Crystal Palace v EVERTON matchday programme 2425’

cover story

cover story#13 Welcome back to Selhurst Park – and welcome back to the matchday programme, where we are celebrating 100 years of football at this very stadium, from 1924 to the present day. Every edition of the programme this season will feature a special handillustrated cover, marking one of the many landmark dates that has made this such a unique place over the last century.

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oday we are paying tribute to a famous Friday night in Palace history, from back in 1979. Burnley were in town for the final game of the season, with the Eagles needing a win to confirm promotion to the old First Division and claim the league title ahead of rivals Brighton & Hove Albion. Remarkably, 51,482 supporters would cram into Selhurst Park to witness one of South London’s most iconic footballing nights.

The iconic Holmesdale Terrace looked magnificent, full with flags aplenty while the atmosphere reached fever pitch.

As those present will remember well, Palace would win 2-0 to secure promotion. Our cover shot shows the celebrations from Ian Walsh’s opening goal, when fans started to stream onto the pitch in jubilation. The game was

eventually able to restart before David Swindlehurst confirmed the win – and promotion − with a right-footed drive in the 88th minute. It was a special night for those lucky enough to be inside Selhurst Park, with the attendance a club record that still stands today.

For our cover, we’ve transported Marc Guéhi to the celebrations from that night. In this edition you can read our exclusive interview, as Guéhi reflects on captaining the Eagles this season, what has driven Palace’s excellent form in 2025 and a whirlwind summer with the England national team.

Remember, you can keep collecting each original illustration throughout the campaign to build out timeline from 1924 to the current day – make sure you get the matchday programme each week, then place them side by side for the full effect!

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@daveflanagan77

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contents

Crystal Palace √ everton sat 15 feb 2025 | 5:30pm k.o.

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. Imtiaz Ahmad Academy Director Gary Issott Director of U21 Development Mark Bright Chief Operating Officer Sharon Lacey Chief Commercial Officer Barry Webber Chief Marketing Officer Aaron Duckmanton General Counsel David Nichol Head of Ticketing Paul McGowan Head of Retail Foz Bowers Head of Marketing Matt Franks Head of Safeguarding Laura Baptiste Head Groundsman Bruce Elliott

Editor Jack Lacey-Hatton Design Billy Cooke, Stu Ellmer, Lucas Gough Front cover David Flanagan

06 25

12 10 chairman 36 HALL OF FAME 38 EAGLE EYE

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41 STATS 44 DOC BROWN 46 MACCA 50 palace for all

Contributors Robin Johnson, Toby Jagmohan, Ed Dowling,

58 PALACE FOR LIFE

Doc Brown, James McArthur, Ian King, Tommy Macarthur Photography Neil Everitt, Peter Hurn, Sebastian Frej, Pinnacle Photo Agency, Kontent Haus, Toby Jagmohan, Getty Printer Bishops Printers

62 100 years of selhurst park

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66 selhurst stories 70 eagle arcade 72 WHAT’S ON?

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Manager

oliver glasner Welcome back to Selhurst Park, and welcome to David Moyes and his Everton players and staff for this afternoon’s game.

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his is my first chance to talk to you since two very important wins, at Old Trafford against Manchester United and then progressing in the FA Cup at Doncaster.

We always value your support, but I wanted to say a special thank you to those that travelled to both games. I appreciate the effort our fans take to go anywhere, on any day of the week, whether the trains are running or not – and the last two games in particular weren’t easy to get to. As a team, what we can give in return is 100% maximum effort and to give everything. Hopefully the two victories meant the journey was worth it for those that made it.

We knew Doncaster would not be easy on Monday, but it was a positive performance. I felt we controlled the game in the first 60 minutes and overall, everything went according to plan. Obviously, we always play to win so that was the most important objective. But we also had the bonus of welcoming back some players from injury. Adam Wharton was able to play 60 minutes and looked sharp. We also had a special moment with Matheus França

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We always value your support, but I wanted to say a special thank you to those that travelled to both games.

I appreciate the effort our fans take to go anywhere

Manager

getting on the pitch at the end, while Romain Esse was also able to get some more game time.

Ben Chilwell got his first 45 minutes for us, which was another big positive. As this is our first home game since he joined, I’d like to

Next week marks one year since I joined Crystal Palace. It only feels like four or five months on from when I arrived, but I guess time flies!

I’ve mentioned it before, but I had so much support from my first day here, which really helped us to a great start

officially welcome Ben to the club.

Of course, he needs time to find his rhythm and adjust to our style of play, but he has been ready from day one and is working really hard. That time on the pitch will help him integrate.

Next week marks one year since I joined Crystal Palace. It only feels like four or five months on from when I arrived, but I guess time

flies! I’ve mentioned it before, but I had so much support from my first day here, which really helped us to a great start. The beginning of this season was tough, but everybody stayed calm and there was a real togetherness. Our attitude and working mentality meant we could get a turnaround, so overall it has been a very nice 12 months, I’ve enjoyed it hugely – but we still have a lot to do. It’s like climbing a mountain − we’re not at the top yet, but everybody is on the same pathway working together and this is important.

Today is a big challenge for us as we welcome an Everton team that have done well over the last month, and prior to that. It’s difficult to score against them – Liverpool struggled to create chances against them in their match on Wednesday.

They are very compact, and we expect a physical game.

But I believe we will react to the challenge. We feel in much better shape now than we were earlier in the season, when we lost at Goodison Park – even then it was a game we probably should have got something from. It is important for us to back up our strong away form with a win at Selhurst and today is a great chance to do it.

Thanks once again for your support, and I look forward to seeing you all this evening

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We feel in much better shape now than we were earlier in the season, when we lost at Goodison Park – even then it was a game we probably should have got something from. It is important for us to back up our strong away form with a win at Selhurst and today is a great chance to do it

Captain

marc Guéhi Welcome back to Selhurst Park for this evening’s game against Everton – as we return to Premier League action following Monday’s FA Cup win at Doncaster.

O

ur last home game against Brentford was a tough afternoon, but it shows the resilience we have in our group that we have responded with two huge wins away from Selhurst Park. The victory at Manchester United was a brilliant team performance. We were solid as a unit defensively, limiting them to very few chances. Although they are having a difficult season, it is always a tough task at Old Trafford. We then managed to carry a real threat when going forward. I thought we thoroughly deserved the win, and JP took both of his goals brilliantly.

We then enjoyed a rewarding night against Doncaster on Monday.

It’s never easy to go away from home to a lower league club in the FA Cup. They made the game a real battle, so to come through with a win and a clean sheet was an excellent result.

Both the conditions and the pitch were not the best, but we stuck to our task and scored two really wellworked goals.

It was also great to see so many of you making a fantastic noise in the away end. We appreciate that

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It was also great to see so many of you making a fantastic noise in the away end. We appreciate that a long trip away from South London on a weeknight is never easy, so special thanks to everyone who travelled

Captain

a long trip away from South London on a weeknight is never easy, so special thanks to everyone who travelled. As we’ve said all season, we want to go as far as possible in both cup competitions. Now we’ve got the reward of Millwall in the next round, which I’m sure will be a great occasion at Selhurst Park.

Over the last two games we’ve seen both Adam and Matheus back on the pitch, after their respective injury layoffs. It’s one of the hardest things to deal with as a professional footballer, and we are extremely

Over the last two games we’ve seen both Adam and Matheus back on the pitch, after their respective injury layoffs.

It’s one of the hardest things to deal with as a professional footballer, and we are extremely grateful for their return

grateful for their return. Special mention as well to Ben, after making his debut in the win at Doncaster.

He’s already fitted in well with the boys and I know he’ll be a real asset for us − between now and the end of the season.

Looking towards today, Everton will be a tough opponent. They have been in good form recently since the change of manager, but we know with your support behind us at Selhurst Park we can beat anyone.

I can’t wait to hear you all this evening; enjoy the game

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Everton will be a tough opponent. They have been in good form recently since the change of manager, but we know with your support behind us at Selhurst Park we can beat anyone

chairman

steve parish Welcome back to Selhurst Park for this afternoon’s match, and welcome to the supporters, players, staff and directors of Everton this afternoon.

s

ince my last programme notes, we have had two tough games away from home, firstly at Manchester United, then at Doncaster in the FA Cup – so what a pleasure it is to be back at Selhurst Park off the back of two excellent victories.

It was great to see a such a loud travelling support backing the team at both matches. Before the Manchester United game, you overcame rail strikes to witness another memorable result at Old Trafford, whilst travelling to Doncaster was certainly not an easy feat on a Monday night.

It was fantastic to come away with two wins and two clean sheets – we are now on a club-record run of consecutive away clean sheets (five) – so thank you, as ever, for your unwavering support on the road. Now, we have the reward of a fifth-round cup tie at home to Millwall to look forward to.

As a club, we have managed to progress in two cup competitions this week, with our Women’s team defeating Newcastle in the last 16 of the Women’s FA Cup. This means we have reached the quarter-finals of

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we are now on a club-record run of consecutive away clean sheets (five) – so thank you, as ever, for your unwavering support on the road

Chairman

Today’s game marks our dedicated Palace for All fixture – a club-wide campaign which proudly states that we are an inclusive and diverse club, and that everyone is welcome here at Crystal Palace

this competition for the first time in our history, so I’d like to congratulate Laura and her players on their achievement. The draw has given us an away tie at Chelsea, a tough fixture, but another great occasion to look forward to.

Today’s matchday against Everton could mark the home debut of Ben Chilwell, to whom I’d like to extend a warm welcome following his arrival from Chelsea. Ben brings plenty of experience of playing at

Ben brings plenty of experience of playing at the highest level of European and international football, and I am sure you will give him a warm reception this evening

the highest level of European and international football, and I am sure you will give him a warm reception this evening.

It has also been fantastic to welcome back Adam Wharton and Matheus França to the pitch in recent weeks. Both are exciting young players of great ability and potential, and their return will bolster Oliver’s talented squad throughout the second half of the season.

Today’s game also marks our dedicated Palace for All fixture – a club-wide campaign which proudly states that we are an inclusive and diverse club, and that everyone is welcome here at Crystal Palace. As a club we understand that inclusivity and diversity must be embedded at the heart of everything we do, and I hope you will join us in echoing that sentiment today.

I know that you will get right behind Oliver’s side once again today, so let’s make sure Selhurst Park is at its intimidating best as we push the players on towards another positive result.

Up the Palace

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As he reflects on a whirlwind last 12 months, Palace defender Marc Guéhi sits down with Jack Lacey-Hatton to talk leadership, the season so far and, naturally, The Traitors.

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Marc Guéhi

Y

ou could be forgiven for thinking the last 12 months might have changed Marc Guéhi.

The spotlight shines brightly on international footballers, particularly those who play a huge part in a team’s success at a major tournament. Guéhi certainly did that in Germany last summer.

Palace fans already knew all about his composure, calmness under pressure, and ability to handle the big games. But the England national team brings a higher profile – and with it scrutiny that few other teams can match. For many, such a big experience would leave an impact.

In a European Championship where the team initially struggled, at least to deliver fluid performances if not results, Guéhi excelled from the off. Normally a Three Lions side not quite hitting the heights would bring players personal criticism. But the Palace star stood out on his own in only receiving plaudits.

That noise, whether good or bad, can make or break players at the highest level, so how did Guéhi deal with it?

“Honestly, while the tournament was going on, I really had no idea what was going on in terms of people talking about me,” he said.

“But when the tournament finished… I still didn’t really know what was going on!”

“It’s because I really don’t pay any attention to that outside talk, really. I’m in my own little world, so when things are going well, I’m aware and I know when I’m doing okay.

“And when I’m not doing well, I know I don’t need others to tell me.

I’m my own biggest critic but in a

Honestly, while the tournament was going on, I really had no idea what was going on in terms of people talking about me, But when the tournament finished… I still didn’t really know what was going on, It’s because I really don’t pay any attention to that outside talk, really. I’m in my own little world

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good way. I can’t control what people say about me or what they think.

“In one respect it was nice to have people talk about you in a complimentary way. But at the same time, I don’t focus on that noise. I’m purely focused on trying to do the best I can for the team.”

