02/02/13 League Charlton Athletic 2-1 win

Super Kevin Phillips could be a shrewd aquisition

A return to form was a pre requisite for this match. It had nothing to do with the fact that Charlton are local rivals, most fans do not even consider them such. Only in location.

If the first have just to prove how poor we have perhaps been of late then Palace put it probably their worst shift possible and went into the half one goal down. This was courtesy of a Ricardo Fuller goal, yes, another former player scoring against us duly added to the list.

I for one would have loved to have been a fly on the wall in that changing room at half time. The ‘Holloway Haidryer’ must have been in full effect. The fans could see it and so could the management team watching from the bench. In all honesty, what team would be able to perform when they are missing their first choice midfielders and more. Palace were short of Jedi, KG, Garvan and Moritz. That is a lot for a team like ours to miss. In stepped Marrow and O’Keefe but it just wasn’t working against an organised Charlton side. At the half Holloway sent on new loan signing and aged Kevin Phillips in place of the lost looking Butterfield. Formation changed and Murray looked shocked to have a strike partner. It’s been so long since we’d played that way. 

The team looked more confident and were knocking the ball around well. The introduction of Phillips gave the whole team some impetus. Amazing what a bit of experience can do. But Palace only really got back into the game with a double substitution with just over 20 minutes left. On came Dobbie and Williams for Bolasie and O’Keefe. Most were surprised at the Bolasie substitutions but it proved a master stroke. The main influence was Dobbie, the load signing from Brighton and a player that they are paying wages to play for us has me in stitches. Certainly in this form, I’d be in trouble of splitting my sides. 

But in the end it was Murray on the end of the excitement of a four minute period that blew the vistors away. The equaliser on 75 minutes and the winner on 79 had the crowd in absolute pandemonium. Sheer joy and elation had not been seen for a while, perhaps frustration pouring out. But it was not all one way, Speroni still had his part to play to secure the points. But what a win, when you look at the table you will realise how big that was for us and will hopefully get us back on track just like the win at the Valley did.

Boss Ian Holloway said: ""It's all about getting this momentum again. We need to regain it because we've lost it a bit, and then who knows? I didn't come here to get us promoted. I came here to promote Premier League standards and Premier League football. Now it didn't look like that today but by the end of the game it did. So let's keep working, keep going and see what we can do by the end of the whole season."  

View from TheEaglesBeak; Frustration turned to pure elation. The double signing of Phillips and Dobbie were of players Holloway knew well and knew could do a job. Who could argue?

01 Speroni

21 Moxey

27 Delaney

28 Ramage

03 Richards

06 Butterfield (K Phillips 46' )

12 Marrow

22 O'Keefe (Williams 67' )

07 Bolasie (Dobbie 67' )

16 Zaha

17 Murray GOALS 75 & 79

Unused substitutes; 34 Price, 04 Parr, 14 Blake, 18 Wilbraham

Referee; Halsey

Attendence; 17,945