CRYSTAL PALACE - Home, Falmer Years:
Prem 17/18-24/25, seasons 7-14 . . C'ship 11/12-12/13, seasons 1-2 . . '18 FA Cup.
no league meetings in seasons between 2013 to 2017.
Prem previous encounters home & away: P14 W4 D7 L3 - see Clubs in Archive.
Albion V Palace PL/EFL record @ Amex: W = 4 D = 2 L = 3

manager: Oliver Glasner (2024) P13 W = 53.8% @ July '24 . experience: player and coach in Austria before moving on to management in Germany.
Selhurst Park - ave gate; 25.1K, cap 25.5K . nickname: Eagles . shirt: red & blue stripes.

Prem/EFL record from 11/12: 17 5 C, 11 10 15 14 / 11 12 14 14 12 11 10 16 @ 13/9/24.
Prem recent best finish = 10th (2nd sesn), worst finish = 15th.
C21; top ten - '15 '24 . stayed up - bottom six '16 . rel - '05 .

24/25 odds at start: top four 22/1, top six 8/1 . sack OG 12/1 . expected to finish: top ten
run in: So'ton (A), Brighton (H), Man City (A), B'mouth (H), Arsenal (A),
Forest (H), Spurs (A), Wolves (H), Liv'pool (A)
run in forecast*: ?pt > ?pt* . max was ? . actual = ? . Po was ? . actual Po = ?

Albion v Palace (H) from 17/18: 0-0 3-1 0-1 1-2 1-1 1-0 4-1 . . W = 3 D = 2 L = 2 . F10 A6
scorers: Murray Balogun Andone Veltman March Dunk Hinshelwood Buonanotte Pedro og . (Stephens Murray - FAC).
memorable match: Season8 (H) - bragging rights for a few months and it all helped keep us in the div for next time.
note: for away Falmer Years results and reports scroll further below.

Season14, 8th Premier League (A) Sat 14/12/24 - tba
Palace continued as a mid-div outfit last term. They were ko'd in R3 of the EFL Cup and again R3 in the FA Cup. CP pre-season friendlies; Charlton 1-1 (H), Crawley 3-6 (A). US tour: Wolves w 3-1, West Ham w 3-1. Then Nantes 1-1 (H). This Prem fixture was the 8th of 19 at home, coming in a very busy December towards the halfway stage (Q2). The reverse game was 5 Apr '25 in the run-in period (Q4) - see away scroll further below. We had drawn the away match last season during Dec '23 to further extend a sequence of parity. Last term we'd met here during early Feb '24 when scoring a comprehensive victory. We finished 11th 48pts, while CP were 10th 49pts. Now we had xpts and they had xpts in the period up to halfway thru. Our Prem record at the Amex versus Eagles was; dwl ldw w - in all seven seasons to date. Returns had been better from recent meetings. They were hoping to be a top-ten outfit again. Current home form was; W D L F A tba. Visitors away form was: W D L F A tba. At the moment Brighton were xth, while Palace were x from 15 games played. In the last three campaigns we'd been 9, 6 & 8 at the halfway stage (Q2). Albion were looking to keep up a recent undefeated run versus regional rivals. CP had 5 players on duty at Euro 24 finals in Germany during June. Their boss Oliver Glasner had spent around 75m on 6 new talents plus 3 on loan players prior to the big kickoff and before the August window shut, a fair outlay. In the EFL Cup . .... Headline news this week was ... tba
*** match report: tba day after result
stats: ht , goals , poss %-%, on target , off target , corners , fouls , yellows , subs , shape
weather: . gate: . MoM:
team: 23 Steele 2 Lamptey 29 van Hecke 5 Dunk 30 Estupinan 24 Adingra 10 Enciso 18 Welbeck
subs:
bench: 1 Verbruggen 3 Julio 4 Webster 6 Milner 7 March 9 Pedro 15 Moder 20 Baleba 22 Mitoma 28 Ferguson 34 Veltman 41 Hinshelwood
squad: . injured:
Prem P16 . W D L . F A . W D L . F A . Pt? Po? = x.xxpt/gm . W = xx% L = xx%

