Crystal Palace v Nottingham Forest matchday programme 2223

Crystal Palace √ NOTTINGHAM FOREST sunday, MAY 28 2023 | 16:30

Directors

Chairman Steve Parish, David Blitzer, Joshua Harris, John Textor Chief Financial Officer

Sean O’Loughlin

Sporting Director

Dougie Freedman

Club Secretary

Christine Dowdeswell

Head of Sports Medicine

Dr. Zaf Iqbal Academy Director

Gary Issott

Director of U21 Development

Mark Bright

Chief Operating Officer

Sharon Lacey

Chief Commercial Officer

Barry Webber

General Counsel

David Nichol

Head of Ticketing

Paul McGowan

Head of Retail

Foz Bowers

Chief Marketing and Communications Officer

James Woodroof

Head of Safeguarding

Cassi Wright

Head Groundsman

Bruce Elliott

Editor Will Robinson

Design Billy Cooke, Stu Ellmer, Lucas Gough

Contributors Robin Johnson, Toby Jagmohan, Tommy Macarthur, Doc Brown, Ian King

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

Printer Bishops Printers

It’s nice to be part of the generation coming up with so much talent. It’s all about perspectives, because they could see something in a different way that I hadn’t seen before

BEER FESTIVAL RETURNS

The ever-popular Beer Festival returns to Selhurst Park on Saturday, 3rd June – and tickets are on sale now on cpfc.co.uk The 11th annual edition of the festival will once again see hundreds of beers and ciders from breweries both near and far, available to attendees on a celebratory summer’s day. There will be entertainment throughout the day, as well as a wide variety of food available. Tickets are on sale from just £15, but make sure to get in early before prices rise to £23 on the

On this day: may 28th

Joel Ward arrived at Crystal Palace from Portsmouth in 2012, with the club proclaiming:

‘We firmly believe he will be a Premier League player one day.’

How right they were. Almost 300 top-flight appearances later, the right-back will go down as one of the club’s greatest servants and is surely the best £400,000 the club has ever spent.

day. Your ticket includes access to the event, a free pint and a complimentary festival glass with an exclusive design.

To book as a group, take advantage of our special offer: buy five tickets and get the sixth for free! Simply use the code 2023BFGroup at the checkout.

Attendees can watch Palace Aid, Palace for Life Foundation’s first-ever charity match, from the Holmesdale Road stand, with Andrew Johnson and Ben Bailey Smith captaining the sides – or watch the FA Cup final on the Selhurst big screen!

Fan update

Thank you for your incredible support throughout the 2022/23 season – we hope to see you back at Selhurst Park for the start of the new campaign in August!

What’s inside

Find out… how Forest were inspired by an Italian revolutionary (page 42), how the Palace community created a special reunion (page 52) and discover the origin story of an all-time great (page 56).

I would like to welcome Steve Cooper, the Nottingham Forest coaching staff, directors, players and fans to Selhurst Park today – and I want to congratulate Steve on guiding Forest to safety in the Premier League.

Adecade in the topflight is a fantastic achievement and not something to be taken for granted, so congratulations to everyone involved with the club in that time. As our 10 th consecutive Premier League season draws to a close, we can look back and reflect on how far the club has come. I was reminded of this at Craven Cottage on Saturday, when I saw players who have served the club fantastically over many years, like Joel Ward who scored our equaliser, alongside exciting young talents who are getting better and better every week. The future looks very bright if we can keep working hard, and I see no reason why we can’t have another successful season next year.

What particularly pleased me at Fulham was the players’ attitude and professionalism. With both teams having secured safety, there was speculation that the game might be something of a dead rubber but I know our

players better than that, and it was excellent to see the effort that they put in – they will give absolutely everything until the final game.

From a personal viewpoint, I find it hard to believe that the past 10 weeks have flown by so quickly and that working with this group of players could have given me so much pleasure and satisfaction. For Ray and myself, the return to the club has been made so much easier by the

From a personal viewpoint, I find it hard to believe that the past 10 weeks have flown by so quickly and that working with this group of players could have given me so much pleasure and satisfaction

way that we have been received by both players and staff alike, and we have enjoyed seeing so many respected faces once again. It is incredible to see club servants like Macca, Luka, Tonks, Jaïro and Clyney who perhaps haven’t featured as much as they deserved during our second spell, and who have given us and the team really good support and encouragement. Characters like them are hard to find.

As I have just said, it has been a joy to be back at Selhurst Park for these past few months, and I want to thank Steve Parish and Dougie Freedman for giving me the opportunity to return. I have been lucky to work with a squad of dedicated players, and I hope that we have given you some moments to remember alongside some positive results both at home and on the road.

There is always a team behind the one you watch at the weekend and as manager you are a frontman for that team, whose work can go less noticed by the general public and mass media. Ray Lewington, Paddy McCarthy and Dean Kiely have done fantastic work both on the training field and in the video analysis room to make sure that we can feel confident that we have done all we can to prepare the players for the next match. Similarly, our two video analysts Tom Johnson and Kieran Dowler have been brilliant in working with Ray and Paddy to produce our post- and pre-match video

content. Dr Zaf Iqbal, Head Physio Jimmy Haycock and their staff have ensured the team has suffered relatively few injuries this season.

Joanne Whittle, our press officer, has been of enormous help in ensuring that our media communications are met and carried out without much disruption. Christine Dowdeswell, our club secretary and my PA, for whom no task is impossible or unwanted, has certainly made my life easier during this spell at the club.

Finally, no mention of the team behind the team is complete without mentioning Danny Young, nominally our player liaison officer but in reality much more than that. He has provided the glue which binds us together and continually solves daily problems which players and coaching staff are more than capable of creating.

Your support at Fulham was phenomenal and I want to thank you for following the team up and down the country this season. Every time we step out at Selhurst Park, we know that we have your backing and support – I know how important it has been in getting us to where we are today with Premier League safety secured and a chance to finish the season on a high. I look forward to seeing you for one final time this season, and I hope we can produce a performance befitting of the atmosphere you are bound to create.

Thank you for your support .

Every time we step out at Selhurst Park, we know that we have your backing and support – I know how important it has been in getting us to where we are today with Premier League safety secured

manager

Club captain Luka Milivojevic will leave Crystal Palace this summer after more than six years in south London – in his final set of programme notes, he bids goodbye to the club he has come to call home…

thank you luka

As I prepare to step out at Selhurst Park for one final time, I wanted to take this opportunity to explain to you all how much the last six-and-a-half seasons have meant to me.

Where I grew up, playing football in front of thousands of fans and millions more on television was a fantasy. My parents were fans of Red Star Belgrade, and my father took me to the ‘Eternal Derby’ against Partizan when I was just four-years-old. We arrived at the stadium six hours before kick-off – I remember a policeman asking him: ‘Are you crazy? How can you go in there with that young guy on your back?’

Standing with the ultras of Red Star, I just watched. I don’t remember the game, but from that moment I was in love with football. It stayed with me. When you are a kid, everything seems simple; you know what you love and what you don’t. I know that from that point on, football was inside my veins.

But growing up in those days was not easy. When I look back now, it puts things in perspective. It makes me so grateful for the opportunities I have had in life, and for the special memories that football has given me. For a child

growing up in the middle of a war, playing football in the Premier League was a pipe-dream – but now it is a reality.

You have all helped me to fulfil that dream. I have said it before and I will say it again now: there are no better places in the Premier League to play football than at Selhurst Park. There is something unique about the way you get behind us on the field, whether we are winning or losing. We know that you are ready to push us on to find that late goal, or to keep that crucial clean sheet. Hearing the roar of the crowd after a goal or after the final whistle is something every player is lucky to experience.

Goodbyes are always hard, but I have so many fond memories to look back on that will put a smile on my face – and I hope yours too. Yes, I will look back at a winning goal against Manchester City, or big wins at Old Trafford, or reaching Wembley in the FA Cup semifinals. But I will also look back at all of the days on the training pitch with a great group of players all pushing day in, day out for this football club. It is the people who make an organisation what it is, and that is the case here.

I arrived here from Greece in 2017, and since then south London has become my home. Crystal Palace is a community club, and I want to thank all of the managers, coaches and staff members who made my stay here such an enjoyable one. At this club we are

all one big team: everyone looks out for one another, and it is what helps us to defy expectations year after year. Thank you especially to Steve Parish and Dougie Freedman for their support since my arrival, and for giving me the opportunity to play for so long in the Premier League.