Guéhi’s stock only seemed to rise throughout the tournament. By the time of the final against Spain, he was widely considered one of Sir Gareth Southgate’s most reliable performers.

England lost 2-1, with Guéhi coming agonisingly close to scoring one of the most important goals in the team’s history, his header cleared off the line in the closing stages.

As the summer faded, he didn’t have time to rest. It wasn’t long before he was preparing for his fourth season with the Eagles. It is a campaign that has brought with it

Marc Guéhi

I can’t control what people say about me or what they think. So, in one respect it was nice to have people talk about you in a complimentary way. But at the same time, I don’t focus on that noise. I’m purely focused on trying to do the best I can for the team

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Marc Guéhi

We’ve all been playing in different positions – and the manager asks us to do all different things, so you want to get that familiarity within the position

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Marc Guéhi the added challenge of wearing the captain’s armband on a regular basis.

It’s not as though Guéhi hasn’t led from a young age.

After all, he was the youngest Eagles skipper ever when he first wore the armband in 2022, having also already captained England Under-21s. But as those within the game know, being a full-time Premier League captain, and everything that comes with it, can be demanding for even the most experienced of players.

It means an increased profile and a greater level of scrutiny. Yet Guéhi has, again, taken it in his stride.

“I don’t think it’ll ever feel natural to be captain of a football club, but it’s a huge positive for me that we’ve got so many leaders in this dressing room.

“They really help me. I might be quite young, but Wardy’s still around, we’ve got Hughesy, Dean, Remi − so many experienced players who can chip in.

“It’s not like a burden or anything, it’s actually a blessing that I get to do it with so many other people.”

Whilst performance levels have remained high, 2024/25 hasn’t been without its challenges. Think of your best centre-halves in history and you’ll normally find they had an almost equally brilliant partner next to them. Moore and Charlton, Baresi and Maldini, Ferdinand and Vidic.

Great defenders need great players consistently alongside them at the back. Due to several circumstances, Guéhi spent the first half of the season often switching his position within Palace’s back three – with his partners also changing. The fact he was able to remain consistent

I don’t think it’ll ever feel natural to be captain of a football club, but it’s a huge positive for me that we’ve got so many leaders in this dressing room.

They really help me. I might be quite young, but Wardy’s still around, we’ve got Hughesy, Dean, Remi - so many experienced players who can chip in

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throughout highlighted one of Marc’s key traits – staying level-headed.

“It has been tough but good,” he said. “I’d say at the start of the season, Joachim [Anderson] started in the middle, I was on the left, Chris [Richards] was on the right. Joachim then leaves, I end up in the middle, Chris is on the right, Trevoh [Chalobah] came in on the left.

“Then Max [Lacroix] comes and he steps in on the right, then Max shifted to play in the middle, and then Trevoh’s on the right and I’m on the left. Now Chris has done really well since Trevoh left.

“We’ve all been playing in different positions – and the manager asks us to do all different things, so you want to get that familiarity within the position.

Marc Guéhi “But like I said, when you work so hard and you have the trust of the manager, finally you start to get good confidence within each other. It shows when you’re getting clean sheets.

“And then you’ve got Deano in goal playing unbelievably well, which is really helpful. Like we always say, it starts with the work the lads do up-front, the off-the-ball work, it makes it a lot easier for us.”

You know within five minutes of talking to Guéhi that he isn’t in the game for individual glory. But every footballer, even a team-driven centre-back can enjoy scoring a goal.

Maybe even celebrating scoring one more than the previous season.

With three months still to go, 2024/25 is already something of a prolific campaign for the 24-yearold. With three Premier League goals, it is already his best goal return in the top-flight. Prior to this year, he had scored three league goals in total, across three seasons.

Okay, so Jean-Philippe Mateta doesn’t need to worry about his leading goalscorer tag being under threat from Guéhi any time soon. But if he can add another couple before the end of May, he’ll have a tally for the season that most defenders – and even a few midfielders – would envy.

“I mean, it really is all down to the team,” Guéhi explains when asked if there’s a reason for his extra return at the other end of the pitch.

“I’m not scoring those goals without other players doing their job, putting the ball in for me to score those goals, or blocking on setpieces and doing the important work that they’re doing.

when you work so hard and you have the trust of the manager, finally you start to get good confidence within each other. It shows when you’re getting clean sheets. And then you’ve got Deano in goal playing unbelievably well, which is really helpful

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“Or, for example, the staff taking the time that they have to make sure that we go through the set-pieces and make sure they’re done in the finest detail.

“Really any success that anyone has is all down to the team – and it always has been and always will be.”

Goals are a nice bonus, but Guéhi’s bread and butter is defending, where he seems to have taken his game to another level in the last year. Having a manager, in Oliver Glasner, that knows the role so well has helped.

“All of the staff really do their due diligence. They’re thorough when they’re spotting opposition’s weaknesses, strengths and finding places to exploit.

Marc Guéhi

I’m not scoring those goals without other players doing their job, putting the ball in for me to score those goals, or blocking on set-pieces and doing the important work that they’re doing

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Marc Guéhi

it definitely helped that the manager has obviously played there. He is able to give little tips that we can all use on the pitch.

I think in today’s football, you have to be really methodical, really detailed about what you’re doing – we’ve got that here

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Marc Guéhi

“And it’s definitely helped that the manager has obviously played there. He is able to give little tips that we can all use on the pitch.

“I think in today’s football, you have to be really methodical, really detailed about what you’re doing – we’ve got that here.”

Guéhi is certainly methodical whether on or off-the-ptich. It was recently revealed, in the lead up to recent series three finale of BBC show The Traitors, that Guéhi had won, as a solo player, a monthlong version of the game played within the England camp in Germany.

As those familiar with the format will know, the fact he did so playing as a Traitor, rather than as a Faithful, made it an impressive achievement.

“Games like that were a tradition before the Euros,” said Guéhi. “They liked to play Wolfgate, which is similar to Traitors, but smaller and a bit more intimate.

At the end, it was myself, Kieran Trippier and one of our team chefs left standing. The final round was really tense, Trippier was a genuine faithful and had caught onto me, but I had the chef on string! I just finished the recent series, it’s nice to watch it knowing how to play!

“Then we did the massive Traitors game, with more staff and more players, which was played out across a couple of weeks, which was good. I started as a Faithful but was recruited to the Traitors.

“At the end, it was myself, Kieran Trippier and one of our team chefs left standing. The final round was really tense, Trippier was a genuine Faithful and had caught onto me, but I had the chef on string!

“I just finished the recent series, it’s nice to watch it knowing how to play!”

It makes sense that Guéhi excelled at a game of building relationships whilst simultaneously staying under the radar.

His cool, calm character is an attribute that has taken him far, whether he is voting out the Faithful – or stopping Premier League strikers

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captain

SHARE GOOD TIMES WITH

GREAT PILSNER GRAB A BEER THAT’S CRISP, BRIGHT AND REFRESHING 22

And finally...

and finally...

with Marc Guéhi

Marc Guéhi is playing at the very top of his game, but who does he admire? Here he gives us his three biggest influences on his football career…

Virgil Van Dijk I think if you’re a defender it’s difficult to not be impressed by Van Dijk. He makes everything to do with defending look easy.

When you play the position every week you realise how difficult it is to do that.

I think it helps as well that he wasn’t this wonderkid. He has clearly worked to get to where he is now. He’s put in a lot of sacrifices and I respect that.

Didier Drogba The first player I loved watching was Didier.

An unbelievable player both in the Premier League and for Ivory Coast – he’s someone I’ve always looked up to.

He’s the one person that I’ve looked at and thought, ‘yeah, I want to be a footballer.’ He just made me fall in love with football, and he means so much to the Ivorian people.

Obviously playing for Chelsea as a youngster as well, it just made him a real hero of mine.

Thiago Silva I think he’s still my favourite defender of all-time. If I could ever be one player it would be him.

He always reads the game so well, his positioning is always perfect, he’s still playing now and he’s won big trophies.

I don’t ask players for shirts, but he’s the only one I’ve gone up to and asked if we could swap.

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FOR THE CLUB captain

PLAY NOW PLAY NOW PLAY NOW

PLAY NOW 24

PLAY NOW

The World’s Game

everton

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everton

everton F.C.

the toffees 1878

a time of change Position

15th

Points

27

Top Scorer Iliman Ndiaye

6

Most Assists 4

away

home

Dwight McNeil

before Christmas. David Moyes then replaced Dyche as manager last month and results have swiftly improved. Three league victories ina-row plus a draw against leaders Liverpool, have lifted the Toffees away from the relegation zone – and perhaps left supporters able to look forward to a bright future in their new home.

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third

The 2024/25 season was always going to be a historic one for Everton, as their final campaign at Goodison Park.

Home to the Toffees since 1892, a planned move to the new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock will take place in the summer.

Such a monumental change off the pitch, coupled with a change of ownership in the boardroom, meant the team simply needed to remain stable and improve upon last season’s 15th placed finish.

In fact, the last few years have seen Everton regularly involved in the battle to avoid relegation from the Premier League. Following Sean Dyche’s appointment as manager in January 2023, they managed to avoid the drop on the final day with a win over Bournemouth.

Then last year saw the Toffees deducted eight points overall, for two separate breaches of Premier League financial rules. But Dyche improved results, with the Toffees finishing in the relative comfort of 15th, still hitting the 40-point mark despite the penalties.

Another battle at the bottom looked on the cards after a slow start to 2024/25, but there was a wider club takeover, with the Friedkin Group seizing ownership

THIS Season

everton

head2head

3-2 √ TOTTENHAM Goodison Park

√ BRIGHTON Amex Stadium

4-0 √ LEICESTER CITY Goodison Park

0-2 √ BOURNEMOUTH Goodison Park

2-2 √ liverpool

lastfive

0-1

brentford

draw

palace

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21

15

2-3

11th November 2023 Selhurst Park

0-0

4th January 2024 Selhurst Park

1-0

17th January 2024 Goodison Park

1-1

19th February 2024 Goodison Park

2-1

28th September 2024 Goodison Park

Goodison Park

2-2 Everton √ liverpool

“We made a good start and I thought in the second half we played well, looked more likely than Liverpool to score. It was a great point which keeps our position in the Premier League a little stronger.”

David Moyes

Wednesday 12th February / Goodison Park

14 beto

Substitutes 31

a. begovic

10

16

29

12

j. virgínia

ndiaye

doucoure

lindstrøm

5

M. KEANE

11

J. HARRISON

18

a. young

24

c. alcaraz

42

t. iroegbunam

67

m. sherif

83

i. heath

goal cards

27

37

gueye

garner

19

32

6

15

mykolenko

branthwaite

tarkowski

o'brien

1 pickford subs

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everton

key players Everton have looked rejuvenated since David Moyes’ return to Merseyside last month. Here we take a look at the Toffees most important players.

LIONS' PRIDE -

1

gk JORDAN

PICKFORD age

Height

30

6’1

joined

from

2017

England’s No. 1 for virtually the entirety of the Gareth Southgate era, Pickford has started for the Three Lions in both the 2020 and 2024 European Championship finals.

One of the best goalkeepers in the top-flight, Pickford has proved a difference-maker for the Toffees in recent years.

First joining from hometown club Sunderland in 2017 after their relegation from the top-flight to the Championship, Pickford’s initial fee of £25 million. It left him – at the time – as the third most expensive goalkeeper in history. He quickly repaid the cost, establishing himself as a Goodison favourite.

His remarkable save against Chelsea in May 2022. It helped Everton to a priceless 1-0 victory that went a long way to helping them secure their Premier League status that season.

But it also saw Pickford win the inaugural Premier League Save of the Season award. Pickford has also been named Everton’s Player of the Season for the last three years on the spin and become one of England's most important players.

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DEF JARRAD

32

Branthwaite age

Height

22

6’5

joined

from

2020

Six years on from signing his first professional contract with hometown club, Carlisle United, Branthwaite is now one of Everton’s most important players.

The defender is also in the mix for the England squad, having won his first cap last year – a remarkable rise from League Two. Branthwaite moved to Merseyside in January 2020 and despite making his home debut just after ‘project restart’, he was loaned to Blackburn the following season. His breakthrough moment for the Toffees arrived in December 2021, when his late header salvaged a point against Chelsea.

