me.”

Pub talk tidbit

Fergie was on the brink in 1990, but that FA Cup final kept him in the job. We'd sooner have won the cup but in a way United can credit Palace for the dominance that followed.

He’s only one of three managers to win a league trophy with United, and the club have 20 overall.

To do that at that age is an eye-opener. I was amazed by it.That was always good and they were always good with me.

I was there for…

There have been a few classics over the years, and even last time out was a memorable occasion: Palace’s 1-0 end of season celebration at Selhurst.

There was also the 90thminute Van Aanholt winner in August 2019, Darren Ambrose being Darren Ambrose in 2011, the third-place party with a 3-0 win in 1991 and, of course, bagging five times in 1972.

What’s the deal with...

Green and gold. Many United fans wear green and gold colours in reference to the club’s Newton Heath days, when railway workers from the Carriage and Wagon department of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway depot competed.

Ninety years after changing to red United released a green and gold third strip in retro style, with the players having their hair and moustaches moulded in Victorian style. Alex Ferguson and Brian Kidd even dressed like 1800s coaches, donning brown suit jackets and hats.

The colours are often worn today as a nod to United’s roots.

Aren’t they…

Building up a Portuguese-speaking contingent. Five senior players speak Portuguese as a first language in the United dressing room: Diogo Dalot, Casemiro, Fred, Bruno Fernandes and Antony.

The five are near-evenly split into Portuguese and Brazilian, but

the Spanish-speaking camp of four is divided three ways: David De Gea represents Spain, Lisandro Martínez and youngster Alejandro Garnacho are with Argentina, and Facundo Pellistri competes with Uruguay.

Palace’s equivalent would be French: Cheick Doucouré, Jordan Ayew, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Odsonne Edouard are all fluent, while Wilfried Zaha can speak it as a second language. Michael Olise has represented France at Under-21 level, Joachim Andersen played for

Lyon, and Christian Benteke and Michy Batshuayi (French-speaking Belgians) and Mamadou Sakho were recent squad members

Pre-match pint

Cronx’s Lemon Saison.

A Belgian Saison-style ale brewed with lemons, coriander seeds and black peppercorns. Columbus hops compliment zingy citrus notes, brought together alongside a crisp and clean finish for a complex yet refreshing beer. Available in the Lower Holmesdale’s Tap Room

30 YEARS OF THE PREMIER LEAGUE

Crystal Palace 1-0 Manchester United – May 22nd, 2022 Wilfried Zaha puts Palace 1-0 up over Manchester United on the final day of the 2021/22 season, as the Eagles finished the campaign with six straight clean sheets at home.

30 years of the Premier League

doc brown hollie olding david ozoh

Ben Bailey Smith prays for pretty patterns

Hollie Olding on recovering after being told she would never play again

Sam Lyall explains how he makes the Academy tick

David Ozoh shares his Vieira inspiration

doc brown doc brown

Ben Bailey Smith, aka Doc Brown, does it all – acting, rapping, writing, directing, you name it. The multifaceted Palace fan is also a patron of Palace for Life Foundation. In each edition, he offers his unique take on the world in SE25.

patterns at play

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When you’ve spent your life as a football fan, you start to recognise Patterns. Some good, some bad, some so painful you almost want to be struck down with a bad case of amnesia, so you forget that they exist.

I’m fascinated by the patterns of football clubs – these strange anomalies that appear to be so specific to each individual club, regardless of personnel, cashflow or time passed. These patterns are sometimes referred to by pundits as ‘DNA’, but I’ve always found that a little vague. I feel like overhearing references to DNA on Sky Sports probably just means Duncan Ferguson is back as interim manager at Goodison Park.

Patterns are a little more specific, even if it is equally hard to put your finger on exactly how and why they exist.

Let’s start with Palace Patterns. The Good Ones.

» Hugging the flanks and breaking away at pace, delivering the most dangerous of crosses, whether it’s Hilaire, Taylor, Salako, Bolasie or Olise; Seventies,

Love that one. Eighties, Nineties, Noughties or whatever this current decade is called;

Ooh, and of course, winning games with a fraction of the possession.

» Effective midfielders who just about manage to get us just about enough goals combined per season regardless of a centreforward’s lack of them (Kember, Thomas, Ambrose, Puncheon, Cabaye, Townsend, Eze);

You might say: ‘There’s just something about Manchester United’. Because, of course, every club has Patterns, whether positive or negative, that are all somehow unique to that place and repeated ad nauseum. It’s kind of weird when you think about it.

» Chelsea will always appear to have everything a fan could dream of, then suddenly create a crisis out of thin air;

» Tottenham will always get agonisingly close to something big, then not quite turn up for no discernible reason;

» Man United will always find someone from their academy who becomes an influential regular in the first-team;

Ben Bailey Smith

» Everton will always have a really earnest player who will come and front up to the press afterwards talking about how he gives everything for This Football Club and right now, everybody at The Football Club knows this is not good enough for The Football Club and all of us here at The Football Club need to take a long hard look in the mirror. Preferably one of the mirrors at The Football Club.

I’m sure fans of every team have lists of patterns as long as their arms. I could spend years researching them all, but Palace’s Patterns are more than enough

“And lo, from this day forth, it shall be ordained that Palace doth fail to beateth thy first man from a corner.”

Thirty years of watching Palace and it was only a couple weeks ago that it felt like the first time we’d taken two corners in a row that weren’t cleared by the first man. In fact, they both led to goals – against Bournemouth. Perhaps conceding from corners is one of their patterns, who knows?

And perhaps that means that patterns can be broken?

At press time, I’m deeply worried about the Chelsea match – naturally, because they’re playing really badly and on a terrible run. You’ll know when reading this whether our old Pattern kicked in or not.

for me. Some of them are enough to give me heartburn – like the one where we meet a team on a terrible, crisis-building run of results… and somehow hand them their first win in ages or even just give them renewed hope for the rest of the season (see Tottenham and Southampton results for further proof).

As for today and the great Manchester United, as much as so many of our patterns really do my head in, how I’d love one of our classics to rear its gorgeous head. Yes, you guessed it: The Palace Randomly Beating A High-Flying Club Who Were Going Great Guns, Took Their Eye Off The Ball And Were Punished Pattern.