When I look at the club now compared to when I arrived, I see a team full of ambition to reach higher and higher. We have so many talented young players within our ranks, and it has been my pleasure to lead this group as captain. As a senior player, you try your hardest to pass on some of your experience to the next generation in the hope they can write their own stories at the club, and that is what is happening here.

In Serbia we have a saying: ‘You plan, God is laughing’. It means that life can take you in so many different directions, so you have to be ready to take every opportunity that comes to you. Whatever happens in the future, I know that I will always have a place to call home in south London. I look forward to coming back to Selhurst Park one day to watch the team, and you can be sure that I will be following the results from afar.

To play in the Premier League is every player’s dream, and to do it for so long at Crystal Palace has been a privilege for me – I hope that I have made you all proud. Now, for one final time… …make some noise! .

When I look at the club now compared to when I arrived, I see a team full of ambition to reach higher and higher. We have so many talented young players within our ranks, and it has been my pleasure to lead this group as captain

captain

For one final time this season, welcome to Selhurst Park – and thank you for your incredible support during this campaign, at home and on the road. Welcome to the supporters, staff, players and directors of Nottingham Forest, and congratulations to them for retaining Premier League status.

We are guaranteed an 11th or 12th placed finish, at least 10 points clear of safety – and next season will be our 11th consecutive in the Premier League. Everyone at the club should be immensely proud of that achievement. We hosted a wonderful dinner with many of the squad who secured promotion back in 2013, and as I said to them on the night: we simply wouldn’t be in this position without each and every one of them.

There has been some tremendous progress in many areas of the club this season, with our Academy site set for completion in the summer with the finishing of the rehab complex, and, whilst not visible yet, much has been done on the Main Stand project.

I’d like to congratulate all of our Award winners, especially our Players of the Season: Cheick Doucouré, Fran Kitching (Women), David Ozoh (Under-21s) and Zach Marsh (Under-18s). A special mention for Michael who scooped Goal of the Season and Players’

we are guaranteed an 11th or 12th placed finish, at least 10 points clear of safety – and next season will be our 11th consecutive in the Premier League. Everyone at the club should be immensely proud of that achievement

chairman

Player of the Season. There were many contenders for each of these awards, which is testament to the quality and depth we have. Yet another thank you must go to Roy and Ray who have done a simply excellent job since joining us a few months ago.

I must place on record my enormous thanks to outgoing captain Luka Milivojevic, who has been a magnificent servant since joining us in 2017. He leaves us with 198 appearances and 29 goals. To be made club captain during his second season with us and to maintain it ever since speaks volumes about Luka. I have no doubt he will go on to perform at a very high level for the remainder of his career, and he will always be welcome here at Selhurst.

James McArthur also leaves us today after nine years, amassing 252 appearances and 19 goals. But his contribution goes far beyond those statistics. He has been a mainstay of the side, and has never given less than 100% when pulling on the shirt. An absolute stand-out professional on and off the pitch, his leadership and character will be hard to replace. I very much hope both of these fine players will be back with us in some capacity one day.

I also must share my warmest thanks and best wishes to two members of the backroom staff who have been with us for a decade and are leaving for pastures new. Firstly, Danny Young. Danny has tirelessly devoted his life to supporting the first-team group and absolutely

loves the club, making friendships that will last a lifetime. Ian Evans from the medical department is also moving on, having joined when we were in the Championship and been a hugely popular member of the team. Both will be missed around the training ground.

As you may be aware, there are a handful of other players whose contracts are also up in the summer, but we are having several positive conversations and hope to update supporters on each of them soon.

Huge congratulations to Marc, Ebere and Sam for their England call-ups. It is richly deserved for their performances and it is always such a joy to see a Palace player pull on an England shirt. Congratulations also go to Joachim,

Cheick and Chris for their inclusion in their respective national squads – it is always a source of pride for us to see our players representing their country.

Our Academy teams had another fantastic year, with the most notable achievement being the U21s finishing runners-up of the Premier League International Cup, losing out to an impressive PSV side in the final. I would like to thank the quite incredible 5,941 supporters who came to Selhurst to cheer on Darren’s team on Tuesday night – what an effort, and a wonderful atmosphere you all created. The team also secured a fourth place finish in PL2, which was a great achievement and the players will have learned a lot from the experience.

Our U18s finished third and have been a joy to watch – whilst our U15s were Floodlit Cup champions. Joe Whitworth and David Ozoh both made their senior debuts, and I have no doubt we will see more from them, and many others in the years to come. A fantastic year for the Academy.

I’d finally like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of my colleagues at the club who have worked so hard behind the scenes.

Have a wonderful few weeks off, and I look forward to seeing you during pre-season around the country, and perhaps for some of you Chicago & Detroit too. Thank you once again for your continued, loyal support.

Up the Palace .

Have a wonderful few weeks off, and I look forward to seeing you during preseason around the country, and perhaps for some of you Chicago & Detroit too. Thank you once again for your continued, loyal support

His legacy secured as one of the club’s greatest-ever players and his mural affirming the pride of south London, Wilfried Zaha talks profound realisations, stepping up as a leader and enjoying his chance to shape the next generation.

Words: Will Robinson

However I feel, I will express how I feel

How does one try to distil the essence of Wilfried Zaha into just a few words? It’s like trying to capture the importance of Mr Rolls to Mr Royce, or of Eric Morecambe to Ernie Wise. Palace and Zaha have been separated before and yet they are inseparable; they are iconic names in and of themselves, but together have achieved so much more.

The distillation of Zaha at Selhurst Park could be boiled down to a few sounds. The clatter of plastic seats as thousands rise to their feet in anticipation. The throaty, hoarse ‘GO ON’ from the stands as the chance grows clearer. The split-second silence as the ball races through the air, almost in slow-motion. And then the explosion of noise as the Palace No. 11 wheels away, leaving the net bulging and the opposition goalkeeper sprawled in his wake.

But to sum him up in just those terms feels too simple, so why not let Zaha do it himself? “There are a few words you can associate with me,” he says. “One of the main ones is: ‘Passionate’. However I feel, I will express how I feel.” Passionate is right – it’s how he has conducted himself in a long and successful career in south London.

“What I do when I step on the pitch is try to stamp my authority on each game,” he explains.

“Obviously, that’s going to have an influence on your team if you try to do that every single game. I will try to show that I’m one of the better players each game – every game

Wilfried Zaha

– year after year after year. I didn’t think I would have the impact that I did, but I’m happy because I try to keep the same standards every single time I play.”

Don’t let that last sentence trick you into thinking Zaha has anything but the very highest levels of self-confidence. Plenty of players can have a very good season, and many can even have two or three. To be a standout performer for a period approaching a decade takes a different level of talent, dedication, self-belief and – you guessed it – passion.

Zaha travelled with the firstteam before making his debut. The players he looked up to were from the ‘old-school’: tough, demanding and with the most bulletproof of mentalities. Paddy McCarthy, Shaun Derry, Julian Speroni. There was plenty of room to grow, but no forgiveness for anything less than 100 percent. When he came on for his debut against Cardiff City in March 2010 at just 17-years-old, he had to show that he belonged.

“I travelled so many times with the team, gaining experience,

I will try to show that I’m one of the better players each game – every game – year after year after year. I didn’t think I would have the impact that I did, but I’m happy because I try to keep the same standards every single time I play

watching the team and how hard and physical it was,” Zaha remembers. “But it didn’t deter me. I still wanted to get out there and show what I could do.

“I was obviously very anxious, and just wanted to be able to show off my talent. I remember that the week leading up to that game, the manager was asking me: ‘Are you ready?’ From there I thought I may get an opportunity.

“When he called me up I remember on matchday I just couldn’t stop smiling, because it was all I ever wanted. It was a dream come true to be able to actually just get on the pitch and play.” Play he did. It was his sole appearance that season, but it marked the changing of the guard. At Hillsborough two months later, Palace survived from the brink of extinction; on the opening day of the following season, he started and scored. The rocky 2000s were over, and the Wilfried Zaha era had begun.