A season-long loan move at PSV Eindhoven followed, before Branthwaite cemented himself at the heart of the Everton defence.

An outstanding 2023/24 season saw him win the club’s Players Player of the Year award.

everton

MR CONSISTENT Abdoulaye Doucouré has stood out as one of Everton’s most consistent performers during a turbulent period for the club. After making his senior football debut in Ligue 1 with Rennes back in 2013 and spending time in Spain on-loan at Granada, Doucouré first moved to England in the summer of 2016, joining Watford.

Although the Hornets were relegated at the end of his four-season spell, the box-to-box midfielder remained in the top-flight, making a £20m switch to Everton that summer. Working under the likes of Carlo Ancelotti, Rafa Benitez and – more recently – Sean Dyche seems to have taken his game to new levels.

Doucouré also has the honour of scoring one of the most important recent goals in Everton history. His strike on the final day of the 2022/23 campaign, earned the Toffees a 1-0 win over Bournemouth – which secured their Premier League survival.

Since scoring one of the most important goals in club history, the French-born midfielder has continued to shine for the Toffees.

MID Abdoulaye

16

DoucourÉ age

Height

32

6’0

joined

from

2020

After first putting the Premier League on-notice with his performances in a Burnley shirt, Everton signed lively winger McNeil in July 2022. The England Under-20 international signed an initial five-year contract. A product of the Burnley academy, McNeil played 134 Premier League games for the Turf Moor club and was twice a top-flight ever present.

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fwd DWIGHT

M©Neil age

7 Height

25

6’0

joined

from

2022

He initially endured a slow start on Merseyside, but the arrival of his former Burnley boss Sean Dyche in January 2023 – sparked an upturn in form. He ended up as the Toffees’ top goalscorer that year with seven goals, as the team also improved to move away from the relegation places and maintain their Premier League status. McNeil also scooped the club’s Young Player of the Season.

everton

1

gk JORDAN

PICKFORD age

joined

30 2017

from

2

def NATHAN

PATTERSON age

joined

23 2022

def JAKE

O’Brien age

joined

from

15

23 2024

from

12

gk JOÃO

VIRGINIA age

joined

25 2018

5

def MICHAEL

KEANE age

joined

32 2017

def ASHLEY

YOUNG age

joined

from

18

39 2023 30

from

from

31

gk ASMIR

BEGOVIC age

joined

31 2024

from

6

def JAMES

Tarkowski age

joined

32 2022

from

19

def VITALI

Mykolenko age

joined

25 2022

from

everton

def SEAMUS

23

COLEMAN age

joined

36 2009

from

16

MID Abdoulaye

DoucourÉ age

joined

32 2020

mid JAMES

from

37

GARNER age

joined

23 2022

from

def JARRaD

32

Branthwaite age

joined

22 2020

MID CHARLY

from

24

ALCARAZ age

joined

22 2025

mid TIM

from

42

Iroegbunam age

joined

21 2024 31

from

08

MID OREL

MANGALA age

joined

26 2024

MID IDRISSA

GUEYE age

27

joined

35 2022

FWD OWEN

from

from

79

BARKER age

19

FROM

ACADEMY

everton

mid CALLUM

BATES age

92 FROM

19

ACADEMY

fwd

10

ILIMAN

NDIAYE age

joined

24 2024

fwd YOUSSEF

CHERMITI age

joined

from

FWD DWIGHT

M©NEIL age

25 2022

fwd JACK

from

age

age

joined

28 2023

17 from

age

ARMANDO

BROJA

joined

23 2024 32

CALVERT-LEWIN

from

age

from

joined

27 2016

11

22

9

DOMINIC

fwd

HARRISON

fwd

20 2023

joined

7

fwd

14

BETO joined

27 2023

fwd JESPER

from

from

29

LINDSTRøM age

joined

24 2024

from

everton

squaddepth st Dominic CALVERT-LEWIN BETO Armando BROJA Youssef CHERMITI

lw Iliman NDIAYE

rw Dwight McNEIL Jack HARRISON Jesper LINDSTRØM

am Abdoulaye DOUCOURÉ Charly ALCARAZ

cm Idrissa GUEYE Tim IROEGBUNAM

Dm Orel MANGALA James GARNER

lb Vitali MYKOLENKO Ashley YOUNG

Rb Seamus COLEMAN Nathan PATTERSON Roman DIXON

CB

CB

James TARKOWSKI Jake O'BRIEN

Jarrad BRANTHWAITE Michael KEANE

GK Jordan PICKFORD João VIRGÍNIA Asmir BEGOVIC

Loaned In

Academy Graduate

33

New Signing

everton

through time

1878 1888

Founded as St Domingo’s FC Founding member of the Football League

1891

English League Champions for the first time

1892

Move to Goodison Park

1892 -

1906

Win the FA Cup for first time after beating Newcastle at Crystal Palace

After initially playing home games at both Stanley Park and Anfield – later the home of local rivals Liverpool – Everton move to Goodison Park, their home for the next 133 years. The Toffees had been based at Anfield from 1884, during that time becoming the first club to introduce goalnets to professional football.

A dispute over the rent Everton were required to pay to John Houlding, club chairman but also the landowner of Anfield, eventually led to the club expelled from their former home and needing to find a new stadium.

One of the first purpose-built for football stadiums, Goodison Park opened in 1892 with Everton’s first game an exhibition match with Bolton Wanderers.

The home side would win 4-2.

1915

Everton win second League Championship

1928

Dixie Dean sets record for top-flight goals in single season with 60

1933

Second FA Cup triumph – this time over Manchester City at Wembley

1963

League Champions in only second season of manager Harry Catterick

1966

FA Cup winners after 3-2 victory over Sheffield Wednesday at Wembley

1981

Howard Kendall appointed manager

1985

First European trophy won – the European Cup Winners Cup

1995

FA Cup winners for a fifth time

1927/28 Two years after first joining from Tranmere Rovers, Dixie Dean would produce one of the greatest individual seasons of all-time to cement his place as an Everton, and Football League, legend.

Dean scored an incredible 60 goals in just 39 league games,

2005 2025

an English top-flight record that still stands today and is unlikely to ever be broken. Dean’s goals helped Everton to a third League Championship.

In total, the Toffees scored 102 league goals in a prolific campaign finishing two points ahead of Huddersfield Town. Dean would score 310 First Division goals for Everton

34

Fourth place finish in the Premier League under David Moyes Move to new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock

in total before leaving in 1937. He is commemorated with a statue outside Goodison Park, first unveiled in 2001.

1984/85 Arguably the most successful season in Everton history. Under the management of Howard Kendell, who also won the league with the club as

everton

dreamfive GK Neville Southall One of the very best goalkeepers of the 1980s, ‘Big Nev’ played a huge role one of the most successful eras in Everton history. One of the very best in a one-on-one situation.

cb Brian Labone A one-club man and from the area, Labone was one of the best defenders of his generation. He was only booked twice in 451 league games – captaining the club to the league title and an FA Cup.

cm Alan Ball Arriving fresh from helping England win the 1966 World Cup, Alan Ball spent five hugely successful seasons at Goodison. Part of the club’s best-ever midfield line-up with Colin Harvey and Howard Kendall – ‘The Holy Trinity.’

st Wayne Rooney

a player, the Toffees finish 13 points clear at the top of the First Division.

Bitter rivals Liverpool, the dominant force of English football in the 1970s and 80s, are beaten both home and away. The prolific partnership of Graeme Sharp and Andy Gray scoring 30 league goals between them.

It would also prove a successful season on the continent. Everton lifted the European Cup Winners Cup after a 3-1 final win over Rapid Vienna, having famously knocked out German powerhouse Bayern Munich in the semi-final. Kendall very nearly secured a treble, only for Everton to narrowly lose the FA Cup final 1-0 to Manchester United.

A born-and-bred Evertonian, Rooney remains one of the most naturally gifted players. Although he spent the majority of his career elsewhere, his first two years at Goodison Park saw him at the peak of his powers.

st Dixie Dean Simply the greatest goalscorer of his – and most other – generations. A legend of the Everton and the English game.

35

everton

kitstory

celebrity toffees

best

worst

Home: 2018/19

Home: 2001/02

Everton didn’t have a great season this year – but this kit is a great effort regardless. The white trim is perfection.

This shirt is like marmite – you’ll either love it or hate it. The weird blocks for the sponsor mean we fall into the latter category.

best

SYLVESTER STALLONE Acting legend of Rocky and Rambo fame, Stallone previously said he regretted not buying the club in 2007 when, apparently, he had the chance.

worst

JODIE COMER If Everton’s forwards were as ruthless as Villanelle from Killing Eve, they’d be fighting for the title… maybe. The actress has supported Everton her whole life.

TONY BELLEW away: 2012/13

away: 1991/92

This is how you do an away kit.

Smart, stylish and totally different from your home colours. Over a decade on it still looks the part.

Why did this away shirt have a graph indicating positive financial growth?

Proves the 90s produced ugly shirts, as well as classics. Atrocious

36

Boxer ‘Bomber’ Bellew became the Cruiserweight World Champion at Everton’s Goodison Park stadium back in 2016, with the "Theme from Z-Cars" his ringwalk music.

everton

greatestgames 4-1 Wembley glory The 1991 Zenith Data Systems Cup final provided our finest hour against Everton. Geoff Thomas had Palace in front in the 66th minute, meeting John Salako’s corner with a fine header. Everton levelled swiftly through Robert Warzycha, forcing extra-time.

But it was the Eagles’ day, an Ian Wright double sandwiching a further strike from Salako to complete a 4-1 victory – and Palace’s maiden Wembley victory.

2-3 A Goodison five-goal thriller Palace’s second Premier League victory at Goodison Park was one of the best of the 2013/14 season. Rearranged after it was postponed earlier in the year, Jason Puncheon's halfvolley and Scott Dann's header had the Eagles in control.

Everton pulled one back, but a smart Cameron Jerome finish restored the two-goal lead. Despite a late goal from Kevin Mirallas, Palace held on for an excellent win that took us onto the 40-point mark, securing Premier League safety.

4-0 Quarter-final demolition Wembley was back on the horizon for Palace after sweeping aside the Toffees in the 2021/22 FA Cup quarter-finals. First-half goals from Marc Guehi and Jean-Philippe Mateta put the Eagles in full control at a raucous Selhurst Park. Further strikes from Wilfried Zaha and Will Hughes after the break sealed the deal, sending Patrick Viera’s team to the semi-finals.

37

everton

eagle eye

@CBeesleyEcho

Christopher Beesley is the Everton reporter for the Liverpool Echo. He has covered Everton and Liverpool both in the Premier League and abroad since 2005.

What have you made of David Moyes' recent return to Everton?

Quite simply he’s given the fans ‘their’ Everton back. As he said himself, it’s a different Everton and a different David Moyes than when he left in 2013.

But what you have now is the elder statesman among Premier League’s managers, comfortable in his skin.

He steered the Blues to nine top eight finishes in his first spell, including a Premier League high of fourth in 2004/05, and he’s learned from his various ups and downs since at Manchester United, Real Sociedad, Sunderland and West Ham United.

At the start of the season, what were your expectations for Everton this season – and have performances matched what you expected?

Despite the unprecedented pressures of a brace of points deductions, Everton’s on-the-pitch results last season would have seen them finish level on points with 11th placed Brighton & Hove Albion so the hope was that, with what was generally regarded as being a stronger squad, they could avoid a relegation battle this term.

Therefore, 17 points from the first 19 games under Sean Dyche just wasn’t good enough and threatened

38

he’s given the fans ‘their’ Everton back.

As he said himself, it’s a different Everton and a different David Moyes than when he left in 2013

everton

to ruin the historic final season at Goodison Park, so a change was required.

How do you rate the mood amongst the fanbase on the forthcoming move away from Goodison Park?

As Everton’s home for 133 years, the first purpose-built football ground in England and venue that has staged the most top-flight matches, it will be hugely emotional to say goodbye to Goodison Park but in truth the move is long overdue.