One of my all-time faves. Come on Palace! Paint a pretty pattern for me

it’s as if it’s simply a religion we were all raised with, handed down from the previous generation and from generations before that. Some patterns feel written in stone like the Commandments themselves.

Ben Bailey Smith

cpfc women cpfc women

HOLLIE OLDING

When I was 17-year-old I was offered my first professional contract, but I decided to head to the United States to continue my education. At the time it was a no brainer: in England there was no pathway for young girls, and you had to play football unpaid while going to university or working full-time. In America the college system encouraged girls from the UK, but also from Europe and Japan, with the opportunity to study but also play football at a high level at the same time.

Off the pitch, this was a huge change because I was moving from a buzzing, multicultural London to a small town in Kentucky. However it was a big change on the pitch too: the facilities, the money they have was like another world. I was blown away.

I stayed at Kentucky for two years and then moved to Pittsburgh. In July 2019, I had a pain in my groin. I’ve had groin injuries before, but this was a different feeling. Fast forward a few months and I was really ill; I was coughing up blood on the way back from a night game. They took me to hospital, gave me

Being in America on my own was hard. My parents flew out to see me and I had a good support network, a good physio and a good coach. But it was quiet lonely. I was on blood thinners and couldn’t play football. I lost all my muscle

some antibiotics and diagnosed me with pneumonia – but I wasn’t getting better.

My physio took me back to hospital and demanded that they do the proper tests on me. It showed that I had a pulmonary embolism, which basically means blood clots in my lungs. Normally people with blood clots are elderly or have been smoking their entire lives, but I was a professional athlete. I was really fit and only 19-years-old.

After a three-month check-up, I was told I needed heart surgery and I would never play football again. They thought I had a clot in my artery and my heart was expanding. I was on my own in the consultancy room with my mum on FaceTime. Then, 10 days later, the doctor rang me and said they had read the results wrong. I went from one extreme – career-ending heart surgery – to the other. I couldn’t believe it.

Those two misdiagnoses – the pneumonia and the heart surgery – influenced my decision to come home. My coaches and the university let me finish my degree online, which I’m grateful for because they knew how much I was mentally suffering. Football was all I had ever known.

For me, COVID was a blessing because the rest of the world stopped, and it gave me a chance to catch up with my fitness. I knew I still wanted to be a professional footballer, and I’m quite a resilient person. I wanted to come home, train hard

and then hopefully sign my first professional contract. And I did.

It has been a really challenging period. I’m quite proud of myself, because I have overcome so many barriers. I am very grateful for the people I had around me: family, parents, coaches and friends. It was hard, but I know that

everyone has their own personal battles. You never know what people are going through.

In a way it has given me perspective. I will never take any training session or game for granted now. It has shaped me not just as a footballer, but as a person

academy academy

- Academy Administration Manager

My job title is the Academy Administration Manager. That can be broken into two sections, really. I look after all the senior Academy administration.

ioriginally started off in a coaching capacity when I was in college, as I was a volunteer coach at Ipswich Town and then I decided to do my FA Level Two. During my time at university studying Sports Business Management, I volunteered as an Operations Assistant at West Ham United for two years and from there I went on to be their Operations Administrator for three years.

At Palace, I register all the U9-21s players, ensuring compliance in all of our day-to-day operations and activities as well as managing my department internally, looking at processes and protocols. That can be anything from submitting and completing Premier League Youth Development Forms, to simply making sure that we're not breaking any general UK law or regulations.

The other half of my role is essentially to actually manage and coordinate the U16, U18 and U21 programmes. A big part of that role is essentially you're always joining up different departments and trying to aim to meet their needs.

In terms of the general football admin world, you are more trying to join things up and make sure

that everyone's priorities are met: media, coaching, staff, recruitment, medical… Everyone's got a different priority on a matchday or a general day-to-day. You've got to make sure that box is ticked.

The building’s been open for just over a year – the new Academy training ground – and we’ve had a lot of recent successes with first-team debuts, players having successful loans and transfers away, as well as just generally having an ongoing production line. The mood around the Academy is one that’s really optimistic and positive in terms of growth.

People are seeing and feeling that kind of ambition, and it’s a big reason why I came to join this club in particular. I saw how central the Academy is in the club’s plans, so even with recent results, the prospects of developing future young professional footballers for Crystal Palace, or for them to go on to play at other clubs, is very positive. It’s now at that stage where we’ve got all the resources to go and deliver and execute, and everyone’s really positive about that

Sam Lyall

The building’s been open for just over a year – the new Academy training ground – and we’ve had a lot of recent successes with first-team debuts

over the over theroad road

david Ozoh

Getting to know David Ozoh

Midfielder David Ozoh has been at the club since the age of eight and has repeatedly played above his age group as he progressed through the ranks in south London.

Though he is only 17, he has been training with the first-team regularly in 2022/23 and has been a constant presence in Paddy McCarthy’s Under-21s side. Training with established Premier League players and regularly playing above your age group is something not many players get to experience, but Ozoh has dealt with this well.

“[Training with the firstteam] has made me improve a lot. It’s just about being quicker on the ball, you can get away with a lot of things at Under-21s level, but now I’ve learnt to play off one or two touches, get the ball back and [I feel] like I’m improving every day."

“I remember the first time they told me I was training with the Under-21s, because I was a first-year scholar at Under-18s level, but then the next minute they told me that I’m playing with

David ozoh

Having Patrick Vieira as a manager is great for me, too, as we played the same position and I’m learning a lot from him. Of course, they’re not just going to hand you a shirt, you’re fighting for each other's spots and it’s good and competitive - I like it like that

the first-team! I was like ‘what?!’ I couldn’t believe it, it was like a dream come true to play with these established Premier League players."

Training with the firstteam is key to a young player’s development at any level, but also having the matchday experience of travelling with them to competitive fixtures is what can mentally prepare a young player for what is to come in the future.

For Ozoh, this came when he made the Carabao Cup squad against Oxford United in August 2022 shortly after signing his first professional contract.