Palace have changed enormously in the decade and more since, but Zaha has remained the club’s standout player – a sign of his adaptability. “I feel like it’s changed in terms of the way we play,” he says. “It’s totally different. We’ve got more players who are – how can I say it? – more silky players out wide.

“We’ve got a load of ballplaying defenders. Over the years, the game has changed. Now you’ve got defenders who are so good on the ball, so before it was like you could close down the defender and then he may panic and boot the ball out, but now you’ve got centre-

backs that could play in midfield half of the time!

“I feel like our team has progressed with the talent all over the pitch, really. I feel like that’s the main thing I’ve seen over the years.” And yet, he has remained crucial. It has meant changing his own game too. “Me personally, I feel like I’ve just become a bit more effective in my game,” Zaha explains. “When I was younger I was very skill-based, taking on a lot of players, but now I feel like it’s just: move past someone and have a shot straight away.

“That’s my mentality every single game – it’s to try to score a goal every game. It’s difficult because sometimes I can’t. Some games just don’t allow you to do what you want to do, but my mentality is to get at least get three or four shots off every game and try to score a goal. Me before, it was just try to get nutmegs and stuff like that, which is nothing! You come off the pitch and think: ‘Am I trying to make a YouTube compilation?’ When I think about it, no one cares!”

Wilfried Zaha

I feel like our team has progressed with the talent all over the pitch, really. I feel like that’s the main thing I’ve seen over the years. Me personally, I feel like I’ve just become a bit more effective in my game, When I was younger I was very skill-based

That’s my mentality every single game – it’s to try to score a goal

at the end of the day, is your name on the scoresheet?

It’s quite a profound realisation and is a change in strategy that speaks to a holistic outlook on how the game is played – a recognition of what benefits the team, rather than his own reputation. It is one he is passing on to the younger players around him. “When I speak to the youngsters, like Michael and Eze, it’s like: ‘No one cares about the YouTube videos – at the end of the day, is your name on the scoresheet?‘

“You can play horrid, but at the end of the day, if you’ve scored, that’s it. When they show Match of the Day, that’s it – that’s all that matters! That is what I try to tell them every single time: be as effective as possible. When you get your opportunity, go past them and score, go past them and shoot, because that’s the only way you’ll be remembered.”

What is becoming clear is Zaha’s increasing role as a leader within the dressing room. He still feels as young as ever – “I’ve had some good times, man – I can’t believe I’m 30!” – but he recognises that he has an immense amount of wisdom to offer. “Seeing players born in 2000… it’s like: what do you get up to now?!

That is what I try to tell them every single time: when you get your opportunity, go past them and score, go past them and shoot, because that’s the only way you’ll be remembered

Wilfried Zaha

being the captain of a club I’d been at for so many years was obviously a proud moment for me

“It’s enjoyable. We compete with the little things. We’re doing finishing in training and I’m like: ‘Let’s see some nice goals!’ It’s nice to be part of the generation coming up with so much talent and quality. I can still add my little bit, speak to them, and then they give me their insight into different things. It’s all about perspectives, because they could see something in a different way that I hadn’t seen before. I’m just glad I can be part of the new generation of ballers that are coming through.”

That willingness to share, but also an enthusiasm to learn from those of a different generation, are tell-tale signs of a player growing into his seniority – and it hasn’t gone unnoticed. Zaha has captained Crystal Palace on numerous occasions, including this season under Roy Hodgson, and it is a role from which he takes immense pride.

“One moment, a proud moment for me – and this was nothing to do with me being at Manchester United before – was the first time I was captain of the club at Man Utd away,” he remembers. “The good thing is we managed to win and I scored two goals that day, but who I played for aside, me being the captain of a club I’d been at for so many years was obviously a proud moment for me.”

After all these years, there is one bond which will always be unbreakable: Zaha’s connection with those lucky few who get to watch him produce moments of magic every week. “Me, personally,

Wilfried Zaha

I feel like Palace have the best fans in the Premier League,” he says.

“It’s one team that supports you no matter what. The fans support you through thick and thin. We’ve had so many games where, even us, we know we could’ve done better, but you’re not getting abuse – they genuinely care not just about you as a player, but the messages I get show they care about you as a human being. They care about you off the pitch.

“Football gives so much to people, so me being here, it’s like a proper family. That’s the only word I can really put to being part of Crystal Palace for this long – being around with people here, people that work here, people that love the club, they’re good people. It’s no real surprise. If I could be anywhere for 13 years, Palace is one of the best places I could be at.”

Zaha is right: football gives so much to people. His tone is one of gratitude, but his modesty is misplaced. Football has given so much to all of us, and when it comes to Crystal Palace, nobody has given more than Wilfried Zaha

I can still add my little bit, speak to them, and then they give me their insight into different things. It’s all about perspectives, because they could see something in a different way that I hadn’t seen before. I’m just glad I can be part of the new generation of ballers that are coming through

has been there and done it all – but how have more than 450 games at Crystal Palace prepared him to answer some of our toughest and least important questions?

the follow the follow -up -up

#29 Who is the hardest opponent you have ever played against?

As a right-back, probably [Antonio] Valencia. He is strong and fast. I really had to think outside the box to get past him. It’s like with Aaron [Wan-Bissaka]: he was a winger before but a right-back now, and no one can get past him! When you are high up the pitch and get moved back, it’s like you know what everyone is going to do.

#36 If you could bring a former teammate of yours to Palace, who would it be?

It would probably be Darren Ambrose. Between Ambrose and Glenn Murray. Actually between three players – oh my god, this is a difficult one! Between Yannick Bolasie, Darren and Glenn. They are all amazing.

I will say Darren Ambrose because I have seen him score some unbelievable goals. You don’t even have to do that much with assists for him. See Man Utd [in the League Cup]? I just gave him the ball at the halfway line and he shot from that far and still scored. He can shoot from anywhere and still score, so probably Darren.

#54 What is your best piece of advice to young players?

Get out there and practise constantly. Never give up. Constantly practise. You won’t be perfect, but you will be consistent. No one is ever perfect, but if you are consistent that’s the important thing, so practise all the time.

#60 Do you put milk in tea first or last?

I put the milk in last. That is random… but yeah – it goes in last. I like a milky tea, not too dark

Worth a try? Probably.

thank you MACca

This afternoon will be James McArthur’s final outing for Crystal Palace, with the midfielder leaving the club this summer after nine successful years.

Since joining in September 2014, the Scotland international has been an impeccable representative of the Football Club, making 252 appearances in all competitions in a Palace shirt and scoring 19 times – including a matchwinner against Arsenal in April, 2019 and playing the full 120 minutes of the 2016 FA Cup Final.

A virtual ever-present during his first six seasons in red and blue, McArthur would miss just six Premier League games between the summers of 2017 and 2020. Whilst he has been injured for much of this season – during which time he remained an important presence in the dressing room and at the training ground – he took the captain’s armband on his 250th game for the club.

McArthur will leave as the current squad’s third longest-serving player, with only Joel Ward and Wilfried Zaha spending longer at Selhurst Park. Allow Roy Hodgson to pay tribute to a perfect club servant – with a few special teammates, opponents and guests…

Roy Hodgson

“It is astounding me that once again he is the player who works the hardest in training, the player who runs the most in training. He really is an example to people. Any young player training alongside James McArthur should be asking themselves the question: ‘How come this guy with hundreds and hundreds of matches can still outrun me in training, can still show more enthusiasm in training, can still show more passion and enthusiasm for the game? How can he still be such a good colleague and be so well-liked by everyone around him? What have I got to do?’

“Everyone really should be looking at James and thinking: ‘How can I become James McArthur?’ That would be a goal, I think. I can't think of a better player to put forward and say:

Everyone really should be looking at James and thinking: ‘How can I become James McArthur?’ That would be a goal, I think. I can't think of a better player to put forward and say: ‘This is what you should be aiming for’. James is certainly a very popular guy

‘This is what you should be aiming for’. James is certainly a very popular guy.

“He is a quiet leader. He is not a leader going out there trying to show: ‘I’m the most important person at the club. I’m the man.’ He is a leader that you should look to, because he is the one that does everything you want a football player to do.

“I often hear it said that

McArthur is underrated. No, he is not underrated, because he is rated most highly by all the most important people: coaches, managers and players he worked with. That is the best rating he can get. He certainly isn’t underrated by fellow pros, and he certainly isn’t underrated by coaches and managers – far from it. We would have him at the top of the tree with the highest rating.”