‘The Grand Old Lady’ was the pre-eminent club ground in the country for most of her existence but she has fallen far behind many rivals now and was recently shown to be the third lowest generator of matchday revenue in the Premier

League. The new stadium will enable Everton to play in front of the biggest regular crowds in the club’s history and the location - on the banks of the Mersey among Liverpool’s world-famous maritime skyline - is magnificent.

Who is Everton’s most important player – and whose contribution flies under the radar?

Iliman Ndiaye has been the magic man this season with dribbles, drops of the shoulder, cool finishing and an incredible work-rate for a flair player.

Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford’s contributions tend to fly under the radar with a lot of rivals. England’s number one has done more than any other player to ensure Everton have remained in the Premier League over recent seasons.

39

Give us a name for the future to keep an eye on…

Harrison Armstrong, a spiky Scouser who turned 18 last month and joined Derby County on loan on transfer deadline day of the winter window.

A midfielder with an eye for a goal, he netted a hat-trick in a 7-0 thrashing of Nottingham Forest in the FA Youth Cup this season and impressed in pre-season.

And finally, where will Everton finish this season?

They just need to avoid being sucked back into relegation danger. Moyes has done so much, so quickly with a hat-trick of consecutive wins but the squad remains short of attacking options. Hopefully, they can look up rather than over their shoulders, but for now, I’ll say 15th.

.

west ham united

For illustration purposes only

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everton

HEAD TO HEAD

jean-philippe

mateta age

POSITION

27 fwd

nat

dominic

31

Goals

50

4

Penalties won

3

3

Penalties scored

3

calvert-lewin age

POSITION

27 fwd

nat

Apps

117

7

Clean sheets

11

Apps

235

Goals

34

49

Yellow cards

47

Goals

57

Assists

7

4

Assists

15

0

Red cards

Goals per match

0.29

Goals per match

0.24

Shooting accuracy

48%

Shooting accuracy

42%

Penalties scored

4

Yellow Cards

10

6

Games - Palace's longest unbeaten run against Everton, between 1990 and 1992.

35

Jean Philippe-Mateta (34 goals) needs one more goal to move level with Christian Benteke (35) as Palace’s second-highest PL scorer.

7

Everton are winless in their last seven league games away at London clubs (D3 L4).

Delivered by:

41

Penalties scored

5

Yellow Cards

29

Complete Sky Sports Offer: £22 extra a month with a new 24-month contract. After 24 months, standard Sky Sports rolling monthly contract pricing applies, currently £35 extra a month for Sky Q customers, £30 extra a month for Sky Stream or Sky Glass customers. 31 days’ notice required to cancel. If you cancel the offer, you will not be able to take up this offer again should you wish to rejoin Sky Sports. Offer not available in conjunction with any other offer. Offer available until 11 September 2024. Requires a Sky TV subscription to be eligible for a Sky Sports subscription. New 24-month minimum terms for your Sky TV subscription required.

Your 24-month period will start within 3 days after you accept the offer and will 42 end 24 months after that date. Offer price guaranteed through your minimum term (price locked/guaranteed). General: UK Channel Islands and Isle of Man residential customers only. Further terms apply. Information correct as of 2 August 2024.

doc brown & james m©arthur

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The team players in managed print services

Bircherley Ltd is proud to sponsor today’s match: 43 Crystal Palace vs Everton

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...

HEY BEN, CHILL WELL Last time we spoke we’d just passed the halfway stage of the season and – just as we did back in August – we lost to Brentford, conceding two goals. But what I felt when leaving the stadium on that wet January evening was far from déjà vu. For me it was a mere blip at the start of the second half of a season that has picked up immeasurably. I felt the same even after Arsenal hammered us 5-1. For once I could see a bigger picture on the horizon: we were building something and, like any unique construction, it was going to take time.

Glasner’s forward-thinking wingback system suits our touchline-hugging traditions to a tee and the number of players he has improved is nothing short of sensational in my opinion. No matter what happens between now and the season’s finale, no-one can take away that hilariously ironic demolishment of Manchester United at their gaff, against a team trying and failing to play the very system we whooped them with. I even had the added impish joy of watching it

with a United fan - satisfying was an understatement.

Oftentimes, a club of our stature rests on its laurels and underperforms after a big scalp is taken, especially if the very next game is against whatever the linguistic opposite of a big scalp is (a little quiff?). Instead, with an incredibly sensible and professional air, we put Doncaster Rovers to the sword. Side note: my season-long man-crush on Will Hughes only intensified with that performance being so close to Valentine’s Day. Today sees a totally different challenge again – playing against a team who have just experienced perhaps the most emotional game of their season. As I write this, we are hours away from kick-off in the last ever Merseyside derby at Goodison Park. As a child in the 80s that very fixture burns so brightly in my formative football memories, full of fire, bluster and immense local pride. Like us, the Toffees have shown marked recent improvement and look ten times the threat with the return of David Moyes – but will they be psychologically spent after what may have been a gargantuan

44

No matter what happens between now and the season’s finale, noone can take away that hilariously ironic demolishment of Manchester United at their gaff, against a team trying and failing to play the very system we whooped them with

doc brown effort under the lights against their famous rivals just three days ago?

Good Lord I hope so.

step forward Ben Chilwell. I know it can be hard to get excited about defensive signings but he's an established attacking fullback, Champions League winner and a seasoned England international Whatever happens/happened, knowing Moyes, Everton will be a tough nut to crack today and we are going to need to show real Premier League class, experience and guile. Step forward Ben Chilwell. I know it can be hard to get excited about defensive signings but an established attacking full-back, Champions League winner and a seasoned England international with great hair – there’s way more intrinsic reasons to get excited about this loan than just the fact that when commentators say his full name, it sounds like someone ordering me to get better at relaxing.

“He supports the young players, he speaks in the dressing room.

Experience always helps you… you can tell a lot, talk a lot, read a lot and watch a lot, but if you experience something, it’s most important. He experienced this success at the highest level.” These were some of Oliver’s words when

asked about Chilwell’s impact after Doncaster – there’s no doubting we have a winner in our midst, the slick barnet is merely the cherry on the icing.

I’ve always been a firm believer in the idea that for any squad, quality attracts quality. Ebs saw Wilf and thought “yep”; Olise saw Ebs and thought “yep” – and so on. If we can keep adding these touches of class to our line-up, we can create a sexy new foundation for our highest

45

ambitions to build upon. Obviously it’s early to say, but Ben feels like the kind of addition that could unlock that scenario for us. Let’s hope his next illustrious chapter begins tonight, right when we may well need him most.

And if you catch me chewing my fingernails off in the stands, just give me a nudge and shout, “hey!

Ben! Chill. Well.” Everything’s going to be fine.

UTP!

.

James M©arthur

james m©arthur Palace legend James McArthur made 253 appearances for the club, playing over 19,000 minutes in all competitions across nine years.

Below, he looks back on Palace’s impressive recent results; positives against Doncaster; and what the Eagles will need against Everton…

An unbelievable run Four wins at Old Trafford in the last six seasons… not many other teams will have a record like that at Manchester United!

Palace have got the confidence just now, and when you get results against the bigger teams, you start believing more and more in each game that you play in. I think that's been a big factor in consistently getting results up there.

It's been some run recently, hasn't it? It's been an unbelievable run from when I was talking maybe about two or three months into the season. The team needed to keep believing and keep doing the right things and I was sitting there going ‘I do hope it turns.’

The recent turnaround has been remarkable. The way the team are playing now, we're getting results and playing the football that the fans want to see.

Steely defence If you're not conceding goals, then there's a very good chance, with the quality Palace have in their team,

that you're going to win football matches. Even if you only score one goal, there's an unbelievable chance of winning any game.

That comes down to the work of the whole team. It's not just about your defenders, your goalkeeper – obviously, they're the ones who are going to get the credit – but it also comes from the manager, setting up the team correctly against different opponents and styles of play.

The team is starting to get that confidence, going into games, that no matter what happens in any game, they’re going to be very, very solid.

That starts from the front. You look at the way the team press now: it’s together, as one.

Cup management There aren’t many easy cup ties – even when you play a lower division team, or at home. You can say ‘that’s a great draw’ – but just look at what happened between Liverpool and Plymouth. If you don’t do the right things or you’re not at it, cup upsets happen.

Going into the Doncaster game on Monday night, Palace will have faced things that Premier League

46

It's not just about your defenders, your goalkeeper – obviously, they're the ones who are going to get the credit – but it also comes from the manager, setting up the team correctly against different opponents and styles of play

James M©arthur

teams don’t do – making it horrible, hitting it in behind and chasing it, and getting the fans up for it – so I thought the lads played excellently to control the game, choosing when to speed it up and slow it down, taking that cup mentality out of it, and doing a very professional job.

him, he'll still be wanting to prove to everyone how good he is, and keep playing games to show it. When you're younger, you've got that desire to always want to prove yourself.

He's probably at that point just now where he's still trying to make his mark in the game. It's good to see him back and hopefully he can have a bigger impact towards the end of the season, because obviously his quality will help the team win even more matches.

help Tyrick Mitchell as well with that competition for places, because while T’s had a very good season, that fear of losing your position can drive you on to that next level.

Hopefully, with Ben coming in, T can go to that next level. I'm sure that those two will push to get the best out of each other.

Matheus’ mark -

Welcome Wharton Adam Wharton just seems to have all the time in the world when he’s on the ball. I see people get close to him, and as soon as they get close, the ball gets played into a forward position. He carries the ball so, so well.

He’s got the makings of a top, top player. You don’t get called up for England and go to a major international tournament if you’re not going to be a top player, so it’s so good to see him back.

As a player, it’s very frustrating being injured for a long period of time, especially as a young lad. We all see the potential he's got – but for

It’s the same with Matheus França.

When you're coming from a different country, and you're coming into a new style of play, team and league, it's very, very tough. Players need time, and they need to be given minutes to get a taste of everything – but also, when you get your opportunity, you need to be ready.

When you're not an established player and everyone's still kind of out there going ‘is he going to be this, is he going to be that’, I think it’s important to manage him and make sure when he's ready to go, you give him the fairest chance, the best opportunity to go in and perform.

Obviously, the manager, the coaching staff and the fitness team will know when he's ready to go and make a big impact in the second part of the season.

Chilly competition Ben Chilwell is a great signing. He's a top-quality player who has done it at the highest level. I think it'll

47

Tough Toffees I can't remember one good game against Everton that I played in!

They’re always horrible matches, always tough, and you always need to fight and do the right things, make sure you're on it.

Obviously, you want to control the game, but that’s always very tough against Everton. It's a game where the lads will be thinking they could go and win this, but they need to be wary of Everton. They're a good side, and very tough to beat

.

captain

CHOOSE YOUR

WIIINGS RED BULL GIVES YOU WIIINGS.

48

INSIDE PALACE

49

inside palace

palace for all Saturday’s matchday against Everton will celebrate Palace for All – a club-wide campaign which proudly states that we are an inclusive and diverse club, and that everybody is welcome here at Crystal Palace F.C.

p

alace for All celebrates Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) across both the Football Club and the Palace for Life Foundation, encompassing a range of campaigns, activations and initiatives which underpin that work.

The club aims to ensure everyone who wishes to engage with us, whether as matchday fans, staff, players, board members, participants in the Foundation programmes and any other person engaged with the club’s activities, has a real and equal opportunity to do so.

We strive to continually celebrate the diversity across our club. We recognise our responsibility to taking a proactive approach to tackling prejudice, promoting understanding, and cultivating an environment whereby everyone feels valued, respected and able to be themselves.

As part of this commitment, we follow the principles of the Equality Act 2010 as we are committed to identifying, confronting and eliminating discrimination, whether by reason of race, colour, nationality, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marital or civil partner status, age, ethnic or national origin,

We strive to continually celebrate the diversity across our club. We recognise our responsibility to taking a proactive approach to tackling prejudice, promoting understanding, and cultivating an environment whereby everyone feels valued, respected and able to be themselves

50

pregnancy or maternity, disability or gender reassignment. We aim to involve and be representative of our local community in all elements of our work.