“In training you kind of guess what happens [in terms of making the first-team squad], because a session is sometimes 11 v 11 and if you’re in a certain squad you can guess [if you’re starting] or if you’re on the bench. I got a message that I would be on the bench preNewcastle [in the Carabao Cup].

“As a little kid you’re dreaming of playing in the Premier League, to know that you’re close is a great feeling. When you’re sitting there on the substitutes bench, you want to be ready, you might get called upon at any time. Anyone can get injured at any point, the manager might want to put you on for a little bit, so when I sit there I don’t just want to watch, I want to be ready to come on.

“I’ve seen a lot of boys in younger age groups go up to the first-team, but now I don’t even know where they are. I’m just trying to keep my head level and not think I’m a big-timer or anything. I just need to carry on what I’m doing and work hard, that’s what they want - they want to see you produce better stats, working hard, more running, more everything. That’s what I’ve learnt.”

It’s tough, but you have to not let it get to your head. You’ve got to try and keep improving, be confident, if you make a mistake just come back and try again

Keeping you posted on all things south London. Over the page, we hear why this particular fixture will always evoke memories for Palace fans – and players – of a certain age.

nish kumar

Kumar was born in Wandsworth but grew up in Croydon, finding huge success as a stand-up and a regular on shows like Taskmaster, Mock the Week and Have I Got News For You as well as hosting his own show The Mash Report . He is a Manchester United fan.

London Short Film Festival

Peckham

Until January 29th, 2023

Whether you like comedy, drama or a bit of indie experimentation, get your fix of bitesize cinema as LSFF returns to venues around London. Both international and British talent will be on show, with shorts addressing a variety of sporting, political and cultural subjects – plus daily events with industry experts.

the winters are cold in Norway, and the evening of 16th December, 1972 was no different: the wind howled, the snow crunched underfoot and sun had long dipped below the horizon. It was a Saturday night but you wouldn’t know it. Most of the town had battened down the hatches, but in the cellar of a small house the hum of a television could be heard behind the flicker of the fire.

It hadn’t been long since English football had first arrived in Scandinavia – and now it was in full colour too. On the screen appeared the vibrant red of Manchester United, the pure white of Crystal Palace and the animated cornucopia of faces bobbing and swaying on the terraces. It was like stepping into a new dimension.

“I was 12-years-old when I really got into the love for Crystal Palace,” says Thorbjørn Tvegård, now leader of the Norwegian Supporters Club tours. Across the nation, eyes widened in wonder as Bert Head’s side dismantled the former European champions. Surely this is what supporting Palace would always be like?

“[There were] two stars for me at the time: Paddy Mulligan and Don Rogers,” Tvegård says. “I remember drawing them by putting tracing paper over them and drawing a pencil dashing of them.

“My parents passed away some years ago, and I found the drawings they had saved all this time. I love Palace deeply, there is a deep love for it. The Man Utd match made an eternal impression on me. That defined me.”

More than a thousand miles away, Don Rogers was in the thick of the action. He felt determined, positive; his preparation was good and he was in form. It was to be

a day he would never forget. “I can remember all of it – you ask me I can tell you,” he laughs, half a century later. “I definitely remember the two goals I scored.”

I can remember all of it – you ask me I can tell you. I definitely remember the two goals I scored

SOUTH OF THE RIVER

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Before finding the net after half-time, Rogers had already created two for teammate Paddy Mulligan, and run the visitors’ defence ragged in the process.

After the break he stepped up a gear. Latching onto a long ball from teammate and good friend Alan Whittle, he advanced on legendary United goalkeeper Alex Stepney. Feinting one way, he knocked the ball past him and ran around the opposite side, before slotting past a desperate defender and into the net.

his voice a mixture of excitement and incredulity. “Will this be five? It’s going to be five…it is five!”

Rogers chuckles at the memory. “It looks really good when you see it – I still like seeing it now. It was two goals I’m very proud of. I honestly think that’s probably my best ever game for 90 minutes. I didn’t do too much wrong that day.”

For some fans, the memories are bittersweet. In Bromley, Howard Jenkins stood in front of the bedroom mirror and prepared for another trip to the Holmesdale Road. He was dressed for the occasion, sporting his smartest jeans, his scarf looped around his belt buckle and a stylish jacket.

“When you get the fixtures at the start of the season, you can look at who you want to go and see,” he remembers. “Obviously the Man Utd game stuck out for me.

“But all of a sudden brought into the mix was my sister’s engagement party. Mum and Dad weren’t into football, they couldn’t understand what it was about. I was threatened and told not to go to the game. I said: ‘I’ll be back by six!’ But it wasn’t happening.

doesn’t sound convinced. “My sister and her husband will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in February, so that is one good thing to come out of the story in the end…” It was the least she could do.

“Rodgers, in a way, doing a Pele,” roared Brian Moore on the commentary. There are worse comparisons to receive. For his second – and Palace’s fifth –Rodgers left Stepney sprawling once again. He was unstoppable. “This will be their greatest afternoon,” thundered Moore,

“That was the one game in history that I wasn’t at. In those days there was no media, so I had to rely on Grandstand . My mood got worse and worse as ach score came through. You can imagine my reaction when I heard they had beaten Man Utd 5-0.”

There is, as always, a silver lining – although he

For Tvegård, he and his fellow Norwegian supporters bond over memories of that cold winter’s night in Norway, as they allowed themselves to be taken in by the wonders of the English game. And for Rodgers, whatever life throws at him, there is always solace in the night he ripped the most famous side in the land to pieces.

“We get all the glory, but I thought that was my job. My job was to score goals,” he says. “It doesn’t matter what I did, it’s what the team did that matters. If I’m sometimes feeling a bit down or on my own, I will put the highlights on if I can find it. It makes me feel good, that!” .

It looks really good when you see it – I still like seeing it now. It was two goals I’m very proud of. I honestly think that’s probably my best ever game for 90 minutes

We get all the glory, but I thought that was my job. My job was to score goals, It doesn’t matter what I did, it’s what the team did that matters

The Premier League celebrates its 30th anniversary this season, with Palace there at the start in 1992/93 and still there today – with a few detours along the way. Here, we break down the club’s Premier League spells, letter by letter.

l l

long-range strikes and loveable loans

how do you like your screamers? A rasping volley to silence an oh-so-cocky home crowd? Perfecto. A lastminute stunner to seal a vital three points? Chef’s kiss. A (let’s be honest) fluke under the floodlights? I’ll have what he’s having.