An absolute standout professional, on and off the pitch, James’ leadership and character will be hard to replace. I’d like to personally thank him for his contribution to the club; and wish him and his family nothing but the very best for the future

steve parish

Steve parish -

“James has been a mainstay of the side for the best part of a decade, and has never given less than 100% when pulling on the shirt – his tenacity and energy has unquestionably had a huge impact on us retaining our Premier League status for that record period of time.

“An absolute stand-out professional, on and off the pitch, James’ leadership and character will be hard to replace. I’d like to personally thank him for his contribution to the club; and wish him and his family nothing but the very best for the future. We look forward to one day welcoming him back; he will always be welcome at Selhurst Park.”

Cheikhou Kouyaté

“Maccinho – what a player, what a guy! Congratulations – you deserve more and more. Love you!”

Wayne Hennessey -

“Macca – wow! You’ve been a fantastic player for Crystal Palace, honestly. Well done.

Neil Warnock -

“Well done to James. You are an absolute dream for a manager to have under his wing – you’ve been fantastic. You have been an absolute dream for the club: loyalty, a good player. I'm proud I signed you – well done.”

recognition you get from all your colleagues, from the people who know you, managers, people who work with you who recognise you for the type of person and player you are. You are one of the unsung heroes of football.”

Will Hughes

“He’s a very underrated, very clever, technical footballer. He’s the most driven footballer I have ever played with, and that is testament to his character. I’m competitive in a lot of things, but he is a different level – a weird level! On and off the pitch he is a hard act to follow. His professionalism and drive to succeed is second to none. He has always given me advice. It has been a pleasure to work with him.”

Joel Ward

“He will always find a way to win, that’s for sure. He is super competitive, but you need people like that: people who will drive on standards and make sure people achieve. Macca is someone you would go to the trenches with. He is someone who will always elevate you, push you on and demand higher standards from you. He is someone you can always rely on.”

Nigel Pearson

“James, congratulations on a fantastic career. I would love to be able to shake you by the neck… er, hand! I hope you can enjoy the

James Tomkins

“He is a very good player –underestimated. People don’t realise how much he brings to the team, and people won’t know that until they have actually played with him. He is the most competitive guy you will ever meet – a great professional. He is always giving advice to the young kids.”

Tyrick Mitchell

“He’s a leader. He’s someone you want to run and work for, because he will give his all for you. The only way to describe him is: ‘life of the party’. He has the energy of a child!”

He is someone who will always elevate you, push you on and demand higher standards from you. He is someone you can always rely on

Joel ward

I also want to say a massive thank you to every one of the fans. The support that I’ve had personally, and the support that they give the team, is like at no other club

thank you MACca

James M©Arthur -

“If you’d have told me when I first came to Crystal Palace that I’d be here for nine seasons, I’d have found it hard to believe, because it’s rare in football to spend so long at such an amazing Premier League club.

“I would like to thank everyone: all my managers, the Chairman, [Sporting Director] Dougie Freedman, and the players present and past. I’ve had a journey with so many people here over the years.

“I also want to say a massive thank you to every one of the fans. The support that I’ve had personally, and the support that they give the team, is like at no other club. When times are tough, Palace fans really get behind the team, and that’s so important to all of us. I will always be a fan of the club.”

James m©arthur

Did you know?

Nottingham Forest won back-to-back European Cups after promotion from the second tier under Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, their first success coming in 1979 against Swedish side Malmo FF – who would go on to win five straight league titles under Roy Hodgson a few years later.

the reds the reds

Nottingham Forest have defied all expectations with their late-season form, putting a tough winter period behind them and securing their Premier League status for next season.

match preview -

After sitting in 19th place as late as April 22nd, having lost six of their seven previous games, Forest have put together a run of results at just the right time, winning three and drawing one of their last five games.

Results have come against tough opposition too, with Forest beating both Brighton & Hove Albion and Arsenal and getting a point from behind at Stamford Bridge; now, the final day allows them some breathing space.

It amounts to a successful campaign for Steve Cooper, who retained the faith of the board to find a winning formula from a squad comprised mainly of new signings, and now sights will be firmly set on preparing for the start of the new season in August.

story so far

Top scorer Taiwo Awoniyi (9)

Most assists Morgan Gibbs-White (7)

Most passes Joe Worrall

TAIWO AWONIYI

Former Liverpool man Awoniyi has scored seven times in all competitions this season, as well as making five appearances for the Nigerian national side.

Homeawaythird

recent matches most recent = bottom

last five √ palace

Boot in both camps

Cheikhou Kouyaté

Africa Cup of Nations

winner Kouyaté made 141 appearances for Palace across four years, featuring both in midfield and in defence during a successful period at Selhurst Park. He moved to Forest last August, and has been critical

Recent clash

STEVE COOK

POS DEFENDER NAT ENGLAND

POS DEFENDER NAT WALES

POS GOALKEEPER NAT COSTA RICA

17 apps 51 saves

HARRY TOFFOLO

POS DEFENDER NAT WALES

POS DEFENDER NAT COTE D’IVOIRE

clean sheets

Height 1.85m

Joined January 31st, 2023

Age 36 player profile

Debut February 5th, 2023 v Leeds United

Three-time Champions League winner Navas will go down as one of the modern greats, but at 36-years-old he retains enough of his competitive nature to throw his weight behind Forest’s survival push. With 110 international appearances to his name and 18 major trophies since his move to Europe in 2010, he is adding a new chapter to a remarkable career.

career history: Saprissa, Albacete, Levante, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain

NEcO WILLIAMS

serge aurier

KEYLOR NAVAS

scott m©kenna

POS DEFENDER

NAT SCOTLAND

38

felipe

POS DEFENDER

NAT BRAZIL

32

renan lodi

POS DEFENDER NAT BRAZIL

05

orel mangala

POS MIDFIELDER NAT BELGIUM

Age 26

player profile

Height 1.85m

Joined Academy

Debut October 29th, 2016 v Reading

career history:

Dagenham & Redbridge (loan), Rangers (loan)

joe worrall

POS DEFENDER NAT ENGLAND

07

CLEAN SHEETS

29 apps

51 tackles

Worrall came through Forest’s Academy and has nailed down his spot in the starting XI, earning a permanent appointment as club captain for their first Premier League campaign since the 1990s. He has made more than 200 appearances for the club since his debut in 2016, and has been a constant in a season of personnel changes at the City Ground.

jesse lingard

POS MIDFIELDER

NAT ENGLAND

POS MIDFIELDER NAT SENEGAL

Cheikhou Kouyaté 2223

ryan yates remo freuler

POS MIDFIELDER

NAT ENGLAND

Age 23

POS MIDFIELDER NAT SWITZERLAND

morgan gibbs-white

POS MIDFIELDER

NAT ENGLAND

player profile

Height 1.71m

Joined August 19th, 2022

Debut August 20th, 2022 v Everton goals

career history:

Wolves, Swansea City (loan), Sheffield United (loan)

82 apps 8 assists

Gibbs-White won the Under-17s World Cup with Steve Cooper in 2017, with the future Forest boss rating him as highly as fellow midfielder Phil Foden; this season that potential has begun to show. Signing for a significant fee from Wolverhampton Wanderers, he has been virtually ever-present since and has inspired a late push for survival.

POS FORWARD

sam surridge

POS FORWARD NAT ENGLAND

brennan johnson

POS FORWARD

NAT WALES

37 apps

3 assists

emmanuel dennis

POS FORWARD NAT NIGERIA

Age 22

Height 1.79m

Joined Academy

goals

aNDRé AYEW

POS FORWARD NAT GHANA

Debut August 3rd, 2019 v West Bromwich Albion

A product of Forest’s Academy and a Wales regular, Johnson has followed up his highly-successful Championship campaign with an impressive debut Premier League season, reaching double figures for goals in all competitions and assisting the push for survival. With their top-flight status secured, he will undoubtedly be a key asset next season.

player profile

career history: Lincoln City (loan)

stat pack stat pack

Crystal Palace have won just one of their last nine home league games against Nottingham Forest (D4 L4).

Nottingham Forest are unbeaten in their last seven top-flight meetings with Crystal Palace, since a 1-0 home loss in February 1991.