Our recently-published EDI Strategy – which you can read by scanning the QR code below – sets out our aspirations as a club until 2034, as well as our objectives and commitments to being an inclusive and diverse club.

edi strategy

inside palace

This is centred around four key strategic pillars: Employee Engagement, Fan Engagement, Community Engagement, and Learning & Development.

Empowering this are our internal Working Groups, focused on gender, wellbeing and overall EDI, made up of employees from across the club. These Groups help advance our strategy plan, and ensure that inclusion is embedded in everything we do.

To celebrate Palace for All, today’s match will see 20 new fans from a range of backgrounds welcomed to Selhurst Park – many for the first time.

Palace for All messaging will be visible around the ground, celebrating our commitment, and supporters can attend the Fanzone for a range of activations, including giveaways.

Fans are also encouraged, following the match, to complete the Fan Survey after the game via the QR code below, to share any EDI-related feedback or concerns, or to email inclusion@cpfc.co.uk Together, our message is loud and clear: everybody is welcome at Crystal Palace F.C.

.

fan survey

51

HOW TO REPORT ABUSE You can report discrimination and/or abuse on a matchday by using the Anti-Social Behaviour Text Alert Service – the number is 07507 477 669 – or by scanning the MyVoice QR code, code, which can be found around the stadium and inside the front cover of the programme.

Please include as much relevant information as possible. Please include the stand, block, row and seat number you are in, and identify the location of the anti-social behaviour, being as precise as possible. Please state if you wish to remain anonymous in your message.

Security staff will make every effort to deal with the issue. If they are unable to resolve the issue, each text will be followed up and investigated by a club staff member.

You can also contact your nearest steward to report issues, who will do their best to help.

We would also encourage supporters to contact customer. service@cpfc.co.uk or inclusion@cpfc.co.uk,, or to make inclusion@cpfc.co.uk use of Kick It Out’s reporting form.

inside palace

palace academy With so much talent coming through at Crystal Palace, it’s time to grill the next generation on the key questions past, present and future. This week, Under-18s defender Sean Somade takes on our quickfire questions…

FACT FILE

past

present strongest attribute?

I’d say my athleticism. I’m quite fast and strong.

i model my game on...

Antonio Rüdiger. I really like the way he plays. He controls the ball well and commands the defence.

favourite palace player?

Marc Guéhi, the captain.

childhood idol?

I’d say Sergio Ramos. I used to watch him a lot when I was growing up, he was really aggressive and I liked his playing style.

future first team?

Chatham Town in Kent, but then I moved to a team called Moonshot in South London.

sean somade age

nationality

17 position

centre-back

first match you played in?

in five years time...

I want to be playing at the highest level in the Premier League.

champions league or world cup?

The World Cup for sure.

I can’t quite remember my first game, but a standout game for me was winning the U15 Floodlit Cup South – 5-0 away at Arsenal.

i want to improve...

First boots?

manager or pundit?

Those bright pink Nike Mercurials, same as David Montjen!

Pundit for sure, being a manager can be way too stressful sometimes!

52

My technical ability. We’re in every day trying to improve technically and I think that helps a lot.

inside palace

fixtures&results

pos Club

P

W

D

L

GD Pts

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

1

mci

14

11

1

2

25 34

2

ful

14

11

1

2

16

34

3

mun

13

9

0

4

10

27

4

whu

13

9

0

4

5

27

5

bha

14

7

3

4

20 24

6

che

14

7

2

5

14

23

7

sou

14

7

2

5

3

23

8

sun

13

7

1

5

13

22

9

cry

14

6

4

4

2

22

10

liv

13

6

3

4

2

21

11

new

13

6

2

5

0

20

12

wol

13

6

2

5

-2 20

13

ars

13

6

1

6

-1

14

eve

13

5

4

4

-2

19

15

lei

14

5

3

6

4

18

16

wba

12

5

2

5

-3

17

17

der

14

5

2

7

-11

17

18

nfo

13

5

1

7

2

16

u21s

u18s AUGUST

AUGUST Tue 20

Stevenage

L

0-1

Sat 17

Tottenham Hotspur

L

4-6

Southampton

D

1-1

Fri 23

Blackburn Rovers

W

7-2

Sat 24

Fri 30

Leeds United

D

1-1

Wed 28 Birmingham City

W

3-0

Sat 31

W

3-0

SEPTEMBER Tue 17

Real Sociedad

D

2-2

Fri 20

Reading

D

1-1

Tue 24

Gillingham

W

3-1

Mon 30 Nottingham Forest

W

2-1

OCTOBER Sat 5

Brighton & Hove Albion

L

0-10

Fri 18

Sporting CP

L

1-2

Fri 25

Southampton

W

2-0

NOVEMBER

Reading

SEPTEMBER Sat 14

Norwich City

W

4-2

Sat 21

Fulham

L

0-6

Sat 28

Aston Villa

L

1-3

OCTOBER Sat 5

Liverpool

L

2-5

Sat 26

Leicester City

D

1-1

NOVEMBER Sat 2

Arsenal

D

1-1

Sat 9

West Bromwich Albion

D

2-2

Fri 1

Tottenham Hotspur

W

5-1

Sat 23

Arsenal

W

2-0

Tue 5

Peterborough United

L

1-4

Sat 30

Brighton & Hove Albion W

2-0

Fri 29

Newcastle United

L

0-1

DECEMBER

december Tue 10

RSC Anderlecht

Mon 16 Liverpool

Fri 10 Fri 17

Fulham Leicester City RB Leipzig

W

4-2

3-3

JANUARY

L W

0-1 2-0 1-2 0-1

Mon 27 Norwich City

D

2-2

FEBRUARY

MARCH

Chelsea

D

L

Mon 24 West Bromwich Albion

0-1

Tue 17

L

Mon 17 Aston Villa

L

3-1

Mon 20 Wolves

Mon 10 Stoke City

Manchester City

W

JANUARY Mon 6

Fri 6

W

2-1

Tue 14

West Ham United

W

5-0

Sat 18

Leicester City

W

2-1

Sat 25

Tottenham Hotspur

D

1-1

4

4

5

-2

16

14

4

3

7

-9

15

21

nor

13

4

2

7

-10 14

22

tot

14

4

1

9

-11

13

23

bla

13

3

2

8

-12

11

24

mid

12

3

0

9

-15

9

25

avl

13

2

2

9

-18

8

26

sto

13

1

2

10 -20 5

Southampton

D

1-1

pos Club

P

W

D

L

Reading

D

0-0

1

avl

12

8

1

3

8

25

2

cry

16

6

7

3

5

25

3

sou

15

6

6

3

6

24

4

ful

11

7

1

3

10

22

5

tot

13

6

4

3

8

22

6

che

13

6

4

3

8

22

7

bha

14

5

4

5

6

19

8

ars

11

4

4

3

1

16 13

Sat 15

Norwich City

Sat 22

Aston Villa

MARCH Sat 1

Fulham

Sat 8

West Ham United

Sat 15

Chelsea

APRIL

Manchester City

Sat 5

West Bromwich Albion

Thu 17

Arsenal

Mon 14 Chelsea

13

rea

Sat 8

Arsenal

West Ham United

lee

Sat 1

Sun 16

Fri 4

19 20

FEBRUARY

Mon 3

APRIL

19

MAY Sat 3

Brighton & Hove Albion

All statistics correct as of 17:00 Thursday, 13th February.

53

GD Pts

9

whu

12

3

4

5

-4

10

rea

14

3

4

7

-14 13

11

lei

14

3

3

8

-8

12

12

nor

11

2

4

5

-5

10

13

wba

13

1

5

7

-16

8

inside palace

palace academy After making their respective Premier League debuts before Christmas, Academy graduates Asher Agbinone and Caleb Kporha were presented with a special memento to mark the occasion.

m

aking your Premier League debut is something every young footballer aspires to, whether they’re in an Academy setup or starting out in grassroots. For Asher Agbinone and Caleb Kporha, that moment arrived this season, and they were given unique debut balls to commemorate it.

All home-grown players who have made their first appearance in the English top-flight are awarded a “Premier League Debut Football,” to mark the achievement.

This is an initiative which has been in place since the 2015/16 season – with each match ball contained in a

personalised, engraved case, detailing the fixture in which they made their bow.

Agbinone came on as a late substitute against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Monday, 21st October 2024, while Kporha made his debut as a substitute against Fulham at Selhurst Park the following month on Saturday, 9th November.

The pair were presented with the memento by Academy Director Gary Issott, in front of a big crowd of onlooking staff and players at the Academy.

“It gives me immense pride to see both of these players come through our Academy system and make their debuts,” Issott said proudly.

54

“Caleb is a player who came to us late in the system at 14 years of age, but his performance levels since he went full-time with the Academy have gone through the roof.

“He suffered a really bad injury last season, but now he’s got all the way through to February this season injuryfree, and his performance levels have been outstanding.

“I think it means a lot to the supporters, for sure, and to the staff, but players from anywhere that come through the Academy, it’s a success.

South London is where we’re from, and to have these South London boys do it, it’s a great story.“ Upon receiving his debut ball, Kporha said: “It was an immense feeling of enjoyment, I really enjoyed it.

“I was grateful to the manager for giving me the opportunity, and hopefully there’s more appearances to come.

“The Academy has developed me into a very good player; strong, physical, and everyone’s helped me in various moments – especially when I was injured for a long time, they’ve built me into a very good player and hopefully I can get the chance to show it in the first-team.”

The sentiment from Kporha was also echoed by Agbinone as he was presented with his own match ball.

“I just want to thank everyone for being here, I appreciate it a lot.

Everyone here at the Academy has had a part to play in this, it’s not just my achievement – I’d say it’s everyone’s, and I want to thank everyone here, I’m so grateful.

“All the staff, they’ve had a part to play in my development at the Academy since I was nine up until now, so I’m

inside palace

just very grateful for everyone and everyone’s support.

“It was a great feeling to make my debut, it’s everything I expected, and I just enjoyed the moment.

Playing with such high-quality players in the best league in the world was the best feeling ever, so I just want to do it even more.”

Academy Director Issott also said on Agbinone: “I’m immensely proud, I think the big thing when he got on the pitch is that he played his own game.

“That’s a big mark, when players go through the levels, that they look the same, and that was a real positive. It looks like he could potentially play at that level and be himself.

“It’s something we’ve seen in the youth teams over the years – he likes taking players on, and not many players can go past people in football. When you find one that can, it’s such a benefit to a team, because he gives you a numerical advantage somewhere on the pitch, and even when people double up he can still come out the other side of them.

“Since he’s been here, he’s been one of the most exciting attacking players we’ve had. In his first year of his scholarship, he came with a slight injury, but he got back fit at the end of his first year; he’s put in incredible performances ever since, culminating with him getting his opportunity in the first-team.”

Agbinone has since earned a loan move to Gillingham until the end of the season, earning the Man of the Match award on his Gills debut against Doncaster. Kporha made his first start for the first-team against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup quarter-final

.

u21s Name

u18s apps goals

Name

apps goals

Kai-Reece ADAMS-COLLMAN

19

1

Dean BENAMAR

13

1

Benji CASEY

20

6

Freddie COWIN

7

0

1

Euan DANAHER

11

0

11

2

Matteo DASHI

8

1

Billy EASTWOOD (GK)

0

0

Jesse DERRY

12

12

Malcolm EBIOWEI

3

0

Joel DRAKES-THOMAS

9

1

Chima EZE

0

0

Billy EASTWOOD (GK)

2

0

Craig FARQUHAR

0

0

Chris FRANCIS

0

0

Jacob FASIDA

6

0

Joe GIBBARD

14

0

Zack HENRY

15

2

Jake GRANTE

11

0

Marcus HILL (GK)

13

0

Sean GREHAN

17

1

Mofe JEMIDE

1

0

Jackson IZQUIERDO (GK)

4

0

Jasper JUDD

7

1

Mofe JEMIDE

14

1

Joe KHOSHABA (GK)

0

0

Caleb KPORHA

9

1

Finley MARJORAM

6

0

George KING

18

2

Zach MARSH

16

3

Enrique LAMEIRAS

7

0

Roshaun MATHURIN

1

0

Jack MASON (GK)

5

0

Louie MOULDEN (GK)

17

0

David MONTJEN

7

0

Hindolo MUSTAPHA

20

5

Joshua MUWANA

9

0

Adler NASCIMENTO

8

1

David OBOU

3

1

David OBOU

1

0

Ademola OLA-ADEBOMI

5

3

Stuart ODURO

2

0

Luke PLANGE

4

2

Chuks OKOLI

8

2

Jadan RAYMOND

7

0

Jerome OSEI

17

3

Dylan REID

8

0

Caleb REDHEAD

1

0

Kaden RODNEY

16

0

Sean SOMADE

17

0

Joe SHERIDAN

5

0

Charlie WALKER-SMITH

12

1

Franco UMEH

8

2

Jemiah UMOLU

16

13

Harry WHITWORTH (GK)

0

0

Jack WELLS-MORRISON

7

0

Tyler WHYTE

17

1

Seb WILLIAMS

1

0

Seb WILLIAMS

18

4

Asher AGBINONE

8

2

Victor AKINWALE

3

0

Cormac AUSTIN

8

0

Luke BROWNE

19

0

Rio CARDINES

11

0

Jesse DERRY

10

Justin DEVENNY

All statistics correct as of 17:00 Thursday, 13 February. th

55

inside palace

palace women Last weekend saw Palace make history in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup fifth-round, as they secured a 2-0 win over Newcastle United to reach the quarter-finals of the competition for the very first time...

i

t was a landmark victory for the club, but for two players, the match also marked a personal milestone: their first outings in the famous Red and Blue.