There’s something about a long-range effort that captures the imagination like nothing else. After all, as any self-respecting football fan knows, the greatest sound in all of world sport – well, absence of sound – is the moment of spinetingling, nail-biting silence between 30,000 people simultaneously shouting ‘GO ON…!’ as a player lets fly and ‘YESSSSS!’ as the ball hits the back of the net.

When a player winds up to strike from distance that silence grows longer; an almost imperceptible extension to that glorious purgatory before the

moment of ecstasy when all hell breaks loose around you.

Of course, there are other noises that surround a long-range screamer too. Be honest, when Luka Milivojevic eyed the bottom corner against Leicester City, how many of us boldly warned: ‘Don’t shoot, DON’T SHOOT!’ When Lee Chungyong wound his foot back against Stoke City, how many in the away end rolled their eyes as the waited to see the ball sail over the crossbar.

Sometimes, of course, we don’t have time to expose our own stupidity – the ball is already in the back of the net before our football-addled minds have had time to assess the situation. This was certainly the case when Andros Townsend struck against Manchester City.

While the ball sailed momentarily through the air, most fans were just hoping to win the

second ball, to stop Pep Guardiola’s side from breaking forwards, to recycle possession and go again. But Townsend wasn’t thinking any of that. His thought process can be summed up in one word: ‘THWACK’.

As the net bulged, so did the eyes of all those around the ground – as did those of FIFA’s Puskas Award committee, who nominated the goal for the prestigious award months later. Often, much admiration is given to the smartest of finishes: the finesse, the careful use of different parts of the feet, the drop of a shoulder in anticipation. This is all very well, but when it comes to pure satisfaction – when you want the fastest possible route from tension to delirium – give me the old school technique of ‘hitting it really hard’ any day.

Loan sweet loan…

-

It’s always tricky when a loan player arrives. It’s like getting a shiny new toy for Christmas but being told you can only play with it until May. Do you become emotionally involved or keep a careful distance? Tough one. Palace have had plenty of luck in the loan market – and sometimes it’s for keeps. Jordan Ayew, after all, arrived on loan from Swansea City before sealing a permanent switch

and going on to make more than 100 appearances for the club. Mamadou Sakho signed on loan from Liverpool in 2017, but six months quickly became four years. Even Wilfried Zaha’s initial return from Manchester United came on loan,

before he rejoined permanently and set about becoming one of the club’s greatest players of all-time.

The Eagles have taken in another player from today’s opponents, with Timothy FosuMensah arriving in 2017. The timing was a touch unfortunate, and the former Ajax academy player only worked with Frank de Boer for a matter of weeks before the arrival of Roy Hodgson, but he nonetheless made 24 appearances for Palace as they secured an unlikely survival.

For all those that perhaps didn’t work out – think Patrick Bamford, Loïc Rémy et al – there plenty more that did. Jason Puncheon scored some vital goals, Ruben LoftusCheek was dynamic in central midfield, and just last season Conor Gallagher won the club’s Player of the Year award after taking to south London like a duck to water.

They may not have the glamorous transfer fees or the headline-grabbing wages – a loan deal is certainly not going to set Jim White’s yellow tie aquiver – but in SE25 there is always a diamond waiting in the rough .

Ruben Loftus-Cheek

Loftus-Cheek joined Palace in 2017 and his form in south London earned him a first England call-up three months later. He has gone on to earn 10 caps and is an important first-team player at Stamford Bridge, with Premier League and Europa League medals to show for it.

ian king

Having been on the brink of collapse in 2010, Crystal Palace earned promotion back to the Premier League 10 years ago this season. Here, Club Historian Ian King tells the story of a dramatic campaign – with a little help from the stars of When Eagles Dare

Saturday, December 22nd: Palace 1-1 Huddersfield Town

-

December was beginning to look like a banana skin as the team could only draw with mid-table Huddersfield, the third such result in a row.

Captain Mile Jedinak returned following his ban and nearly opened the scoring from a free-kick inside a minute, but the game was turned on its head when Damien Delaney was dismissed for a high tackle; Owen Garvan was sacrificed for Danny Gabbidon as Ian Holloway

tried to adapt. Things looked to be getting worse soon after when the Terriers were awarded a penalty, but it was a woeful effort and Julian Speroni saved. Huddersfield were punished just before half-time when Palace took an unlikely lead, Bolasie finding Zaha who scored with an unstoppable shot.

Palace were facing former players Sean Scannell and James Vaughan, and the visitors equalised with 15 minutes left when a corner was poked through Speroni’s legs. The sides were evened up for the

last 10 minutes when Gerrard was sent-off for a tackle on Bolasie.

The Eagles dropped to third and the gap to leaders Cardiff was now four points.

Wednesday, December 26th: Cardiff 2-1 Palace

-

Joel Ward picked up an injury in the Huddersfield game that would keep him out until April, giving an opportunity to Dean Moxey; Gabbidon made his first start for the suspended Delaney. The Eagles took an early lead against the red-shirted Bluebirds as Jedinak fired home. A minute from the break Noone equalised for the home team after Bellamy beat Parr down the left.

The second-half was one to forget as the forwards were still misfiring. Gunnarsson gave Cardiff the lead, and Whittingham almost

december 22nd

Former Palace players Sean Scannell and James Vaughan feature for visitors Huddersfield but Alan Lee is suspended for his return to SE25

doubled the advantage, striking the crossbar. Moritz and Jermaine Easter came on but the Eagles still huffed and puffed to no effect.

Palace lost further ground with this defeat at the League leaders but still had a buffer of five points to fifth placed Leicester City.

Saturday, December 29th: Nottingham Forest 2-2 Palace

-

It took two morning pitch inspections for the game to go ahead, but the Eagles were not perturbed and were quick off the mark, as Moxey ran down the left and found Glenn Murray to score after just eight minutes. The Eagles had a let-off when Forest hit the post on 28 minutes, but the home side levelled just before the break with Andy Reid’s shot from 20 yards.