Joachim Andersen Joe Worrall

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

Weren't they...

Originally shinty players. Shinty, a team game played with sticks in the Scottish Highlands much like hockey or hurling, sees players try to fire a small ball into a ‘hail’ (goal) using a ‘caman’ (wooden stick) without being hit on the ‘noggin’ (head). OK, we added that last one.

The point is, a group of shinty players in Nottingham met at the Clinton Arms for the small matter of post-match pints and setting up one of England’s biggest clubs. Early on they played both football and shinty as Nottingham Forest, while their baseball team were British champions in 1899.

They began to reach out to try to further the sport elsewhere: they

Arsenal, Brighton and Everton among others. Somehow, though, they were rejected in their bid to join the inaugural Football League in 1888 and later entered in 1892.

didn't TheY...

Invent shinpads. Sam Weller Widdowson was a highly successful sportsman during the Victorian era playing cricket for Nottinghamshire and – when the schedule allowed – football for Nottingham Forest. So highly was he rated that he played once for England against Scotland in 1880. Before kick-off in 1874, Widdowson cut down a pair of cricket pads and strapped them to his socks. His opponents – hell, even his teammates – found the concept a ridiculous one and reacted with laughter, but it soon caught on and to this day shinpads are a requirement in the Laws of the Game. Widdowson continued to be at the forefront of football development: he refereed the first game to use nets and became Forest’s chairman from 1879 to 1884.

pub talk tibdit

Some of the greatest players this country has ever seen have played at the City Ground – but not just for Nottingham Forest. Undoubtedly their two-time

European Cup winners rank as highly as any side, but in 1996 a new set of superstars descended.

The City Ground was a host for the European Championship, hosting games featuring Portugal, Croatia and Turkey. The list of protagonists is eye-watering: Slaven Bilic, Davor Šuker, João Pinto, Rui Costa, Luis Figo, Hakan Sükür. Kids, if you’re feeling confused, ask your parents.

aren't they…

Honouring an Italian revolutionary. In the 1860s, clubs were more proud of their headgear than their kits, and so when Forest were established in 1865 they ordered a dozen tassled caps in ‘Garibaldi red’, adopting the same colour on their shirts.

The founders identified with Giuseppe Garibaldi – if you’re wondering, yes he did give his name to the biscuits – who was the Italian revolutionary hero and leader of the redshirts. Garibaldi played a crucial role in the unification of Italy in the 1860s and 1870s.

Forest later donated a set of kits to Woolwich Arsenal in 1886, influencing their decision to wear red, and to Independiente, one of Argentina’s biggest clubs to this day, in 1905 on their tour of South America.

wEREN'T they…

Once captained by Doctor Who. Well, sort of. Matt Smith, the 11th doctor, initially had no interest in becoming an actor – he had his sights set on football. His grandfather represented Notts County and, although his teacher

signed him up for a drama festival after seeing his promising performance in Twelve Angry Men (leave your jokes at the door, please), he refused in an effort to focus on football.

Smith represented Northampton Town and Leicester City before moving to Nottingham Forest, occasionally captaining the youth sides, before a serious back injury forced him to rethink. He played alongside Jermaine Jenas at Forest, and both went on to launch a successful career in television after their football careers stalled: Smith Doctor Who and Jenas with The One Show

Pre-match pint

Dogs Grandad – Red IPA (5.5%)

Based in Brixton, Dogs Grandad Brewery makes hop forward beers that are easy to drink using quality, natural ingredients. Their Red Dog Redemption is a malty and earthy IPA with a ruby red colour, and is available at the Beer Festival on Saturday, 3rd June.

30 YEARS OF THE PREMIER LEAGUE

Crystal Palace 3-0 Arsenal – April 4th, 2022

One of Palace’s most assured wins of recent years was secured thanks to three different frontmen: JeanPhilippe Mateta, Jordan Ayew and Wilfried Zaha.

doc brown

Ben Bailey Smith

Ben Bailey Smith signs off – for now...

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.

GOODBYE IS THE HARDEST WORD

Well, we made it. You, me, Palace. To quote Damon Albarn, “you and I, collapsed in love, and it looks like we might’ve made it… Yes, it… looks like we’ve made it to the end”. And reflecting the bittersweet nature of that Blur classic, perhaps this is the moment we do bid each other adieu. Will I be here working my magic next season? Who knows? Quick “Heartbeat” chant suggestion: “Ben Bailey Smith just (Ben Bailey Smith just), Ben Bailey Smith just (Ben Bailey Smith just), Ben Bai… Ben Bailey Smith just writes down his thoughts for me.” Or the time-honoured classic: “Doc Brown! Gissa wave! Doc Brown, Doc Brown, gissa wave!” And of course, I’d return the favour…

But perhaps the wave I do today will be my last. There’s been no negotiations, no one’s approached me and I’ve not been poached by anyone else. Maybe I’ll just run my contract down and leave on a free. Captaining a Palace XI on the 3rd of June here for the brilliant Palace for Life Foundation will be like a testimonial for me (alongside

the Beer Festival which, knowing my profound love of the amber nectar could mean a deeply emotional farewell). And being a creative media tart, I will milk it. You have been warned. But perhaps it's all a smokescreen – a flashy distraction from what could be a very real loss at Selhurst Park, because I’ll be back in some incarnation, but there’s now a crippling sense of inevitability that some other stalwarts may not. My fears are twofold: Joel Edward Phillip Ward and a certain Wilfried Armel Zaha. Now let’s get this straight – I love these two men in a way that makes my wife and children jealous. I like to think I

Captaining a Palace XI on the 3rd of June here for the brilliant Palace for Life Foundation will be like a testimonial for me

have a vivid imagination, one strong enough to build a career off of, but I just cannot seem to imagine either man in anything other than red and

Ben Bailey Smith

blue stripes. Wardy’s pre-Palace career to me is merely a mirage –existing only in Chinese whispers and fairytales. Seeing him score an actual real-life goal at Craven Cottage was akin to watching the moon landing. I hugged my kids, wiped away a tear and just said “remember this day.”

As for the greatest player to ever pull on a Palace shirt, well. Where do we begin? I have teenage children who don’t even know Crystal Palace without Wilf (this is in part due to the way I wilfully hid his Manchester United sabbatical from them as toddlers). To put it simply, Wilf IS Crystal Palace. He embodies our frustrations, our hopes and fears, our dreams and nightmares. He’s the physical representation of what, deep down, we believe we could someday be: world class.

Wilf has done things with a football that defenders would have outlawed if they could. The man is the best type of menace I’ve seen in SE25 since my dad showed me videos of Wilf’s spiritual Obi Wan Kenobi: Vincent Mark Hilaire. That’s right, I’m using middle names today because it’s the level of gravitas required. When I saw him doing his Wilf-thang against Bournemouth, as much as I was thinking about how much longer he might do the dang thang for us, I definitely didn’t think it might be the last time I saw him in red and blue like, ever. I don’t know about you but to me that’s like sending my kids off to university but getting no assurance that they’ll ever come back (which, like Palace

and Wilf, would save some money but jeez – the heartbreak...)

Now, I’m no Dougie Freedman. I’m not a patch on Steve Parish. My influence is middling at best. But I do feel on a par with an Alan – not Pardew but Partridge. So I have zero shame in publicly begging please – PLEASE give me a second series! But more pressingly, I feel no embarrassment in getting down on my knees to Wilf and begging him to stay. Imagine if he finished his career with us? That’s statue territory. I’ll kneel in front of his baby Bentley and plead. Even as he pulls away in horror, I’ll jump on the bonnet. I’ll cling to the windscreen until he has to use the wipers to slide me off.

ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME, MARGARET.

And if divine power can’t make him stay, well… I truly wish him the best.

But please can we still finish above Chelsea?

Or just not be 12th?

Thank you, Lord. And thank you Eagles, for another season in the Holy Land. I bloody love you all.

Ben x

But more pressingly, I feel no embarrassment in getting down on my knees to Wilf and begging him to stay. Imagine if he finished his career with us?

That’s statue territory. I’ll kneel in front of his baby Bentley and plead

Keeping you posted on all things south London. Over the page, hear how the Palace community came together…

bill wyman

A lifelong Palace fan, Wyman was born in Lewisham and grew up in Penge, leaving school in Beckenham as a teenager and pursuing a career in music. He soon found fame with his new band: the Rolling Stones, selling 200 million records and becoming perhaps the biggest touring band of the 20th century. He left in 1993 and continues his own projects to this day.