January signings Ria Öling and Allyson Swaby both made their Palace debuts in the game, helping the Eagles claim a hard-fought victory amidst wintery conditions at the VBS Community Stadium.

Jamaica international Swaby was handed a starting spot and impressed with her decisive defending, whilst Finland international midfielder Öling came on at half-time to make her first appearance for the club and help them score twice in the second-half to secure their progression.

Reflecting on their first taste of English football after the game, both players expressed their excitement at joining Palace and their determination to make an impact. Öling said: “It felt good! We maybe didn’t start the game in the best possible way, but we grew into it.

“We knew it was going to be hard to score, so it was just important to get the goal and keep the clean sheet – and that’s what we did today.”

Öling, who has recently been called up by Finland for their impending Nations League matches, arrived at Palace in January from Sweden, and has been working hard to adapt to her new surroundings.

She acknowledged that the transition to a new club will take time, but was pleased to get some minutes under her belt.

“It is different playing for a new club and it always takes time, but I think this was a good game to get those first minutes in,” she said.

“Hopefully, I can keep growing and helping the team as much as possible.”

Swaby, an experienced international defender who has represented – and scored for – her country at the FIFA World Cup, also spoke about her excitement after making her first start for the club.

Having also played in several top leagues around the world, she understands the demands of stepping into a new environment.

She said: “It was really exciting! Everything’s admittedly been a bit overwhelming – it’s been a big transition with not a lot of time – so I was just excited to play football.”

56

It’s always exciting to be a part of history and we have a huge opportunity to make even more in the next round Both players have settled in quickly since arriving, thanks to the welcoming atmosphere within the squad. Öling highlighted the support she has received from her teammates and staff, which has helped her focus solely on her football.

“Everyone has been welcoming and helping me so I can focus on football. Everything else has gone pretty smoothly,” she said.

Swaby echoed that sentiment, adding: “Everyone’s been super helpful, getting me sorted off the field as well, so it’s been as smooth a transition as it could be.”

While the win over Newcastle was a special moment, both players are already looking ahead to the future.

With Palace reaching new ground in the Women’s FA Cup, Öling and Swaby are eager to keep pushing forward and help the team achieve even more. Öling said: “It feels good – that’s why I’m here, I want to help

inside palace

the club and the team get as far as possible.”

Swaby added: “It’s always exciting to be a part of history and we have a huge opportunity to make even more in the next round.”

The duo’s presence adds both experience and quality to Palace’s squad, as the club embarks on a crucial stretch of their first-ever Women’s Super League Season.

Their leadership, technical ability, and composure on the pitch will be invaluable as Palace strive to make their mark in both League and Cup competitions.

In the January window, the duo were joined by Canada international Clarissa Larisey, who signed from Swedish side BK Häcken; and Aniek Nouwen, who arrived on loan from Chelsea.

Defender Lily Woodham also had her loan from Seattle Reign extended until the end of the season, to cap off a busy January transfer window for the Eagles.

A crucial match away against Manchester United awaits Laura Kaminski and the team in the Barclays Women’s Super League tomorrow (Sunday, 16th February), kicking off at 12:00 GMT. As for the FA Cup, Palace have been drawn away to titlechasing Chelsea at Kingsmeadow in the quarter-finals, a repeat of the fifth-round tie between the teams last season.

With a historic FA Cup run in progress and vital league points up for grabs, Swaby and Öling’s journeys with Palace are only just beginning

.

fixtures&results Home fixture Away fixture Cup fixture (Crystal Palace score shown first) SEPTEMBER

playerstats Name

apps goals

Chloe ARTHUR

5

0

Izzy ATKINSON

5

0

Sun 22

Tottenham Hotspur

L

0-4

Annabel BLANCHARD

17

3

Fri 27

Chelsea

L

0-7

My CATO

17

3

Aimee EVERETT

15

0

Mille GEJL

16

3

Fliss GIBBONS

11

0

Josie GREEN

13

0

Shanade HOPCROFT

3

0

Elise HUGHES

1

0

Clarissa LARISEY

3

0

Abbie LARKIN

17

1

Milla-Maj MAJASAARI (GK)

6

0

Hayley NOLAN

7

0

Aniek NOUWEN

0

0

Ria ÖLING

1

0

october Wed 2 Sun 6 Sun 13 Sun 20

Aston Villa

L

Leicester City Brighton & Hove Albion Liverpool

W L D

0-2 2-0 0-1 1-1

november Sun 3

Manchester City

L

0-3

Sun 10

Everton

D

1-1

Sun 17

Aston Villa

L

2-3

Sun 24

Charlton Athletic

W

2-0

december Sun 8

West Ham United

L

2-5

Lexi POTTER

16

0

Wed 11 Tottenham Hotspur

L

0-2

Indiah-Paige RILEY

13

2

0-1

Molly-Mae SHARPE

13

1

Katie STENGEL

18

2

Allyson SWABY

1

0

Katrine VEJE

15

0

Ashleigh WEERDEN

18

5

Lily WOODHAM

15

0

Annis-Clara WRIGHT (GK)

0

0

Shae YAÑEZ (GK)

12

0

Sun 15

Manchester United

L

january Tue 14 Sun 19 Sun 26

Sheffield United Arsenal

W L

Tottenham Hotspur

L

6-1 0-5 2-3

february Sun 2

Brighton & Hove Albion

D

1-1

Sun 9

Newcastle United

W

2-0

Sun 16

Manchester United

march P

W

D

L

GD Pts

1

che

13

12

0

1

32 37

2

mun

13

9

1

3

19

Aston Villa

3

ars

13

8

2

3

20 27

Sat 22

Everton

4

mci

13

8

4

1

12

25

Sun 30

Arsenal

5

bha

13

5

5

3

-3

18

6

tot

13

5

6

2

-7

17

7

liv

13

4

6

3

-7

15

8

eve

13

3

6

4

-9

13

9

whu

13

3

8

2

-11

11

10

avl

13

2

7

4

-9

10

-13

9

Sun 2

Liverpool

Sun 9*

Chelsea

Sun 16

pos Club

april Sun 20

Chelsea

Sun 27

West Ham United

may

30

Sun 4

Leicester City

11

lei

13

2

8

3

Sun 11

Manchester City

12

cry

13

1

9

3 -24 6

All statistics correct as of 17:00 Thursday, 13th February.

57

inside palace

palace for life Palace for Life coach Pat Gordon is one of more than 100 people across England and Wales being celebrated through the Premier League’s More Than A Game campaign for his involvement in a variety of Premier League funded programmes.

p

at Gordon is a Palace for Life legend who has worked on a range of programmes to support South Londoners over the past decade.

There isn’t much Pat doesn’t know about changing lives in our community – his 10 years at Palace have seen him work across nearly all of our programmes, old and new.

His current focus is the PLPFA Mentoring programme, where he mentors young people one-to-one, helping them address challenges with mental health, build resilience, and develop skills to improve their employment prospects.

He’s also an experienced Premier League Inspires coach, equipping secondary school students with the personal, social and employability skills they need to succeed in life.

One of his most powerful contributions was his work with Damary Dawkins, a talented young player at our Player Development Centre. When Damary was diagnosed with leukaemia and required a bone marrow transplant, Pat became a driving force in the #Donate4Damary campaign. He rallied the club, the Foundation, and the local community

58

donate to palace for life below

inside palace

to support Damary’s fight, organising donor drives and raising awareness.

Over 100 people registered as potential donors, and the campaign became a powerful example of what can be achieved when a community comes together.

Pat’s compassion and commitment extend far beyond a single programme or a single campaign. He has recently been delivering life-changing programmes at Croydon College and John Ruskin College, empowering young people with the tools and skills they need to thrive.

One example was his work with Jesse, who went from low attendance at college, to achieving Student of the Year with the help of Pat’s mentorship.

Jesse, who worked with Pat over just a few months, said: “I couldn’t have achieved any of it without my mentor and the partnership we created. Discussing my fears, tackling my lack of selfconfidence, and providing me with consistent guidance has made all the difference. I now know I can achieve anything if I put my mind to it.”

Sarah Hoddy, Pat’s line manager, was just one of a few who nominated Pat for the Community Captain award.

She explains why: “Pat encapsulates what it means to be part of the wider community, bringing an attitude to his work that radiates positivity, and when needed he is the first person that will give you an honest and open conversation – he makes everyone that he works with feel wanted and part of the Foundation. Although a larger than life character, he is actually very humble

Pat encapsulates what it means to be part of the wider community, bringing an attitude to his work that radiates positivity sarah hoddy pat’s line manager

when it comes to what he does, but he is literally changing lives.”

Pat has been at the forefront of our work with local prisons HMP Highdown and HMP Downview, helping to rehabilitate prisoners through the Twinning Project, an initiative that uses football to help build trust and prepare for life outside prison.

Most recently, Pat has been leading on our Street Soccer social mobility programme, helping young people aged 16-24 who are not in education, training or employment move into more positive pathways, including in football coaching. This year alone Pat has worked with over 50 young people on this programme.

59

The Premier League supports football at every level of the game in England and Wales, providing world-leading investment in clubs, communities and facilities to positively impact the lives of millions of people.

We’d like to thank Pat for a decade of dedication and hope he loves his Community Captain armband, trophy and pennant

.

To help Palace for Life support even more young south Londoners, you can donate using the QR code below.

60

100 years of selhurst park

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100 years of selhurst park

100 YEARS OF Selhurst Park

As Selhurst Park celebrates its 100 th year during the 2024/25 campaign, club historian Ian King is looking back at a century of history from 1924 to the current day…

how many?!

It was not until 1925 that official attendance figures were recorded by the Football League, a couple of years after the Football Association started doing so – and, indeed, appearances were not reported on a regular basis by the press until 1938.

Given that uncertainty, it explains why the number of spectators for our first game at Selhurst Park against The Wednesday on 30th August 1924 is quoted as a round 25,000 – but for

our game on Boxing Day that year against Portsmouth, a less ‘clean’ figure of 24,229 is given.

Looking back over time, figures can naturally also show the social tendencies of an earlier age – particularly when midweek fixtures were played in the afternoon.

Although there was a half-day closing of shops on a Wednesday, many of Palace’s lowest figures occurred for these games.

The weather also had an influence as quite a number of fixtures were played in some

62

appalling conditions, which also deterred all but the most hardy of supporters to venture forth and pay cash at a turnstile to stand on the open terraces.

Palace’s first ‘big’ attendance was for a FA Cup tie against Chelsea in January 1926, when 41,586 spectators were present – but until the top-flight was reached for the first time, our largest league attendance was 38,006 for a top-ofthe-table Division Two clash with Q.P.R. in September 1967. A Division Four ‘derby’ with Millwall witnessed

100 years of selhurst park

37,774 pour through the turnstiles, still a record for the fourth tier.