Eagles:
Quatr: Pl . W D L . . . F A GD . . Pt Po pt/gm . W% L%
start: 03 . 00 01 02 . 02 05 -03 . 01 16 = 0.33 . 00.0 66.6 -
EFL Cup: QPR (A) R3, Norwich 4-0 (H) R2
FA Cup: R3
Nov: xth in table, xpts off xth at Q1

Season13, 7th Premier League (H) Sat 3/2/24 - w 4-1 ~ Dunk, Hinshelwood, Buonanotte, Pedro
This reciprocal fixture came after a few short weeks since visiting their nest just prior to Xmas. So far visitors habitual away record was - W3 D3 L5 F11 A20. Our Prem record at the Amex versus Eagles was; dwl ldw in six seasons to date - a fairly balanced series of outcomes. And there were usually goals scored at one end or the other. Current home form was; W5 D4 L1 F 22 A14. At the moment in early Feb Brighton were 9th, while Palace were 14th from 22 played. They had changed managers 3 times during our Prem years - legend Roy Hodgson was in his second spell at Eagles. Based on previous meetings Brighton were looking for a third victory here against Palace. In the Jan transfer window Albion signed Valentin Barco from Argentina club Boca. Meanwhile Palace spent 26m on two extras to bolster their squad by the deadline.
*** match report: goals went in at 3,33,34,71,84 minutes to keep Brighton fans entertained on a mild winter afternoon against close rivals. We say that more from a geographical stand point as Seagulls trounced Eagles 4-1 to further reveal our higher status these days. Dunk opened scoring with his bonce at a Gross corner. Then Hinshelwood headed a second from a Lamptey cross. Bounanotte got the third via an assist from Gross and Albion went into the interval with a three goal lead. Palace scored next in the second half and the clean sheet went west again. De Zerbi put on max subs and Brighton finished strongly. Finally Pedro ran onto a flick from Welbeck to complete the job. De Zerbi got booked in play for words with officials but it was never a hostile contest via both benches or from each set of supporters. In fact Palace fans were more concerned with protesting about their board & management. Meanwhile Brighton fans were very happy to there. Home form continued undefeated into double fingers now, so that sense of optimism returned on three sides of the Amex. And with players returning from injury and international duty the squad was getting back to full strength. Youngsters and others inexperienced had stepped up over past weeks to plug the breach and done ok. We would need everyone to be on board as the season progressed and European spots were up for grabs once more.
stats: ht 3-0, goals 3,33,34,84-71, poss 69%-31%, on target 6-5, off target 7-2, corners 3-2, fouls 8-14, yellows 1-3, subs 5-5, shape 3421-433
weather: cloudy . gate: 31,345, away 2500 . MoM: Dunk - capt's innings
team: 1 Verbruggen 41 Hinshelwood 29 van Hecke 5 Dunk 3 Julio 40 Buonanotte 11 Gilmour 13 Gross 2 Lamptey 28 Ferguson 9 Pedro
subs: 18 Welbeck 69 (28), 30 Estupinan 80 (2), 20 Baleba 80 (40), 14 Lallana 88 (9), 31 Fati 88 (3)
bench: 23 Steele 4 Webster 15 Moder 47 Baker-Boaitey
squad: 22 Mitoma 24 Adingra . injured: 6 Milner 7 March 10 Enciso 34 Veltman
Prem P23 . W6 D4 L1 . F26 A14 . W3 D3 L5 . F16 A23 . Pt35 Po7 = 1.52pt/gm . W = 39.1% L = 26.0%