Norwood High Street

4th June 2023

For street food, arts, crafts and local produce, head down to West Norwood Feast – a community event run by volunteers, with the promise of live music and children’s activities. Four hubs offer crowd favourites from over 100 market stalls.

when Palace fan Jason tweeted an iconic photograph of a woman proudly brandishing a Palace scarf, adorned in the trappings of 1970s fashion, he never expected to meet the subject herself. After all, the photo was taken almost 50 years ago.

Soon, though, he received a message from the very same woman. ‘It was the game at Chelsea against Southampton,’ the text read, referencing the 1976 FA Cup semi-final. ‘Malcolm Allison was our manager. Apparently the picture was on ITV on the Sunday.’

Jason delivered a framed print of the photo to June – some birthday present from a fellow Palace fanatic. “I posted on all the Facebook groups and within a couple of hours I got this

message from June saying it was her,” Jason told Palace TV.

was 47 years ago. It was amazing because she was so happy.”

June – sitting in the dugout at Selhurst Park – was thrilled to discover her iconic image all these decades later. She remembers that momentous day at Stamford Bridge in 1976. “All the crowds were swaying and singing, all very enthusiastically,” she explained. “My youngest son was very shy. I just said: ‘Look Chris, hold your scarf up! That’s what you want to do – and shout EAGLES’. I showed him, not realising the spotlight was on me.

“She said she couldn’t believe it because she had never seen the picture before, even though it

“At that particular time I was at Guy’s [Hospital] as a nurse – an operating theatre sister. At about five o’clock, a number of surgeons came to the Guy’s opening door and said: ‘Can we speak to you?’ ‘What’s wrong?’ I thought there was an accident!

My youngest son was very shy. I just said: ‘Look Chris, hold your scarf up! That’s what you want to do – and shout EAGLES’. I showed him, not realising the spotlight was on me

“They said: ‘What were you doing dressed up like Malcolm Allison on the television?!’ I never realised it. I never gave it a thought, never saw the picture on television or anything.

“My very good friend had on Facebook a picture of this lady with a Malcolm Allison hat. [I thought:] ‘She’s got my scarf, and my coat – why is she wearing a Malcolm Allison hat?’ It suddenly dawned on me this young woman in her early 40s was me. I contacted my friend and I said: ‘Please, where did you get that? I have never seen it before.’ Bless his heart, he sent me a photograph and I have got it now.”

From the touchline at Selhurst Park, June surveyed the stadium around her; the lush green pitch, the crisp white lines and

the seats vivid in red and blue. “It’s mind-boggling,” she said, laughing. “You ask why? This pensioner goes to the shops and does her shopping and watches the match on TV and shouts and screams, but this… look at it! It really is fantastic. I love it.”

It goes to show once again what the football community

can do when it comes together, and why Crystal Palace is such a special club for all those who call south London home – and plenty more further afield too.

After June’s special day, she sent a message to Jason: ‘My goodness, you have made this nearly 90 yr [sic] old very happy, fantastic. I’m still flying!” .

You ask why?

This pensioner goes to the shops and does her shopping and watches the match on TV and shouts and screams, but this…look at it! It really is fantastic. I love it

G ALS 4 G.O.S.H

BANK HOLIDAY

MONDAY 29TH

MAY 2023

KICK OFF: 6:30pm

An exclusive exhibition football match at Selhurst Park stadium to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital children’s charity.

Raising money in Aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity. Registered Charity No.1160024

THROUGH THE LENS

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

z z zaha

who else? No other player has quite defined Palace’s decade in the top-flight in the same way as Wilfried Zaha. His goals have kept the team alive when they needed it most; his creativity and skill has been lighting up Selhurst Park, even during some of its darker periods. And, crucially, he’s one of our own. But how did he get here?

It was a bitterly cold northeastern night at St James’ Park in February, 2010 and Zaha, just 17-years-old, had a point to prove. He was on the cusp of a game that would shape his career forever; the beginning 90 minutes of football that would turn him from an overlooked hopeful to a world-renowned icon.

This is the story of how he did it.

Growing up, Zaha was an unassuming, quiet boy who kept

himself to himself until he took to a football field. He’d been part of Crystal Palace’s Academy

from the age of eight, when a club scout scooped him from the hashed Sunday League pitches of

Whitehorse Wanderers and set him on the path to global stardom.

“He was very introverted,” recalls Academy Director Gary Issott. “He would come in, do his work and be no problem. He was a good player and a top player, one of the top five in the group. But he wasn’t someone who, as a 16-year-old, played up in the Under-18s, which lots of players have done and continue to do as early developers. His was a slow process.

he obviously had really good feet, his technique was good, but he was quite tough. The first-team players would kick him all over the place and he’d just get on with it

john pemberton

“For the first three or four months, he was getting used to full-time training and the professionalism of everything and he didn’t play as much as he’d like in the Under-18s.” For Zaha himself, that period stands out.

“When I reached Under-18s, I went through a spell where I wasn’t playing at all,” he remembered. “I’ve never been through that phase as a footballer, where you go through rough patches. That was the first time. I used to go home and actually cry at times because I was thinking: ‘What do I do?’ It’s a thing where you’ve got to be mentally strong. I was just like: ‘You know what? I just need to carry on’ and I pushed through that spell.”

And then it came: the turning point, the night Wilfried Zaha’s name would pass from the hushed lips of London’s youth coaches to the attention of Crystal Palace’s manager, board and fanbase. St James’ Park, February 25th, 2010 – the FA Youth Cup. The month before, Zaha had struggled to secure a place on the wings of a competitive Under-18 team. The month after, he would make the first of over 450 appearances for Crystal Palace.

“Newcastle away was when I thought: ‘He’s got a major chance of playing in the first-team here,’” Issott recalls. “We lost on the night 4-2. Wilf had won two penalties and was outstanding. I remember texting [former Palace CEO] Phil Alexander on the way back: ‘We lost the tie, but I’ve

seen a performance tonight that’s given me real hope of someone that can play in our first-team.’”

Issott’s intuition was right, and it was perfectly timed, too. Palace’s management had an eye out for new recruits to bolster its threadbare squad as, days after Zaha’s Newcastle masterpiece, Paul Hart, John Pemberton and Dougie Freedman took hold of a club hurtling towards relegation under the weight of administration.

would kick him all over the place and he’d just get on with it.”

“I used to be there and not say a word,” Zaha remembers. “I used to literally go out and just try to prove that I was good enough to be there, not go out there and muck about because you get hammered instantly if you’re not giving 100%.”

Zaha was at the zenith of his career so far, and yet he was right back where he’d started: unassuming and quiet, keeping himself to himself until he took to a football field. He retained an attitude fine-tuned by tunnel vision and a skillset unmatched even amongst his professional superiors.

Then, in March, 2010, it all paid off. Palace were trailing Cardiff City at a drizzly Selhurst Park. The No. 36 was held up as Stern John trotted from the field. On the sidelines, a 17-year-old Wilfried Zaha waited eagerly, his loose long-sleeved shirt billowing over his shorts; his shorts, in turn, billowing around his knees.

Pemberton, the then-first-team coach, describes it vividly: “The first thing I noticed about him when he trained with the first-team was that some people can ruin a session – he never did that. He added a quality to our training sessions. The other thing I noticed about him was he obviously had really good feet, his technique was good, but he was quite tough. The first-team players

Stepping on to the turf, a smile took over his face. ‘This is all I wanted,’ he thought, before making number one out of more than 450 Crystal Palace appearances. ‘This is everything I’ve gone through. This is finally it.’

The Premier League had no idea what was headed its way. With a goal tally now exceeding legends from David Beckham to Paolo di Canio, Robert Pires to Kevin de Bruyne, it’s certain that the boy from south London – the boy nurtured at Crystal Palace – will go down as one of the best the Premier League has ever seen .

I used to literally go out and just try to prove that I was good enough to be there, not go out there and muck about because you get hammered instantly if you’re not giving 100%

wilfried zaha

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

May 13th: Brighton

0-2 Palace -

Three days after the goalless draw at Selhurst Park the Eagles set off for the Amex Stadium and what was found in the away dressing room soon filtered through to the fans. With Glenn Murray sidelined the only change was to bring in Aaron Wilbraham who rose to the occasion.

