January 25 2016

Square dancing: Ledley, Puncheon, Kane and Mr M Atkinson in the frame for the defeat by Spurs

In his first visit of the year to Selhurst, Jamesey was hoping fortune would smile on the Eagles but it was not to be.

It's been a rather miserable January for CPFC to put it mildly (and it hasn't been very mild meteorologically speaking).

My last visit to SE25 was at the end of 2015 for a dreary 0-0 draw with Swansea City, and apart from a 2-1 FA Cup victory away to Southampton, there hasn't been a lot to cheer about since.

I missed the Chelsea game (Jan 3) due to ill health and the Blues were beginning to revive their form with an emphatic 3-0 victory.

Possibly the most depressing result was a 1-0 defeat away to Aston Villa, a side that hadn't won at home all season and who looked like relegation certainties.

The Villa goal was, of course, a terrible fumble by Palace keeper, Wayne Hennessey.

Sorry to mention it, Wayne – strikers miss scoring certainties, defenders are easily bamboozled by tricky dribbles but goalkeeping shockers always attract the most derision. So, my son, you are hereafter destined to feature in those "Goalie Boobs of the Century" type TV programmes.

Moving on (as swiftly as possible) from that, was a 4-0 thumping at the Etihad – not all that shameful allowing for the fact that Citeh are full members of the Stacksomoulah Elite Club.

Everything being considered your columnist wasn't bursting with optimism for the Eagles' home fixture with Tottenham Hotspur (Jan 23).

England boss, Roy Hodgson was in attendance to run his eye over Harry Kane and Dele Alli and almost certainly not Wilfried Zaha and Scott Dann, needless to say.

However, I don't want to sound too bitter because both the above-mentioned Spurs players scored and in my view, it is great to see home-grown young talent playing regularly in the top echelons of the English game (unlike Arsenal, Chelsea and Man City).

From the start Tottenham went at it full tilt and the Eagles played a "Pulisesque" (sorry for such a clumsy word but you know what I mean) type of game.

The Eagles weren't looking bad despite the lack of possession and kept the Whites at bay reasonably well.

And then to the home fans' joy, Jan Vertonghen, under pressure from Wilf, nodded beautifully into his own goal. For the first time in my recollection, when the speakers triumphantly announced "Own Goal', we were able to bellow "Own Goal" back.

At the break, the Red-and Blues were a goal to the good and although the first Palace effort in Lord-knows-how-many-minutes had been scored, we just hoped it could stay that way.

It was asking too much to defend against a skilful attacking team for too long and inevitably Harry Kane equalised after 63 minutes.

Six minutes from full time Dele Alli scored a skilful and memorable goal which we thought was the winner for Spurs. but in time added on Nacer Chadli drove in a third.

The Alli strike had the MOTD pundits all drooling copiously and although it's not at all nice when your own team is the victim, it was an impressive effort.

The final scoreline gave an impression of dominance which was not totally true.

The Eagles created many chances but Lady Luck and the woodwork had other ideas.

Wayne Hennessey certainly redeemed himself with some magnificent saves. Unfortunately so did his Tottenham opposite number Hugo Lloris.

The attendance for the game was given in the printed media and many sport websites as 28,467. This was somewhat surprising as the legal official figure is only 26,309. Where were the other 2000-plus punters hiding?

A Tottenham friend who was paying his first ever visit to Selhurst Park told me how amazed he was at the ferocity of our support when winning and, later, losing.

He declared he had never heard such overwhelming support throughout an entire stadium in all his away travels.

Two more pleasant occurrences cheered your somewhat subdued reporter.

A fellow fan in the Arthur Wait who has guessed my identity thanked me sincerely for writing this column year after year and his lady companion told me she always read my comments.

Nice as it is to be sent the odd email applauding or carping, to be approached in person gives one a warm glow.

And if it doesn't sound too contradictory, another warm glow was the chairman's leaflet telling me my season ticket price was frozen for 2016-17...

Email Jamesey with your comments to jevans3704@aol.com

In Depth Jamesey's Veteran View Index