Quatr: Pl . W D L . . . F A GD . . Pt Po pt/gm . W% L%
total: 38 . 13 10 15 . 57 58 -01 . 49 10 = 1.28 . 34.2 39.4
3qtr: 29 . 07 09 13 . 34 49 -15 . 30 14 = 1.03 . 24.1 44.8 - Oliver Glasner
hfwy: 19 . 04 06 09 . 19 28 -09 . 18 15 = 0.94 . 21.0 47.3
start: 10 . 03 03 04 . 08 13 -05 . 12 12 = 1.20 . 30.0 40.0 - Roy Hodgson
EFL Cup: Man Utd 3-0 (A), Plymouth 2-4 (A) R2
FA Cup: Everton 1-0 (A) 0-0 (H) R3
Oct: 12th in table, 1pt off 10th at Q1.
Dec: 15th, 7pts from 12th at Q2.
Mar: 14th, 8pts off 13th at Q3.
May: finished 10th, 3pts from 9th at Q4.
23/24 odds at start: top six 16/1, top half 9-4, bottom half 2-7 . sack RH 14/1 . expected to finish: mid table
run in from 30/3/24: Forest 1-1 (A), B'mouth 1-0 (A), Man City 2-4 (H), Liverpool 0-1 (A),
West Ham 5-2 (H), N'castle 2-0 (H), Fulham 1-1 (A), Man Utd 4-0 (H), Wolves 1-3 (A), Villa 5-0 (H)
run in *forecast @ 29/3/24: 29pt > *39pts . max was 59 . Actual = 49 . Po was 14th . Actual po = 10th

Season12, 6th Premier League (H) Wed 15/3/23 - W 1-0 ~ March.
This fixture was eventually rescheduled for a midweek evening contest during middle of March, thus got pushed into second half of the campaign, following on much later from the Nov-Dec Prem pause for the World Cup finals. That initial early-season scheduled derby clash was postponed due to a rail workers strike on 17 Sept. This action was actually declared before the death of Queen Elizabeth early in the month. Originally it was listed to be played prior to the first international break, for Nations League group completion before October. Finishing above our distant Croydon regional neighbours had been cause for extra celebration by some elements of Seagulls support last May. We'd certainly come fair ways together since that first stalemate here in the Prem during Nov '17 (see scroll below). There followed home victory in Dec '18, two consecutive losses of Feb '20 & Feb '21 before parity again in Jan '22 - noting these were mostly mid-season matches (seasons 7-11). Maybe current competitiveness was about who would eventually be expressed as the bigger club rather than tansient bragging rights over individual results. We'd previously hosted Eagles as a winter fixture rather than summer or early autumn, so could compare significant home form data from any given term. Suffice to say this needed overall improvement, especially measured against Palace, who'd merely spent 20m by start of the season and about 10m more at the January window. Graham Potter had left for Chelsea in early Sept and head coach Roberto de Zerbi was in place later that same month. He took BHA to Dubai for their warm-weather camp during the World Cup in December. Since then it had still been an upward curve for BHA positives, although tonight held periodic nuances of a throwback to that strange old-time rivalry once recalled performed on a C20 level playing field in suburban Hove.
*** match report: Albion edged a scrappy affair by grinding out a result and clinging on at the death. Palace opened brightly and Steele made saves to prevent us going behind. Then Mitoma threaded a ball into the path of March and he found the far corner (15mins). That changed things and hosts shoulda put this evening game to bed but failed to add a second killer goal. There was a short power cut shortly after halftime and at end of ninety minutes nearly 10mins more were played. Visitors went for it but locals dug in to keep a blue & white clean sheet. De Zerbi got booked after an hour when protesting at Caicedo's yellow card coz Ref had been lenient with opposition fouls. Palace missed chances to alter the result but Brighton fans didn't care, so it only seemed to rain up the away end. Therefore Albion's good run in '23 continued at expense of rivals who couldn't win anywhere for months. Being in the top ten didn't seem like a novelty anymore but in football you are only as good as your last result. And this one went our way in a tight single-goal game. Perhaps Tony Bloom was making his own luck, having bagged a special trophy prize with a winner at Cheltenham racing festival today in his BHA colours as an owner. They say momentum is everything and arriving here later by helicopter meant high-flying punter Tony had gods of sport on his side among those clouds along the way. Plus a few extra quid in his pocket to spend on more blue & white purchases and yet again play to win big.
stats: ht 1-0, goal 15, poss 58%-42%, on 5-3, off 6-8, corners 1-4, fouls 13-20, yellows 1-2, subs 4-4, shape 4231-433
weather: rain . gate: 30,933 (away 2500) . MoM: Veltman - ace defender
team: 23 Steele 34 Veltman 5 Dunk 6 Colwill 30 Estupinan 7 March 13 Gross 10 Mac Allister 25 Caicedo Y 22 Mitoma 18 Welbeck .
subs: 28 Ferguson 79 (18), 20 Enciso 79 (22), 19 Sarmiento 88 (10), 4 Webster 91 (7)
bench: 1 Sanchez (gk) 29 van Hecke 27 Gilmour 21 Undav 40 Buonanotte
injured: 2 Lamptey 14 Lallana . squad: 26 Ayari 49 Moran .
Prem: P25 . W7 D2 L4 . F22 A11 . W5 D4 L3 . F24 A20 . Pt42 Po7 = 1.68pt/gm . W = 48.0% L = 28.0%