Palace started brightly with Jonny Williams surging forward, but Julian Speroni had to be alert at the other end after efforts from Leonardo Ulloa and Will Buckley. A deflected Zaha cross just before half-time looked to be heading for the bottom corner but Matthew Upson cleared the ball off the line. Early in the second-half Zaha broke away but Williams dragged his pass just wide.

In an attacking move, Andre Moritz and Yannick

Bolasie were introduced but it was Ashley Barnes who nearly broke the deadlock, as Speroni tipped his shot onto the crossbar and

Dean Moxey cleared his header off the line. With 20 minutes left Bolasie curled in a cross for Zaha, who raced in with a diving header that crashed into the net – then, with the clock clicking down to 90 minutes, Zaha turned a defender in the area to slam home a shot via the underside of the crossbar. The Eagles were off to Wembley.

May 27th: Palace

1-0 Watford -

Around 40,000 Palace fans made the trip to Wembley three years after possible oblivion and at the end of a season that had started, in some eyes, as a battle to remain in the Championship.

Manager Ian Holloway stuck with the same starting XI as at the Amex, meaning Bolasie was on the bench along with Kevin Phillips. The loss of Kagisho Dikgacoi to injury after just 15 minutes was a blow and both sides found it difficult to create clear chances.

The Eagles dominated the second-half and carved out three opportunities in the last 10 minutes

of normal time, but without the breakthrough extra-time beckoned. Speroni showed great reflexes to deny Troy Deeney, and as half-time approached Zaha nudged the ball past Marco Cassetti, whose flailing leg brought him down in the penalty area. Up stepped former Hornet Phillips, a 65th minute substitute for Williams, who calmly fired a rocket of a spot-kick into the top-corner.

As the minutes ticked down, it was Joel Ward’s turn to be a hero as he took a drive full in the stomach and then was on the line to head away Watford’s last effort.

One of the most abiding memories of the presentation is of the injured Glenn Murray, having cast off his crutches, sitting on the pitch and holding the trophy aloft surrounded by teammates .

player in focus

BORN: 25 th July, 1973 – Hitchin

APPEARANCES: 405 goals: 7

kevin

Phillips signed on loan from Blackpool on January deadline day to reunite with former manager Ian Holloway. He came off the bench to score his first Palace goal against Watford in the league and aged 39 showed that he had lost none of his predatory instincts with a hattrick against Hull City.

At Wembley, Phillips netted the all-important penalty in extra-time to end his own personal play-off hoodoo. He signed permanently that summer, before joining Leicester City in January, 2014.

We’re both sitting on the steps of Wembley and just having a moment between the two of us. It wasn’t two teammates, it was just two mates, not realising it was getting beamed on the Wembley screens

Peter Ramage

the

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

there is something profoundly joyful about Cheikhou Kouyaté when he recalls the most important month in his career. He is a man with an infectious humour at the best of times; after a triumphant return to south London following success in the Africa Cup of Nations, he is positively glowing.

“I can’t explain this happiness,” he says, beaming at memories still fresh from a fortnight ago. “It’s unbelievable – it was the best day of my life. The celebrations were too much!

“It’s crazy because we know it’s the first trophy for Senegal, and for us also it means we are now in the story of Senegal. When we were younger and Senegal were playing, we would support the team. Now you are a player in the team and you bring home the cup.

“When you see the people’s faces and they are so happy, you can’t explain that.”

Looking back, it all seems so simple. Senegal were tipped

for glory, said to have learned from their defeat in the final three years ago and ready to go one step further for the first time in the nation’s history. But in reality things are never as simple as they seem, and the campaign was very nearly derailed from the outset.

“We had a very bad start,” Kouyaté says. “If you look at the team before the first game, we lost 10 players because they had COVID. We didn’t have a goalkeeper, defenders, midfielders, wingers, strikers. It’s too much.

“In training, we prepared for the game using the staff: the cameraman, the kitman. The kitman was training with us because we didn’t have people for training! He was playing left-back because we needed to do tactical work.

“The first two games were played like that and it was not easy – but after the third game everyone was back.” He can laugh about it now, but at the time it meant Senegal were somewhat dismissed as serious contenders. Kouyaté and co. certainly proved them wrong.

Crystal Palace v Chelsea –February 19th, 2022

Booked twice in the group stages, Kouyaté had to miss the first knockout round – but made a sensational goalscoring return in the quarter-finals, netting two minutes after his introduction in the second-half.

frenzied excitement as their date with destiny approached.

“We saw the videos. I have been in the team for 11 years, so we know automatically how people will be waiting for each game. If you are in the final it is crazy. There are flags out all over the country, flags all over the roads.”

before we got to the [Presidential] Palace. The bus couldn’t drive.

“The people were so happy: all fathers, mothers, wives, little brothers and sisters, grandparents. Everyone is outside, and we can give them what they want. We were so happy to bring that trophy for them.”

“It was so hard for me [being suspended]. I can never do that because it’s too much pressure,” he recalls. “You are not there, you can do nothing for your teammates. It’s the most hard ever.

“But what a comeback – my comeback! The manager said he was going to keep the same team, and I said: ‘For me, no problem – the most important thing is the team and you are the manager.’

“He said: ‘Cheikhou, look at me! I need you to be ready for the second-half. I need you to be ready.’ I said: ‘Gaffer, no problem’...I scored the goal and I didn’t know what to do – I was running all over.”

Senegal marched on to the final, and once again greatness was in reach. All the while, they could sense the rising anticipation from home, a drip-feed of increasingly

Egypt awaited in the final, perhaps the most talked about side in the tournament spearheaded by their talisman Mohamed Salah. Kouyaté was off the field by the time the final went to penalties, forced once again into his personal purgatory as his country’s fate was decided. On the touchline, the Lions of Teranga held their breath as Sadio Mané strode forwards. A hush descended around the players, an eerie silence. Then chaos.

As the ball hit the back of the net, a world of colour, of noise and of emotion exploded on the pitch and in the stands. Senegal were champions for the first time in their history.

“I was running across, kissing him [Mané],” Kouyaté remembers. “I was the first to Mané, and after that people all came jumping on top and you can’t do anything. I was crying because of the emotion, we couldn’t even talk. It was unbelievable.

“The dressing room was crazy. We all lost our voices. For three days we didn’t sleep – three days! But we don’t realise we aren’t sleeping, we aren’t tired. We had to see everything.” A whirlwind few hours saw the squad touch down in Senegal to nationwide acclamation. “It was crazy – it took 10 hours

Kouyaté takes a moment of thought, and becomes philosophical. “We lost too many things in my life. I say: ‘Thank you, God.’ I said to my manager: ‘Wow, this is what it is like to win AFCON?’

“They deserve it. In Africa they have big problems. Some people are sick, some people don’t have the money to eat. But after this, you didn’t see anything like that. Everyone is so happy, people are so emotional. We understand their emotions because it’s the same for us also. It’s the best thing you can have in your life.

“You know when they talk about paradise? This is paradise.” .

The above copy is printed verbatim.

Everyone is so happy, people are so emotional. We understand their emotions because it’s the same for us also. You know when they talk about paradise? This is paradise

For three days we didn’t sleep – three days! But we don’t realise we aren’t sleeping, we aren’t tired. We had to see everything

palace for life

CELEBS UNITE FOR PALACE AID: STARRING ANDREW JOHNSON, DOC BROWN & MORE

Hear about Palace Aid, our charity football match with a star-studded line-up taking place at the Crystal Palace Beer Festival on the 3rd June.

join us at the Crystal Palace Beer Festival and our first-ever Palace Aid, a charity match with a starstudded line-up of celebrity Palace fans, former players, and Foundation participants going head to head to win the inaugural Palace Aid trophy.

The first two players to be announced are the opposing captains: former Palace and England striker Andrew Johnson – returning after scoring 85 times for Palace in a sensational four-year spell in south London – and legendary rapper, comedian and Eagles fan Ben Bailey Smith (aka Doc Brown)!