At Selhurst Park, average League attendances remained in five figures from its opening, and for almost 60 years continuously there-on. The nadir was reached in the mid-1980s, when there were under 4,000 fans present for a League game against Carlisle in February 1986, while a Full Members’ Cup tie with Brighton the previous October had enticed only around 2,200 spectators.

The highest-ever attendance figure at Selhurst Park of 51,482 – smashing the previous record of 49,498 – was on that magical evening of Friday, 11th May 1979, when Palace, under manager Terry Venables, defeated Burnley 2-0 to win the Division Two Championship.

Originally reported as 51,801, the number was later amended, although

The highest-ever attendance figure at Selhurst Park of 51,482 – smashing the previous record of 49,498 – was on that magical evening of Friday, 11th May 1979, when Palace defeated Burnley 2-0 to win the Division Two Championship

many of us present were aware of a large number of spectators gaining ‘unofficial’ entrance to swell this figure even more!

At the opposite end of the scale, the lowest attendance at Selhurst Park occurred on the afternoon of Wednesday, 18th December 1935, when there were only 2,165 spectators in attendance for a Division Three South encounter with Newport County. The game was just four days after an early exit from the F.A. Cup against lowly Margate – although at least the couple of thousand hardy souls who made it inside were treated to a 6-0 victory.

Nowadays, the official capacity at Selhurst Park is given as 25,486 but – with seats blanked off to segregate home and away supporters – it usually hovers around the 25,100 mark… just as it did 100 years ago!

.

63

100 years of selhurst park

ian king’s Selhurst Squad

More than 900 players have graced the turf at Selhurst Park across a century of special memories, but who makes Ian King’s squad of the finest in each position?

t

homas was playing in the same Crewe Alexandra side as future England international David Platt when he came to the notice of Crystal Palace manager Steve Coppell, who shelled out £50,000 for his signature in June 1987.

With a distinctive upright stance and his powerful running in midfield, the fair-haired Thomas soon became a firm fans’ favourite, and was voted the club’s next Player of the Year. He missed the second part of the following season with a stomach injury as Palace won the play-offs, but served as captain throughout our first season back in Division One, which ended with our first FA Cup Final at Wembley. Sadly, our dream of lifting the trophy ended in the replay when Thomas was fouled well inside the penalty area, only for the officials to award a free-kick outside the area by quite a distance.

The 1990/91 campaign was Thomas’ finest as the club finished third in Division One, and he scored the opening goal in the Zenith Data Systems Cup Final back at Wembley against Everton. Indeed, were it not for a substitution at Southend in a meaningless League Cup tie, with the Eagles already 8-0 ahead, he would have played every minute of the 52game season.

Geoff

Thomas position

nationality

cm

Thomas then won the first of his nine England caps against Turkey in Izmir, and also his second Player of the Year trophy. The next two seasons were more frustrating for the talisman, as he suffered injuries in both campaigns and transfer speculation involving Arsenal and Blackburn coincided with a minor loss in form.

With three games left of 1992/93, Thomas wrote in the matchday programme that he felt sure the club would avoid relegation, but it was not to

64

be – and that summer he departed for Wolves despite widely-reported interest from Manchester City.

There would be another battle for Thomas when, in June 2003, he was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia, from which he made a full recovery. Since then, he has worked tirelessly for charity, riding the route of the Tour de France a few times and raising sizeable sums of money. In 2005 he won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Helen Rollason Award, and in June 2021 was awarded a MBE. Simply put: I can think of no other player more worthy of inclusion.

100 years of selhurst park

RIIHILAHTI honourable AKI -

Mentions andy gray -

Gray was one of multiple players whom Chairman Ron Noades and manager Steve Coppell recruited from local non-league clubs when he joined from Dulwich Hamlet in November 1984. Starting off as a forward, Gray soon moved to midfield, where his powerful and creative displays attracted other clubs, moving to Aston Villa in November 1987 under a bit of a cloud.

Surprisingly he was back at Selhurst Park for our return to Division One where, once again, his performances helped us get to the FA Cup Final and then a third-place finish.

Again, this enigmatic figure reportedly fell out with the club, and in the summer of 1992 joined Spurs for £900,000.

gareth southgate Coming through the club’s Junior ranks, Southgate was equally at home in defence or midfield, where he exuded authority and confidence making his debut in October 1990. In the summer of 1993, he took over the captaincy, and under manager Alan Smith – with Palace winning the Division One championship – became the youngest player to lead the club to a promotion.

Back in the Premiership, Southgate appeared in every one of the 57 League and Cup games but following another relegation and Smith departing, most fans realised that Southgate would be leaving as well – to Aston Villa for £2.5 million.

Joining the club in March 2001, Riihilahti soon established a bond between himself and the club’s fans with his energetic and wholehearted displays in midfield, netting an invaluable goal at Portsmouth at the end of the season to aide our survival.

Unfortunately, he suffered from injury in the early stages of the 2003/04 season, but was back to be part of manager Iain Dowie’s resurgent side that returned to the Premiership. Back in the top-flight he more than held his own but, following relegation, injuries again hampered his appearances in 2005/06, and at the end of the season he left the club for Kaiserslautern.

michael hughes Northern Ireland international Hughes signed for the club in the summer of 2003 following a registration dispute between two other clubs, and his displays in an attacking midfield role soon endeared him to the fans. Following Dowie’s arrival as manager he became almost ever-present, netting the winning penalty at Sunderland which took the Eagles to the Millennium Stadium. Following our return to the Premiership, he was handed the captaincy, and continued to be a vital cog over the next two seasons before departing for Coventry City.

In the next issue, Ian makes the last of his midfield choices for his ultimate Selhurst 100 squad...

65

selhurst

Squad JOHN GK JACKSON

1964-1973

nigel gk martyn

1989-1996

RB

Paul HINSHELWOOD 1973-1983

rb

joel ward

2012-

kenny lb sansom

1975-1980

lb richard shaw

1987-1995

CB MEL BLYTH

1968–1974 1977-1978

cb jim cannon

1973-1988

cb eric young

1990-1995

rm peter taylor

1973-1976

rm attilio lombardo

1997-1999

cm steve kember

1963–1971 1978-1980

cm geoff thomas

1987-1993

?

..................... .....................

?

..................... .....................

?

..................... .....................

?

..................... .....................

?

..................... .....................

?

..................... .....................

100 years of selhurst park

stories of Selhurst Park

Selhurst Park isn’t just a Premier League football ground, but the heart of a vibrant and diverse community, whose stories stretch back a century. Here – to coincide with Valentine’s Day – we hear from John Suter, the subject of one of the stadium’s most remarkable romantic tales…

i

t was one of those totally off-thecuff moments.

I was born in Richmond. When I was a child, most of my uncles used to take me to Chelsea, but I was never quite a fan, and just liked being taken out for an ice cream! I actually left school at 15, and went on to work in the city for some international commercial insurance brokers.

My family moved to South Norwood in around 1959. My new friends told me I should either support Crystal Palace, or Croydon Amateurs – and as Palace’s ground was only 300 yards up the road, it was a no-brainer!

I met Doreen at the local youth club. At that time, she was working in Allders – in its day, the megastore of Croydon. She was Chinese Malaysian and had come to England to study a Nursing course, but gave it up and decided to stay and work in London.

A friend had brought her to a dance at St. Chad’s Youth Club, just up the road from Selhurst Park.

When I found out Doreen lived in West Croydon, I offered to run her home. The rest, as they say, was history.

Doreen and I met in 1965 and got engaged in 1966. At the time, living on Holmesdale Road, I was regularly attending Palace matches.

If I happened to be doing something else on a Saturday and missed a bit of a match, I could actually still get into the ground for free, because the top gate on the Holmesdale Road End was

With all our family and friends there, the place was a bit crowded, and we were wondering what else we could do, so I said: “well, why don’t we go to the football match? We’ll go as we are!”

always opened at half-time! My friends and I used to stand on the Terrace, or walk round to Whitehorse Lane.

I used to buy what was a tiny little programme at that point and, in around November time, I was flicking through it and thought: “Oh, my 24th

66

birthday is going to be on a Saturday – that’s very handy.” Doreen and I were already engaged, so I thought: “We’ll get married on my birthday – and then we’ll never forget our wedding anniversary!”

In those days, everybody seemed to get married on a Saturday, and the parish priest said: “It’ll have to be a 10 o’clock wedding, John, because I’ve got two others that day.” As a result, the church hall was already booked, so we decided to have the reception in the family house on Holmesdale Road.

The day came around and, by the time we’d already had our wedding breakfast, everybody was sort of standing around. With all our family and friends there, the place was a bit crowded, and we were wondering what else we could do, so I said: “well, why don’t we go to the football match?

We’ll go as we are!”

I persuaded Doreen and the two bridesmaids (the blonde one in the photograph is my sister). Everyone thought it could be a fun idea – even one of my uncles and his son, who were Chelsea supporters! I phoned up and said there were about 17 or 18 of us who wanted to come to the match, and the club found a block for all of us. One of my aunts generously paid

100 years of selhurst park

for the tickets – about 10 shillings each in those days.

It was just one of those quirks that in any other year, on a 4th February [1967], you could have had snow.

Some of the guests lent Doreen and the bridesmaids fur coats – but it happened to be quite a nice, sunny day.

I wasn’t thinking it would be anything at all – just something for us to remember, and which might amuse a few people in the stands. We didn’t anticipate there would be any press photographers there – so we were a bit stunned when we found out we’d appeared in two of the Sunday papers and the Croydon Advertiser!

All the fans around us cheered – they thought it was brilliant. It was just one of those silly off-the-cuff things you do, not thinking it’d be of any interest to people other than yourselves. But as we

were trooping up Holmesdale Road with all the crowd, they were all giving us a cheer, which was great.

We were playing Plymouth Argyle, and I remember it wasn’t a particularly brilliant match – but we did at least win 2-1, which made the day!

These days, my three daughters and youngest grandson are all Palace fans too, and the photograph has always amused them.

Over the years, Doreen and I gradually moved further away from Croydon. We lived for many years in and around the Fleet area, but we still attended home matches and – until she passed away in December 2012 – we were Season Ticket Holders in the upper tier of the Holmesdale Road Stand, overlooking the goalmouth.

Nowadays, although I now live in Wiltshire, my youngest grandson Luca

67

and I are Season Ticket Holders in the Arthur Wait, which is great. We usually get up to the ground early so we can have our fish and chips in Doneagles – that’s always been my grandson’s favourite treat – and as we sit in the front row, I quite regularly get high-fives with Alice and Pete the Eagle.

I love Oliver Glasner and his attacking style of play. It’s been really brilliant supporting Palace – there’s always something interesting happening – and we continue to support our local team to this day.

Happy birthday from all of us at Crystal Palace, John!

.

Got a Selhurst story to tell?

Let us know by emailing selhurst100@cpfc.co.uk!

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68

round-up

69

round-up

eagle arcade

8 letters m©carthy, townsend 7 letters bolasie, johnson, vaughan

Another matchday is upon us at Selhurst Park, so it’s time to get your heads in the game – can you tackle all our tough teasers below?

wordfit

6 letters martyn, phelan 5 letters tosun

Can you fit these 10 names to have played for both Palace and Everton into the puzzle?

4 letters bent, nash

career ladder Guess the ex-Palace player based on their former clubs!

t o s u n

SPOT THE BALL Prove that you are eagle-eyed – which ball is the real one?

70

round-up

quiz-talpalace 1

What is Everton’s nickname?

2

How many Everton players featured in England’s Euro 2024 squad?

today’s mascots william Cheesman

3

Where did Everton play their home games, prior to Goodison Park’s construction in 1892?

4

Who is the youngest goalscorer in Everton’s history?

5

Who is Everton’s record Premier League goalscorer?

6

How many times have Everton won the League Championship? (either Premier League or Old Division One)

7

Everton are one half of the most played fixture in English league football history – against which opponent?

prediction: age: 11

2-1 william paul prediction:

age: 8

3-0 ewan Macintyre prediction:

age: 10

3-1 harry Castell prediction:

8

Who was Everton’s manager at the start of the season?