Quatr: Pl . W D L . . . F A GD . . Pt Po pt/gm . W% L%
total: 38 . 11 12 15 . 40 49 -09 . 45 11 = 1.18 . 28.9 39.4 - Roy Hodgson
3qtrs: 29 . 07 09 13 . 24 39 -15 . 30 12 = 1.03 . 24.1 44.8 - R Hodgson & P Vieira
hfwy: 19 . 06 05 08 . 18 27 -09 . 23 12 = 1.21 . 31.5 42.1
start: 10 . 03 04 03 . 12 13 -01 . 13 10 = 1.30 . 30.0 30.0 - P Vieira
EFL Cup: Newcastle 3pen2 0-0 (A) R3 . Oxford 0-2 (A) R2.
FA Cup: Southampton 1-2 (H) R3.
Oct: 10th in table, 3pts off 7th at Q1.
Jan: 12th, 3pts off 11th at halfway stage Q2.
Apr: 12th, 1pt above 13th at three quarters stage Q3. Manager sacked.
May: 11th, 7pts behind 10th at Q4.
22/23 odds at start: top half 2/1, bottom half 1-3, rel 11-2 . Sack PV 16/1 . Expected to finish: in mid table.
Run in from 8/4/23: Leeds 1-5 (A), Soton 0-2 (A), Everton 0-0 (H), Wolves 2-0 (A),
West Ham 4-3 (H), Spurs 1-0 (A), Bournemouth 2-0 (H), Fulham 2-2 (A), Forest 1-1 (H)
Run in *forecast @ 7/4/23: 30pt > *39pts . Max was 57 . Actual = 45 . Po was 12th . Actual po = 11th