Forest started the second-half on the front foot, but the Murray was not to be denied and gave Palace the lead nine minutes from time with a looping header. The three points were within their grasp, but there was a twist in the tail during injury time when Billy Sharp poked home a loose ball following Speroni’s fingertip save onto a post.

Every other team in the top six claimed a victory that day as Cardiff pulled further away but second placed Hull were still in reach .

mile jedinak player in focus

BORN: August 3rd, 1984 –Sydney, Australia

APPEARANCES: 179 GOALS: 10

Joining on a free transfer in July 2011, Mile took time to get used to the pace of the English game but soon grew into the best midfielder in the Championship in 2012/13 and was named the club’s ‘Player of the Season’.

In the Premier League he formed a triumvirate with Joe Ledley and James McArthur, nicknamed ‘McJedley’, which went a long way to ensuring Palace’s survival from 2014 to 2016. Mile became captain under Dougie Freedman until he departed for Aston Villa in 2016.

We went to see him [Mile Jedinak] and straight away he was perfect. The endurance he brought the team was fantastic. Through the summer he just convinced his wife he should come to Crystal Palace.

Dougie Freedman

december 26th

december 29th

Actors in Palace kits featured in a scene in the pantomime at Fairfield Halls

Murray has scored 22 goals, more than any other player at this date since Peter Simpson in 1930

from the

Times have changed over Crystal Palace’s rich and storied history. In each edition, we dust off the archive and reprint a story from one of the club’s historical programmes. This week, we republish an interview with a young winger from Palace’s development squad…

debut against the 20-times champions, he loved every second.

The 14th December 2016 will be a date that Aaron Wan-Bissaka will never forget. Having been in Palace’s matchday squad for last month’s game against Manchester United, he was expecting to be watching the game from the stands, just as he used to do as a youngster growing up in Croydon. However, a quick chat from Keith Millen beforehand changed all that, and the 19-year-old suddenly found himself named on the bench for the game against the Red Devils, and a freshly-printed number 46 shirt with his name on the back hung up in the dressing room.

With little time to get anxious or tell his nearest and dearest that he might be involved, Wan-Bissaka found himself warming up before the game on the same field as the Palace first-team and United’s world famous stars, and he admits that despite not emerging from the bench to make his professional

“I was told just before the game that I had made the bench and it was the best feeling ever,”

dad was watching the game so he knew what was going on.

“It was a dream seeing my shirt hanging up in the dressing room with all the first-team squad; that’s what I have been dreaming about seeing one day so that was so exciting. I have been at the club since I was 11 so it was an amazing feeling but weird being on the pitch at a first-team game having watched them from the stands.

“It was a good experience being out there and warming up in front of the fans, and it was exciting seeing Ibrahimovic, Pogba and Rooney on the same pitch as me, I could barely take my eyes off them! It was amazing being right next to them.”

he admitted. “I thought I was just going to be in the stand but Keith told me and I was really shocked, and I didn’t have any time to let anyone know! It helped me a lot though as it stopped me getting too nervous, but my

from the archive

Wan-Bissaka is the latest in an ever growing number of development squad members to also experience Premier League football from the Eagles’ bench as they are rewarded for their displays at under-23 level by giving them a tantalising taste of what life could be like should their efforts continue.

Crystal Palace v Swansea – January 3rd, 2017

It was a dream seeing my shirt hanging up in the dressing room with all the first-team squad; that’s what I have been dreaming about seeing one day so that was so exciting

Evaluating the game, the winger said: “From the bench I couldn’t believe how quickly the ball moves and the intensity of the game. It was great having Noor [Husin] on the bench as well as I had someone to talk to and he was going through the same thing as me. It’s great seeing the number of under-23s players getting on the bench this season as it shows you’ll be given an opportunity.

“The manager [Alan Pardew] congratulated me before the game and told me that last year I wouldn’t have made it because of my attitude as I was too quiet, but this year I’ve been expressing myself more and that’s the reason he named me on the bench.

“I now just want to push on and hopefully make a debut, so I’m going to keep my head down and hopefully reach all my targets.” .

The above copy is printed verbatim.

from the archive

I now just want to push on and hopefully make a debut, so I’m going to keep my head down and hopefully reach all my targets

palace for life

PALACE FANS DONATE HUNDREDS OF ITEMS TO LOCAL FOODBANK

in November, Palace for Life launched its Christmas appeal: a foodbank drive, asking fans and local residents to donate non-perishable goods to City Harvest food redistribution charity at collection points at Selhurst Park as we continue to support those in the local community amidst the challenges of the cost of living crisis.

With the drive now closed, generous Palace fans have donated a whopping 550 items, which have been collected by City Harvest to be distributed to grassroots organisations. These include children’s programmes, food banks – such as Norwood and Brixton foodbank, with whom Palace have worked closely in the past – refuges for women fleeing domestic violence and families fleeing war-torn countries, and other local groups across London welcoming the elderly and isolated.

The initiative was launched at Selhurst Park when Palace Women took on Charlton and saw families and fans donate various essentials such as tinned food, deodorants, soaps, and sanitary products in the Palace Fanzone.

It wasn’t just Palace fans who showcased their generosity: even Botafogo supporters came equipped with several items to support the campaign when Palace faced them in a friendly in December.

“This means everything! It’s such an incredibly generous collection and it has two benefits,” explained Sarah Calcutt, Chief Executive at City Harvest London. “A nutritious benefit because there’s a wonderful range of food in there – lots of really good store cupboard items – but actually, it’s the mental health benefit as well. They must not underestimate how amazing this will be for the local community to know that Palace fans are looking after them. It means a lot.”

Unfortunately, foodbanks have reported a surge in demand over recent years, with the number of people receiving three days’ worth of emergency food from Trussell Trust foodbanks in the UK rising from 25,899 in 2008 to 2,537,198 in 2021.

South London is one of the most deprived areas in the capital, and foodbanks in London alone handed out 125,461 emergency food parcels between April and September 2021. The current cost of living crisis has caused a sharp rise in the price of energy, food and other essentials, and combined with the £20 cut to Universal Credit last year, these numbers are only likely to increase.