The match will kick off at 12:45 BST on Saturday, 3 rd June during the 11 th annual Crystal Palace Beer Festival, and attendees can watch from the famous Holmesdale stand with one of many beers and ciders available, before enjoying some more entertainment or even watching the FA Cup final!

All money raised at Palace Aid goes towards helping us support even more young south Londoners, which is something we have been doing for over 25 years now, and we will have staff dotted around the festival on the 3 rd June if you want to hear more about our work or donate to us.

We are asking fans at Palace Aid, if they are able to, to donate the cost of a pint (£6), a round (£25), or even a night out (£100) to the Palace for Life Foundation. All donations help us to continue to offer free sporting sessions, employment and training workshops, and one-to-one mentoring to young people south of the river .

crystal palace f.c. beer festival 2023

Palace Aid is only available to watch with a ticket to the Beer Festival, so make sure to head to cpfc.co.uk to get your tickets. For more information about Palace Aid and Palace for Life Foundation, head to palaceforlife.org.

Support Palace for Life in our mission to raise £1 million to help us transform thousands of more young south Londoners’ lives. donate a pint from your pre-match routine below

McJedley, Wright and Bright, Zaha and Bolasie. Palace’s history is full of players who’ve formed memorable partnerships. Here, we look at one of the most enduring of them all…

as Palace are pour forwards at Selhurst Park, certain familiarities present themselves. The clatter of seats as thousands rise to their feet. The familiar roar of the Holmesdale as the attack gains momentum. And the sight of not one, but two figures on the touchline willing the ball into the back of the net.

When Jean-Philippe Mateta turned and tucked home in the 94 th minute against Leicester City, it sparked bedlam in the stands. But the emotions were the same in the dugout. As Roy Hodgson punched the air in delight, Ray Lewington set off down the touchline at full speed, unable to contain his delirium; by the time he leapt up, both arms aloft, he was closer to the corner flag than the halfway line.

The dynamic duo had done it again. A romantic return to Selhurst Park, three crucial points and the adulation of south London. But just how do they do it?

Lewington’s career is rooted in the capital, coming through as a youngster at Chelsea before featuring for Wimbledon and Fulham – the latter as player manager in 1986. He was briefly Crystal Palace caretaker manager in 1998, before heading to Watford and, once again, to Fulham. At Craven Cottage he was reserve team manager, before rising to caretaker boss before the appointment of – you guessed it – Roy Hodgson.

Roy and Ray hit it off and Lewington remained at Fulham

as Hodgson’s assistant manager, as the two performed miracles in west London in taking Fulham to the Europa League final, beating Shakhtar Donetsk, Wolfsburg, Hamburg and – most memorably – a Juventus side including Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini, Fabio Cannavaro, Alessandro Del Piero and David Trezeguet. They came up short in the final against an Atletico Madrid side boasting stars of both the present and the future: Diego

Forlan scored the winner but 19-year-old David de Gea and 21-year-old Sergio Aguero started. It wasn’t to be, and soon Hodgson left for Liverpool and West Brom while Lewington remained at Craven Cottage. Partnership over? Not a bit of it. When Hodgson took over as England manager in 2012, he appointed Lewington as assistant manager just three days later. The duo steered England to two European Championships and the

World Cup in 2014, and when Hodgson took over at Selhurst Park it seemed inevitable that Lewington would follow.

“As you do when you start working with someone, you sit down and talk, and we found that we had so much in common that when the opportunity came, he took me with him,” Lewington said

That trust is so important in the modern game – as is Lewington’s love for the work itself, as opposed to the spotlight.

“I’m happier in the background –Roy’s fantastic with the media,” he said at a Q&A event in 2014. “I don’t particularly like all the things you have to do as a manager. I’m probably best suited for a No. 2 or a coaching job, because that’s what I enjoy: being on the pitch with the players.”

One of the highlights of lockdown football – and there were pitifully few – was hearing

echo around the empty stadiums. Even Sky Sports’ fake crowd noise couldn’t mask his urgent instructions to the players; it takes some effort for 25,000 at Selhurst Park to outdo him even now.

And so, when Palace turned to Roy Hodgson in April they effectively turned to Ray too – if Hodgson is a safe pair of hands then Roy and Ray are the safest pair of safe pairs of hands possible. Palace are flying, and they are doing so under the tutelage of one of modern football’s most productive

of their working relationship. “Roy is a coach in the truest terms. Anything he doesn’t want to do, I do. Anything he wants me to do, I do. I’ve worked with him for a long time. I tend to know what he’s thinking, which coincides with the way I’m thinking.”

Roy is a coach in the truest terms. Anything he doesn’t want to do, I do. Anything he wants me to do, I do. I’ve worked with him for a long time. I tend to know what he’s thinking, which coincides with the way I’m thinking

ray lewington

from the

The page for Palace supporters: taking your comments from the terraces into the programme. This week, we print your messages.

Happy 13th Birthday Cameron McHardy hope your feeling Glad All Over on your special day Love Mum Dad Ciaran Millie & Bonnie xxx

HAPPY 60th PAPA WINN love you lots from Larissa and Samuel xxxxx

Happy 90th Derek Barnes! Came to CPFC aged 10…and still coming 80 years later. Have a great day, love Phyll, Lisa & Jim

Fothers… You may be a cheat when it comes to go-kart racing but, to be fair, you do take a mean penalty! Welcome to Selhurst Park.

Happy 12th Birthday to Sam! Love from Mum & Dad, your brothers and Grandparents x

Happy Birthday to my Daddy, Palace fan, Tom Rumble. Love from Zara x

Very happy birthday Stefan Lillie from Auntie and all your friends at Palace

Anthony Martin – a huge thank you from all the parents at Community Vision. The impact you’ve had on our children is immeasurable and we’ll never forget it. Good luck with your new job!

from the terraces

Happy 60th Birthday to Husband, Dad and Grandad, Andrew Picken. Lifelong fan since the 70s, highs and lows but forever Palace.

A very happy 18th Birthday to Mia Collins. Enjoy the match, all our love, Mum, Dad and David xxx

Wishing Charlie Norman a happy 18th birthday! Charlie has been a season ticket holder for many years with his grandad and what a perfect way to celebrate a birthday at Selhurst Park.

Happy birthday Paul Bedford, over 800 matches attended at Selhurst and this will be his 350th consecutive home league game, hasn’t missed one since Sept 2005!

Good Luck with your adventure to New Zealand, John, Julie and little Livia Money! The Pawsons and the Upper won’t be the same without you. UTP! From The Gang

Happy 30th Birthday Daniell! Love from Dad, Maggie, Jonathan, Ryan, Rebecca & Cody xx

Happy birthday to Michael Stone and his Nan Denise Bird! Both are attending today’s game against Nottingham Forest to celebrate. Hope you both enjoy your day!

Lifelong palace supporter Cliff Comber sadly passed away Friday 19th May. Fought a long battle with glioblastoma - brain cancer with courage, resilience, humour and the Palace passion. Thank you Crystal Palace for making sure he got to his last game at Selhurst. Never be forgotten. Up the Palace!

R.I.P. Fred – thanks for your love, support and friendship. From Terry, Pauline, Kieran, Luke, Charlotte, Roxy, Liam and Nevaeh. xx

Happy 15th birthday on the 29th of May to Max Ingram who has travelled to the game today from his home in York with his dad Alex.

Lifelong Palace fan John Leach, passed away on Monday 24th April. He first went 74 years ago, aged 8. Latterly a season ticket holder in the Stephenson Lounge area, he will be sadly missed by all his family and friends.

Meet today’s mascots, preview a trip across the pond to meet our friends in the states, get the lowdown on pre-season and pit your wits against Brighty below.

next up: tour

The Premier League season may be over, but preparations for 2023/24 are already underway – and Palace are heading to the United States for pre-season.

Palace v Millonarios:

The Eagles kick-off their stateside adventure by taking on the 15-time Colombian champions and current league leaders on Wednesday, 26th July (19:00 local / Thursday, 01:00 BST) at the SeatGeek Stadium in Chicago.

Palace v Sevilla:

The six-time Europa League winners face Palace for the first time at the 41,000-capacity Comerica Park in Detroit on Sunday, 30th July (19:00 local / Monday, 00:00 BST).

BEAT BRIGHTY BEAT BRIGHTY

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

Scoring:

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

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

22/23 FIXTURES & RESULTS

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

PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE 22/23