Season11, 5th Premier League (H) Fri 14/1/22 - 1-1 ~ og.
We were now in middle of winter and hoping things weren't too bleak this evening. It was also our fifth Seagulls v Eagles contest here on the bounce and we needed to even things up in order to restore an ornithological level playing field at least. Being done the last twice was bad enough but imagining a third home derby defeat running became like a classic nightmare scene from the Birds - that old Hitchcock horror movie. Going into this clash of flying feathers, Albion's home record was: W3 D3 L3 = 1.33pt/gm. Our M23 north end visitors Palace were, on the road: W1 D3 L5 = 0.66pt/gm. So on paper at least we held home advantage of twice their away game average points tally and thus odds-on us winning - if we scored goals while they didn't. Both outfits had bagged away victories against C'ship clubs in the FA Cup R3 ties played the previous Saturday afternoon. Therefore each squad had momentum and was ready to prove Prem credentials, if not regional bragging rights ongoing into '22.
*** match report: Albion failed to score in a game of parity, when Palace got both - one at each end. Seagulls were all over Eagles, like swooping for holiday-makers chips on the seafront but somehow couldn't nick one. Ref went to the pitchside monitor after a melee but Gross had the spot kick saved (38min). Maupay then netted but Ref ruled a foul on the hero keeper. In the second period Lallana soon went off injured, so Potter rejigged personnel from 433 to 343. Palace grabbed the lead against run of play and away fans went ballistic (69min). It next appeared hosts would suffer a single goal defeat, despite throwing the kitchen sink in via attacking subs as the clock ticked down. At the death visitors turned the ball into their own net when Maupay drove a cross thru the area (87min). In stoppage Welbeck headed over and another domestic draw got recorded. Potter thought we deserved more on balance of play and stats etc, especially from chances created. Brighton fans hung in there and were relieved to get a point by final whistle. We know ups & downs of campaign results, although getting done by local rivals again woulda been very tough to take. The reality was we played pretty football but finding the net proved difficult and furthermore, our goals had to come from around the pitch - no striker ever scored in every game, even Zamora.
Stats: ht 0-0, goals 87-69, poss 64%-36%, on target 4-1, off target 15-2, corners 9-0, fouls 11-7, yellows 0-2, subs 3-3, shape 41212-433
weather: still & cold . gate: 30,675, away 2500 . MoM: Mac Allister - playmaker & also sitter.
team: 1 Sanchez, 34 Veltman (18 Welbeck 73), 4 Webster, 33 Burn, 3 Cucurella, 13 Gross (20 March 73), 14 Lallana (2 Lamptey 56),
10 Mac Allister, 11 Trossard, 15 Moder, 9 Maupay . bench: 16 Scherpen, 17 Alzate, 25 Caicedo, 28 Roberts, 42 Leonard, 58 Ferguson.
squad: 24 Duffy . injured: 5 Dunk, 12 Mwepu . Afcon: 8 Bissouma.
Prem: P20 . W3 D4 L3 . F9 A10 . W3 D6 L1 . F12 A11 . Pt28 Po9 = 1.40pt/gm . W = 30.0% L = 20.0%

Quatr: Pl . W D L . . . F A GD . . . Pt Po pt/gm . W% L%
Total: 38 . 11 15 12 . 50 46 04 .. 48 12 = 1.26 . 28.9 31.5
3qtrs: 29 . 07 13 09 . 39 38 01 .. 34 12 = 1.17 . 24.1 31.0
Hfwy: 19 . 05 08 06 . 27 27 00 .. 23 11 = 1.21 . 26.3 31.5
Start: 10 . 02 06 02 . 13 14 -01 . 12 13 = 1.20 . 20.0 20.0 - Patrick Vieira.
EFL Cup: Watford 1-0 (A) R2.
FA Cup: Chelsea L 2-0 s-f . Everton 4-0 (H) q-f . Stoke (H) 2-1 R5 . Hartlepool 2-0 (H) R4 . Millwall 1-2 (A) R3.
Oct: 13th in table and 4pts off seventh spot at Q1.
Jan: 11th, 3pts behind 7th at halfway Q2.
Mar: 12th, 2pts off 10th at threequarters Q3. FA Cup q-f.
May: finished 12th on 48pts, 3pts off top ten. Always in mid table.