Pasta, soup, beans, spaghetti hoops, tinned fruit and vegetables, cereal, crisps, biscuits, tinned meat, sauces, dips, rice, long-life milk and juice, tea, and coffee were amongst some of the food items donated.

Other, non-food items such as shower gel, toothpaste, soap, washing-up liquid, sanitary products, baby wipes, deodorant, toothbrushes, shaving equipment, hairbrushes, and nail files were also donated.

Fans who were unable to visit Selhurst Park also had the opportunity to support the campaign with a financial donation, and together raised £792 for the Palace for Life Holidays, Activities & Food (HAF) programme, which provides free food and physical activities for children who are on free school meals during the school holidays.

Palace for Life would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who supported the campaign .

They must not underestimate how amazing this will be for the local community to know that Palace fans are looking after them. It means a lot

on

From audacious signings to headline-grabbing ownership bids, Palace have built a collection of tall tales over time. Here, we pick apart the most outlandish rumours from club history, with today’s focus on a member of the current squad…

forcing your way into the professional game is never easy. Thousands of children share your ambition, and with so much sacrifice going into making it into a top academy the sense of competition is endless.

Making it to the first-team is an even more amazing achievement still. But then the hard work really starts. The money begins to roll in, the sponsors jostle, the media take an interest. For a talented young player, the latter can be the most damaging of all.

Will Hughes is a central midfielder in the old-school mould. He thrives off a crunching challenge, he shushes the opposition fans and he is a constant in the ear of irritable opposition; off the pitch he eschews social media and tries to maintain a low profile in the press.

It can’t have been easy, then, when Hughes began to be compared to perhaps the greatest midfield trio of all-time at just 17-years-old. Yes, he was plying his trade at Derby County, but the names Xavi and Andrés Iniesta began to be thrown around alarmingly liberally.

Let’s not beat around he bush: the excitement around a young Hughes was justified. He made his debut aged just 16 before nailing down a regular first-team berth a year later, playing more than 30 Championship games before his 18th birthday.

Luckily, he had the guidance of Nigel Clough – and all the wisdom he had gleaned from father Brian

– to lean upon. “I probably took it for granted at the time – the lads I was around, the manager I had, Nigel Clough, the players were of an old-school ilk,” he remembers.

“They kept my feet grounded and if ever I was out of line they’d put me back into place and it gave me a grounding to be humble. I think that played a massive part in it.

“It’s hard to put into words but it’s that old school vibe: you have to work your guts off in training and you’ll get told if you’re out of line. If you’re doing something wrong they won’t hesitate to tell you, but at the same time they’ll put their arm around you and give you advice if you need it.

and didn’t track one of my runners. The gaffer absolutely hammered me. I thought: ‘Right, this is men’s football now.’ From then on he had that balance of telling you when you’re in the wrong but at the same time putting an arm around your shoulder and giving you advice to keep you grounded.”

Clough was naturally impressed with his latest prodigy, but must have rolled his eyes and looked to the heavens when he began to read the papers. There Hughes was in black-and-white, still a teenager but linked with moves to Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool. It could prove hard to keep his feet on the ground.

“I remember my first session with the first-team when I was about 15. It was completely different to Under-18s football. I went over there [to the first-team]

Then came the kicker: the press reported that Barcelona were coming calling. Hughes had been playing Under-18s football just a year earlier, and now the papers were lining him up alongside Lionel Messi.

I probably took it for granted at the time –the lads I was around, the manager I had, Nigel Clough, the players were of an old-school ilk, They kept my feet grounded

Thankfully – and admirably – Hughes was of mature enough mind to rise above such speculation. His focus was firmly on the pitch. “There’s always going to be an element of it going to your head because you’re so young and have just been thrust into the limelight,” he says.

“You’re hearing stories of going to so and so, going here, going there. The players I had around me and manager I had around me told me the best thing for my development was playing games. That’s what I was doing at 17 regularly, week in, week out in the Championship.

Rumours fly around here, there and everywhere and 90% aren’t true. Even if something had come up I probably wouldn’t have gone, because players get lost in that sense.

“That Barcelona [rumour] was part of the 90%. Anyone can make up a rumour and put it in the paper and people are like: ‘Ah, he’s doing this.’ Absolute rubbish. I could make up a rumour and put it in the paper tomorrow; it’s that simple. But that was fabricated.”

Now 27-years-old, Hughes has perfected his own particular brand of fame, drawn from that Catalan lesson learned a decade ago: admired within the game without hogging the limelight; accepting of attention without constantly demanding it. It is, after all, better to be remembered for what you have achieved on the pitch than the headlines you generate off it

“Nothing actually came in front of me to go. There was interest, but at 16 or 17 playing week in, week out there’s going to be interest in anyone…

.

Anyone can make up a rumour and put it in the paper and people are like: ‘Ah, he’s doing this.’ Absolute rubbish. I could make up a rumour and put it in the paper tomorrow; it’s that simple

In loving memory of Edward Clements lifelong Palace fan, who sadly passed away in December and who will be greatly missed. All our love wife Valerie, children Lisa, Mark, Paula, Edward, grandchildren, great grandchildren and family.

Our family is heartbroken at the loss of our beautiful Dena. We know her CPFC family share our pain. She truly was one-of-a-kind and our lives will never be the same without her. Thank you to all her friends at Selhurst who we know loved her so very much.

To Dad, Happy Birthday! Hopefully we get some points rather than disap-point-ment! Love from, Jess and Bec x

In memory of Christine Miles 29/10/54 - 01/01/23 Lifelong Palace fan, loving wife to Pat, mother to Nicola & Tom, nanny to Henry and Thea, sister and auntie. Forever in our thoughts and now flying high with the Eagles xx

from the terraces

Email programme@cpfc.co.uk with a message of 30 words or fewer and an image to feature on our messageboard.

Happy 21st Birthday Kevin Bartley We are so very proud of the man you have become. Enjoy your day. Love Mum, Dad, Joe and the family xxxx

Welcome to Selhurst Park Harry and Ivan. Up the Dragon Box Reds!

