August 14 2011

Sean Scannell

Jamesey wasn't over-confident about our first home game of the 2011-12 season against Burnley. But he was in for a pleasant surprise.

There have been three reasons for me not to be too cheerful in recent times.

The global economic recession and the UK 0.5% bank rate have really clobbered prudent pensioners (like me!). Investment and savings income, a significant part of our family dosh, have nosedived in the past two years.

It is even more irritating when young acquaintances with big mortgages boast gleefully about how many hundreds of pounds a month better off they are. Most of the economic mess we are in was because of massive borrowing, so why are they being encouraged to rack up debt?

Second, of course, the rioting and destruction in our cities have been a dreadful shock. But enough has been screened and printed about all that in the past week or so.

Third, and a more relevant point as far as this column is concerned, was our lacklustre showing in the season's opening match away to Peterborough (Aug 6).

Another lead squandered, a poor performance and defeat against a division 2 minnow.

So I travelled down to Selhurst on a cloudy summer's day (Aug 13) with very low expectations.

Strange names like Tunchev, McGivern, Ramage and Parr adorned the backs of players' shirts, so it was anybody's guess as to what was to come.

In fact, what was to come was a spirited and professional job from the Eagles and a goal from Jonathan Parr and a penalty scored by Owen Garvan (thanks to a trip on Sean Scannell) gave a 2-0 victory and three points to the Palace.

Scannell worked his socks off and seemed to have moved up a notch, from promising youngster to mature and dangerous striker.

There wasn't really a duff display from any of the starting 11 or the substitutes.

Julian Speroni mad a couple of world-class saves although Wilfried Zaha scuffed a shot straight at the Clarets' keeper when to roll the ball to Jonathan Parr, unmarked in front of the goal, was the blindingly obvious option. Oh, impetuous youth.

A new season usually brings us some non-football surprises and the first was the disappearance of the Lap Hing Chinese chippie in Whitehorse Lane. It has been replaced by an establishment named "Billy's", likewise a fish-and-chip shop, run by Asians so I was still able to enjoy an al fresco luncheon sitting on a wall opposite the shop.

The fare was acceptable but prices had been hiked by 20%. Only in my wildest dreams could I imagine my pension rising by 20% rather than the usual 2% but isn't that always the way?

To end on a lavatorial note, during the summer CPFC have done the business (if you'll excuse the expression) in the Players' Lounge. The Ottoman-style raised trench facilities in the Gents have been replaced by gleaming, individual urinals.

I am told (by a female friend, I didn't sneak in and peek, honest) that the Ladies has undergone an upgrade too.

I certainly wouldn't complain about improvements in any aspect of Selhurst Park, but spending money on gleaming new loos when the price of food and drink within the ground is nothing short of extortionate, seems rather to be taking the p1ss...

Email Jamesey with your comments to jevans3704@aol.com

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