9

Who is Everton’s top goalscorer so far this season?

age: 8

2-0 joe Wilson prediction:

Which club did David Moyes leave for when ending his first reign as Everton manager in 2013?

age: 7

2-1 tauren James prediction:

10) Manchester United 7) Aston Villa 8) Sean Dyche 9) Iliman Ndiaye

age: 6

4) James Vaughan (16 years 270 days) 5) Romelu Lukaku 6) 9

2-0 marcus James

1) The Toffees 2) 1 (Jordan Pickford) 3) Anfield Quiz:

prediction:

Spot the Ball: C Career Ladder: Nigel Martyn

10

age: 8

71

2-0

round-up

what’son?

Every day is a busy one at the Palace, from matchdays – Men’s, Women’s and Academy – to anniversaries, birthdays to events. Keep track of everything happening at the club right here…

palace √ everton

palace u21s √ villa

fulham √ palace

sat 15 feb | 17:30

mon 17 feb | 19:00

sat 22 feb | 15:00

premier league

premier league 2

premier league

LIVE audio commentary

LIVE match broadcast

LIVE audio commentary

palace √ villa

palace √ millwall

palace √ ipswich

tue 25 feb | 19:30

sat 01 mar | 15:00*

sat 08 mar | 15:00

premier league

emirates fa cup

premier league

LIVE audio commentary

LIVE audio commentary

LIVE audio commentary

To follow Palace’s Premier League clashes, the hunt for Academy silverware and our first season in the Women’s Super League, subscribe to Palace TV+ by scanning here:

72

round-up

Random Acts of Kindness Day.

Ron Noades became Palace chairman as Ray Bloye stepped down.

Ismaïla Sarr turns 27.

monday, 17 february

17 february, 1981

25 february

Final Champions League play-off ties.

Palace progressed to the last eight of the FA Cup after knocking out top-flight Nottingham Forest.

Franco Umeh turns 20.

wednesday, 19 february

20 february, 1965

26 february

First Palace PL win on a Leap Year – away at Brighton.

Dylan Reid turns 20.

29 february, 2020

01 march

saturday, 01 march

73

round-up

from the terraces The page for supporters: taking your comments from the terraces into the programme. Want to get in touch? Use the details below.

Happy 7th birthday to Elliot sitting in the Main Stand, love from Grandad, Nana and Uncle Harry.

To Max, Wishing you a very happy 8th birthday! Hope you have a wonderful birthday and enjoy the match. Lots of love. Mummy, Daddy, Molly and Rancho xxx

Happy 40th birthday Oliver lots of love from Sara, Wayne, Joe, Rose, Pebbles, Aaron Fiona, Mum, Dad Rory Ruby Emily Ellis Henry Jimmy and a heavenly wish from nanny bubbles xxx

Happy 50th Birthday to Paul Dadson!

All your friends and colleagues at the Rivermead Inclusive Trust send their love and birthday wishes as you celebrate your big day!

Enjoy your first game Harry! From Uncle James, Richard, Matt, and everyone else in Block Z. Well done for choosing Palace!

74

Congratulations to Ben Tubbs and Hayley on the birth of their little Eagle Freddie tubbs lots of love from Mum, jack, becca and Annie-mae

round-up

Happy 78th Birthday John! We hope you have a great day. Lots of love from Dave, Jan, David, Jen, Helen and all the family.

Happy 40th Birthday, Adam Shears!

Lifelong Palace fan & Holmesdale Lower Season Ticket holder. Have an amazing birthday weekend – hopefully topped off with a big Palace win!

Love, Georgina & Family

It is with deep sadness that we inform you of the sudden death of Charlie Morrison who passed away on 14th January 2025. Forever in our hearts.

Welcome to the Palace family Chester Phillips. You are the 5th generation of O’Kill Palace fans. From 1950’s to 2020’s and beyond. Love Grandpa Dan and Uncle Max x

Huge congratulations to my sister and brother-in-law, Linda & Stuart Ormanroyd who tied the knot on 2 Feb 2025 after over 30 years together.

Much love from your ‘actual’ family and your ‘football’ family, too. Much love from Sue & Peter. X”

Trevor Baker, a season ticket holder in the Main Stand, sadly passed away suddenly on 15 January, aged 73. Trevor’s first match was with his brother in 1967 and he followed Palace home and away ever since. He was a regular on the supporters’ coaches for all of the away games. He will be sorely missed by his brother, Howard, sister, Ann, family, friends (especially “The Bonio Club”!), colleagues and pupils at Addey and Stanhope School in New Cross to which he dedicated his whole working career, and the many fans that he met over the years.

His love for football showed no limits.

Fly high, Trevor.

75

Rob Newell, lifelong Palace fan, sadly lost his battle with cancer on Thursday 9th January. He will be missed by his friends here in Ramsgate. Fly high with the Eagles.

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

round-up

24/25 fixtures & results

ALL-TIME

may

april

mar

february

january

december

november

october

september

august

Home fixture Away fixture Cup fixture (Crystal Palace score shown first) Started Used sub Unused sub Goal(s) Yellow card Red card Date

Opposition

attendance/KICK-OFF

Sun 18

Brentford

16,988

L

Result 1-2

Position 13th

Sat 24

West Ham United

25,099

L

0-2

17th Second round

Tue 27

Norwich City

12,503

W

4-0

Sun 1

Chelsea

39,298

D

1-1

16th

Sat 14

Leicester City

25,124

D

2-2

16th

Tue 17

Queens Park Rangers

13,945

W

2-1

Third round

Sat 21

Manchester United

25,172

D

0-0

16th

Sat 28

Everton

38,954

L

1-2

18th

Sat 5

Liverpool

25,185

L

0-1

18th

Mon 21

Nottingham Forest

29,443

L

0-1

18th

Sun 27

Tottenham Hotspur

25,108

W

1-0

17th

Wed 30

Aston Villa

34,851

W

2-1

Fourth round

Sat 2

Wolverhampton Wanderers

29,505

D

2-2

17th

Sat 9

Fulham

25,142

L

0-2

18th

Sat 23

Aston Villa

42,175

D

2-2

19th

Sat 30

Newcastle United

25,101

D

1-1

17th

Tue 3

Ipswich Town

29,533

W

1-0

17th

Sat 7

Manchester City

25,142

D

2-2

16th

Sun 15

Brighton & Hove Albion

30,893

W

3-1

15th Quarter-final

Wed 18

Arsenal

59,298

L

2-3

Sat 21

Arsenal

25,167

L

1-5

16th

Thu 26

Bournemouth

11,129

D

0-0

16th

Sun 29

Southampton

25,130

W

2-1

15th

Sat 4

Chelsea

25,179

D

1-1

15th

Sun 12

Stockport County

21,014

W

1-0

Third round

Wed 15

Leicester City

29,766

W

2-0

12th

Sat 18

West Ham United

62,469

W

2-0

12th

Sun 26

Brentford

25,066

L

1-2

12th

Sun 2

Manchester United

73,751

W

2-0

12th

W

2-0

Fourth round

Mon 10

Doncaster Rovers

12,739

Sat 15

Everton

17:30

Sat 22

Fulham

15:00

Tue 25

Aston Villa

19:30

Sat 1*

Millwall

15:00

Sat 8

Ipswich Town

15:00

Sat 15

Newcastle United

15:00

Wed 2

Southampton

19:45

Sat 5

Brighton & Hove Albion

15:00

Sat 12

Manchester City

15:00

Sat 19

Bournemouth

15:00

Sat 26

Arsenal

15:00

Sat 3

Nottingham Forest

15:00

Sat 10

Tottenham Hotspur

15:00

Sun 18

Wolverhampton Wanderers

15:00

Sun 25

Liverpool

16:00

palace Career Appearances palace Career goals

76

Joel Ward Tyrick Mitchell Rob Holding Maxence Lacroix Marc Guéhi Ismaïla Sarr Jefferson Lerma Eddie Nketiah Eberechi Eze Matheus França Daniel Muñoz Jean-Philippe Mateta Jeffrey Schlupp Nathaniel Clyne Daichi Kamada Will Hughes

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 17 18 19 20 21 22 25 26 28 29 30 31 34 42 46 55 58 63 64

47 362 173

1

25 140 29 55 21 149 13 44 135 247 234 26 109 28

2 103

1

56 61

31

3

1

3

1

0

14

4

0

2

0

0

1

1

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

2

0

0

0

6

3

8

5

1

2

31

0

3

42 19

1

2

2

77

0

21

0

Asher Agbinone

Zach Marsh

Caleb Kporha

Justin Devenny

Franco Umeh

Kaden Rodney

Chadi Riad

Remi Matthews

Matt Turner

Naouirou Ahamada

Cheick Doucouré

Chris Richards

Ben Chilwell

Odsonne Edouard

Romain Esse

Adam Wharton

Dean Henderson

round-up

round-up

table

week25

pos Club P

W

D

L

F

A

GD Pts

fri 14 feb 20:00

1

23

17

5

1

56

21

35

56

american express stadium

2

24

14

8

2

49

22

27

50

3

24

14

5

5

40

27

13

47

sat 15 feb 12:30

4

24

12

7

5

47

31

16

43

5

24

12

5

7

48

35

13

41

6

24

12

5

7

42

29

13

41

7

24

11

7

6

41

28

13

40

8

24

10

7

7

34

37

-3

37

9

24

9

9

6

36

32

4

36

10

24

8

10

6

35

38

-3

34

11

24

9

4

11

42

42

0

31

12

24

7

9

8

28

30

-2

30

13

24

8

5

11

28

34

-6

29

14

24

8

3

13

48

37

11

27

king power stadium

sat 15 feb 15:00 villa park

sat 15 feb 15:00 craven cottage

sat 15 feb 15:00 etihad stadium

sat 15 feb 15:00 st. mary’s stadium

sat 15 feb 15:00 london stadium

15

24

7

6

11

29

46 -17 27

sat 15 feb 17:30

16

23

6

8

9

23

28

-5

26

selhurst park

17

24

5

4

15

34

52 -18

19

sun 16 feb 14:00

18

24

4

5

15

25

53 -28 17

anfield

19

24

3

7

14

22

49 -27 16

sun 16 feb 16:30

20

24

2

3

19

18

54 -36

tottenham hotspur stadium

9

All statistics correct as of 17:00 Tuesday, 11th February.

nextthree

home away

sat 22 feb 15:00

tue 25 feb 19:30

sat 01 mar 15:00*

craven cottage

selhurst park

selhurst park

78

*Date/time subject to change.

Crystal palace f.c.

1 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 17 18 19 20 21 23 25 26 28 30 31 34 42 46 55 58 63

Dean HENDERSON (GK) Joel WARD Tyrick MITCHELL Maxence LACROIX Marc GUÉHI Ismaïla SARR Jefferson LERMA Eddie NKETIAH Ebere EZE Matheus FRANÇA Daniel MUÑOZ Jean-Philippe MATETA Nathaniel CLYNE Daichi KAMADA Will HUGHES Adam WHARTON Romain ESSE Malcolm EBIOWEI Ben CHILWELL Chris RICHARDS Cheick DOUCOURÉ Matt TURNER (GK) Remi MATTHEWS (GK) Chadi RIAD Kaden RODNEY Franco UMEH Justin DEVENNY Caleb KPORHA Zach MARSH

everton f.c.

A. Taylor G. Beswick A. Nunn S. Attwell M. Salisbury D. Cook

1 2 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 17 18 19 22 23 24 27 29 31 32 37 42 75

Jordan PICKFORD (GK) Nathan PATTERSON Michael KEANE James TARKOWSKI Dwight McNEIL Orel MANGALA Dominic CALVERT-LEWIN Iliman NDIAYE Jack HARRISON João VIRGÍNIA (GK) BETO Jake O’BRIEN Abdoulaye DOUCOURÉ Youssef CHERMITI Ashley YOUNG Vitaliy MYKOLENKO Armando BROJA Séamus COLEMAN Charly ALCARAZ Idrissa GUEYE Jesper LINDSTRØM Asmir BEGOVIĆ (GK) Jarrad BRANTHWAITE James GARNER Tim IROEGBUNAM Roman DIXON

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