A famous five-goal victory, a love letter to long-range screamers and the search for Palace’s Patterns. Catch-up on what you might have missed in this edition, prep for what’s coming up next and pit your wits against Brighty below.

did you spot? did you spot?

quote of the week

quote of the week

“It has been a really challenging period. I’m quite proud of myself, because I have overcome so many barriers. I am very grateful for the people I had around me: family, parents, coaches and friends. It was hard, but I know that everyone has their own personal battles. You never know what people are going through.”

Hollie Olding

The elephant on Page 65. Find out why this one paraded around Selhurst Park in the 1990s.

tony craig

-

Tony Craig is part of a select group of players to move between Palace and Millwall – and then move back again. The defender arrived at Selhurst Park in 2007, making 14 appearances as Palace reached the play-offs before returning to the Den. After spells with Brentford and Bristol Rovers he joined Crawley Town, where he continues to play League Two football week-in, week-out at the age of 37.

Don Rogers’ memories of his Man Utd demolition on page 50.

next up: newcastle

Palace are back at Selhurst Park welcoming Newcastle to south London, after twice travelling to St James’ Park before Christmas.

Best memory:

Palace put five past Newcastle in November 2015, their first win against the Magpies at Selhurst Park since 1984 in Division Two. James McArthur and Yannick Bolasie each bagged a race after Papiss Cissé had opened the scoring, with Wilfried Zaha adding another.

It was the first time the Eagles had scored five in a Premier League game, as former Newcastle boss Alan Pardew beat his old side. After a remarkable start to the season, the result saw Palace rise to sixth in the table.

BEAT BRIGHTY BEAT BRIGHTY

In each edition, club icon Mark Bright calls it how he sees it and predicts events from the day’s football. See how you fare and try to Beat Brighty!

Scoring: One point for every correct result, three for a correct scoreline.

BrightyYou 1-1 2-0 2-0 2-1 total

Manage to Beat Brighty? Keep track of your total score above!

AUGUST

Sun

Sat

SEPTEMBER

Sun

OCTOBER

team stats: women / U21S / U18S

Natalia Negri

Negri has started the last three games in all competitions, including a 5-1 win over Watford in the FA Cup.

David Boateng Boateng started for the Under-21s against Sheffield United after his return from a loan move in Scotland.

NOVEMBER

FEBRUARY

Sun

MARCH

Sun

Sun

APRIL

AUGUST

Mon 8 Brighton & Hove Albion W 3-2

Fri 12 Manchester United W 5-1

Fri 19 Fulham D 2-2

Fri 26 Wolves W 2-1

Tue 30 Swindon Town W 2-0

SEPTEMBER

Sat 3 Tottenham Hotpsur W 3-0

Fri 16 Chelsea D 3-3

OCTOBER

Sat 1 West Ham United W 1-0

Tue 4 Bristol Rovers L 0-2

Sun 9 Everton L 3-4

Tue 18 Plymouth Argyle L 0-1

Sat 22 Manchester City D 3-3

Mon 31 Arsenal D 1-1

NOVEMBER

Fri 4 Leicester City D 0-0

Mon 14 Sheffield United W 2-1

Mon 21 Newcastle United W 1-0

Mon 28 Bristol City D 2-2

december

Sat 3 Bristol City L 2-5

Mon 19 Newcastle UnitedL 2-3

JANUARY

Sun 8 Brighton & Hove Albion W 4-2

Fri 13 Sheffield United D 1-1

Mon 16 Fulham

Sun 22 Liverpool

Mon 30 Manchester City

FEBRUARY

Mon 13 Leicester City

Mon 20 Manchester United

Mon 27 Tottenham Hotspur

MARCH

Fri 3 Everton

Fri 17 Arsenal

APRIL

Mon 3 Chelsea

Fri 7 Blackburn Rovers

Mon 17 West Ham United

Mon 24 Wolves

MAY

Mon 1 Blackburn Rovers

Sat 6 Liverpool

SEPTEMBER

Tue

FEBRUARY

AUGUST

Sat 13 West Ham United L 2-3

Sat 20 Aston Villa W 4-0

Sat 27 West Bromwich Albion W 3-0

SEPTEMBER

Sat 3 Brighton & Hove Albion W 3-0

Sat 17 Southampton W 3-2

OCTOBER

Sat 1 Chelsea W 3-2

Sat 8 Sheffield United W 2-1

Sat 22 Leicester City L 1-5

Sat 29 Fulham D 2-2

NOVEMBER

Sat 5 Leeds United L 2-5

Sat 19 Norwich City D 2-2

Sat 26 Tottenham Hotspur L 1-3

DECEMBER

Sat 3 Brighton & Hove Albion W 5-0

Sun 11 Manchester UnitedL 1-3

JANUARY

Sat 7 West Ham United L 0-4

Sat 14 Fulham W 4-0

Sat 28 Aston Villa

FEBRUARY

Sat 4 Arsenal

Sat 11 Tottenham Hotspur Sat

MARCH

Home fixture Away fixture Cup fixture (Crystal Palace score shown first)

Basilio Socoliche Socoliche scored twice against Fulham as the Under-18s ran riot .

u18s u21s women

Chloe Arthur 11

Paige Bailey-Gayle 10 Kirsty Barton 81

Annabel Blanchard 14 3

Charley Clifford 1 Rianna Dean

Polly Doran 14 1

Aimee Everett 7 Anna Filbey 11 1

Fliss Gibbons 91

Shauna Guyatt 11

Coral-Jade Haines 11 1

Elise Hughes 14 5

Annabel Johnson 13

Fran Kitching (GK) 10

Natalia Negri (GK) 4

Leigh Nicol

Ellie Noble 8

Hollie Olding 61

Chloe Peplow 7

Kirsten Reilly 11

Molly-Mae Sharpe 14 2

Isabella Sibley 71 Hope Smith (GK)

Lizzie Waldie 11

Tayo Adaramola 14

Josh Addae 4

Victor Akinwale 18 3

Kofi Balmer 15 1

Ryan Bartley 2

Freddie Bell 1

David Boateng 2 Maliq Cadogan 10 1

Owen Goodman (GK) 17

John-Kymani Gordon 17 13 Seán Grehan 20

Danny Imray 11

Jackson Izquierdo (GK) 3

Fionn Mooney 3 Adler Nascimento 2

Jake O’Brien 2

Ademola Ola-Adebomi 20 5

David Omilabu 21 8

David Ozoh 18 2

Killian Phillips 19 7

Dan Quick 1

Jesurun Rak-Sakyi 1

Jadan Raymond 8

Kaden Rodney 19 Laurence Shala (GK) Cardo Siddik 3

Rob Street 42

Matthew Vigor 3 Noah Watson 13 Jack Wells-Morrison 19 1 Joe Whitworth (GK) 4

All statistics correct as of 14:00 Monday, January 16th

1 mci13 832 3719+1827 2 che14 752 3320+1326 3 ars13 751 2619+726 4 cry12 651 3019+1123 5 liv13 643 2316+722 6 ful12 543 2613+1319 7 eve13 616 2424 0 19 8 bha13 445 2624+216 9 bla14 518 2127-616 10 mun14 374 2538-1316 11 wol14 428 1829-1114 12 whu14 329 1728-1111 13 lei13 238 1529-14 9 14 tot14 167 1127-16 9

Cormac Austin 10

Kalani Barton 12

Freddie Bell 15 2

Rio Cardines 9 2

Junior Dixon 1311

William Eastwood (GK) Joseph Gibbard 14 2

Jake Grante 15

Jackson Izquierdo (GK) 13

Eyimofe Jemide 16

David Ozoh 2 1

Caleb Kporha 15 2

Giulio Marroni 2

Zach Marsh 14 4

Hindolo Mustapha 12 1 Adler Nascimento 13 5

Kaden Rodney 21

Laurence Shala (GK) 4

Basilio Socoliche 13 4

Vonnte Williams 15 1

1 whu1212 00 4718+2936 2 cry12 624 3023+720 3 che11 614 2621+519 4 tot11 605 2321+218 5 ful11 524 3320+1317 6 ars10 334 2022-212 7 nor12 336 1728-1112 8 wba 9324 1516-111 9 bha10 325 1124-1311 10 sou 9234 2022-2 9 11 avl12 237 2440-16 9 12 lei 9216 1122-11 7

22/23 FIXTURES & RESULTS

Home fixture Away fixture Cup fixture (Crystal Palace score shown first)

Started Used sub Unused sub Goal(s) Yellow card Red card

AUGUST

Joel Ward Tyrick Mitchell Luka Milivojevic James Tomkins Marc Guéhi

DateOpposition attendance/ KICK-OFF ResultPosition 0203040506

Fri 5 Arsenal 25,286 L 0-2 17th

Mon 15 Liverpool 52,970 D 1-1 16th

Sat 20 Aston Villa 25,012 W 3-1 9th

Tue 23 Oxford United 9,564 W 2-0 Second round

Sat 27 Manchester City 53,112 L 2-4 12th

Tue 30 Brentford 25,043 D 1-1 13th

SEP Sat 3 Newcastle United 51,863 D 0-0 15th

Sat 1 Chelsea 25,125 L 1-2 17th

Sun 9 Leeds United 25,002 W 2-1 15th

OCTOBER

NOV

Sat 15 Leicester City 31,298 D 0-0 13th

Tue 18 Wolverhampton Wanderers 25,099 W 2-1 11th

Sat 22 Everton 38,939 L 0-3 13th

Sat 29 Southampton 25,130 W 1-0 10th

Sat 5 West Ham United 62,451 W 2-1 10th

Wed 9 Newcastle United 51,660 D 0-0 (3-2) Third round

Sat 12 Nottingham Forest 29,045 L 0-1 11th

DEC Mon 26 Fulham 25,176 L 0-3 11th

Sat 31 Bournemouth 9,972 W 2-0 11th

Wed 4 Tottenham Hotspur 25,169 L 0-4 12th

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

Sat 7 Southampton 20,320 L 1-2 Third round

Sun 15 Chelsea 40,075 L 0-1 12th

Wed 18 Manchester United 20:00

Sat 21 Newcastle United 17:30

Sat 4 Manchester United 15:00

Sat 11 Brighton & Hove Albion 15:00

Sat 18 Brentford 15:00

Sat 25 Liverpool 19:45

Sat 4 Aston Villa 15:00

March

Sat 11 Manchester City 15:00

Sat 18 Arsenal 15:00

Sat 1 Leicester City 15:00

Sat 8 Leeds United 15:00

APRIL

Sat 15 Southampton 15:00

Sat 22 Everton 15:00

Tue 25 Wolverhampton Wanderers 19:45

Sat 29 West Ham United 15:00

Sat 6 Tottenham Hotspur 15:00

Sat 13 Bournemouth 15:00

MAY

Sat 20 Fulham 15:00

Sun 28 Nottingham Forest 16:00

tbc TBC Brighton & Hove Albion TBC ALL-TIME

palace Career Appearances 3228319012862

Joel WARD

Tyrick MITCHELL

Luka MILIVOJEVIC James TOMKINS

Marc GUÉHI

Michael OLISE

Jordan AYEW Eberechi EZE Wilfried ZAHA Vicente GUAITA (GK)

Jean-Philippe MATETA Jeffrey SCHLUPP

Joachim ANDERSEN Nathaniel CLYNE James McARTHUR Will HUGHES

Sam JOHNSTONE (GK)

Odsonne EDOUARD Malcolm EBIOWEI

Chris RICHARDS Cheick DOUCOURÉ

Nathan FERGUSON

Jaïro RIEDEWALD Kaden RODNEY

J. Brooks A. Nunn N. Hopton S. Attwell N. Swarbrick N. Davies

David DE GEA (GK) Victor LINDELÖF Phil JONES Harry MAGUIRE Lisandro MARTÍNEZ Bruno FERNANDES Anthony MARTIAL Marcus RASHFORD Tyrell MALACIA Christian ERIKSEN FRED CASEMIRO Raphaël VARANE Diogo DALOT ANTONY

Tom HEATON (GK) Luke SHAW Jadon SANCHO Facundo PELLISTRI

Aaron WAN-BISSAKA Jack BUTLAND (GK)

Brandon WILLIAMS Donny VAN DE BEEK Anthony ELANGA Axel TUANZEBE

Scott McTOMINAY Alejandro GARNACHO Charlie McNEILL Kobbie MAINOO