Season10, 4th Premier League (H) Mon 22/2/21 - L 1-2 ~ Veltman.
Covid attendance restrictions: lockdown 3, Tier 3/4/5 = 0 fans, (T2 = 2000, T1 = 4000). Match played behind closed doors.
Taking out all that usual M23 derby hype, Albion & Palace were at a similar level in this elite scheme of footy pecking order. Both outfits hankered for making the top ten and thereby staying ahead of the game for teams vulnerable to life stuck in the bottom six. Longevity in the Prem didn't prove to be a fail-safe against any season of struggle to actually beat the drop - but adding quality personnel over a period of years should revise status quo upwards at very least. However this term both outfits appeared destined to languish among lower order once more. Graham Potter had come under pressure during first half of this disjointed campaign to get positive results in favour of BHA remaining above the drop zone. He'd assembled a squad with the core based on existing Prem experience, plus young talent via our academy and added prospects purchased from abroad. All very good in theory but much harder to go get those positive results in practice. It was a work in progress and gonna be a long haul, for players app by app, to build up team experience, know how and nous at PL level in a very, very tough league.
Home form to date was: 1-3, 2-3, 1-1, 0-0, 1-1, 1-2, 1-1, 0-1, 3-3, 0-0, 1-0, 0-0. ie: lld ddl dld dwd = W1 D7 L4. So now there was a pressing need to add merely a second victory here asap.
*** match report: Albion crashed to defeat in the final moment of stoppage time. Blue & white were always chasing the game having fallen to the one threatening first half Palace attack (28min). The rest was all BHA until that agonising death (95min). In between Veltman notched his first Seagulls score (55min). Potter inserted Welbeck after halftime to bolster strikers but all forward players & subs failed to find the net. Hosts racked up superior possession and attempts but no extra chances got to go in between the posts. It wasn't exactly for lack of trying, more failure to be goal savvy, clinical, assertive in the box and actually hitting the target from scoring opportunities. The team let themselves down, Potter as well and stay at home Brighton fans to boot. We were all left looking over shoulders once more as a result of now not getting out of the bottom six when appropriate - it also sadly ended an unbeaten run of six matches. So it was Eagles who soared, while Seagulls just shat in their own nest.
Stats: ht 0-1, goals 55-28,95, poss 75%-25%, on target 5-2, off target 20-1, corners 13-0, fouls 11-6, yellows 2-0, subs 3-2, shape 343-433 . Weather: wet
Team: 26 Sanchez, 3 White, 5 Dunk, 33 Burn Y, 34 Veltman Y, 13 Gross (16 Jahanbakhsh 81), 8 Bissouma, 17 Alzate (18 Welbeck 46),
10 Mac Allister (14 Lallana 68), 9 Maupay, 11 Trossard . Bench: 23 Steele, 15 Moder, 7 Connolly, 22 Tau, 24 Propper, 29 Zeqiri.
Squad: 19 Izquierdo . Injured: 2 Lamptey, 4 Webster, 20 March . MoM: Veltman.
Prem: P25 . W1 D7 L5 . F12 A17 . W4 D4 L4 . F14 A15 . Pt26 Po16 = 1.04pt/gm. Wins = 20.0%, Loss = 36.0%

Quatr: Pl . W D L . . . F A GD . . . Pt Po pt/gm . W% L%
Total: 38 . 12 08 18 . 41 66 -25 . 44 14 = 1.15 . 31.5 47.3
3qtrs: 29 . 10 07 12 . 31 47 -16 . 37 12 = 1.27 . 34.4 41.3
Hfwy: 19 . 06 05 08 . 22 33 -11 . 23 13 = 1.21 . 31.5 42.1
Start: 10 . 04 01 05 . 12 15 -02 . 13 15 = 1.30 . 40.0 50.0 - Roy Hodgson.
EFL Cup: B'mouth 11-10 pens (0-0) (A) R2.
FA Cup: Wolves 1-0 (A) R3.
Nov: after the first quarter, Palace were 15th and bottom six in the Prem.
Jan: at the halfway stage Eagles were 13th in mid div.
Mar: threequarters completed, in 12th but mid table mediocrity.
May: Prem finish 14th, among 6 clubs all within 6pts from 12th to 17th .

Season9, 3rd Premier League (H) Sat 29/2/20 - L 0-1.
Date or times for this fixture were always likely subject to change coz it's considered a pukka derby by visual media moneymaking outlets. And if ever fixed on today, would merely be played once every four years anyway! In the event, it became a lunchtime kickoff for purposes of pay tv broadcast. The roll of this season's Prem dice saw these two lower order outfits competing for vital points as games ran out prior to that all important last quarter. This was particularly difficult for BHA regarding run-in home fixtures, which followed todays contest with four of the big six visiting the Amex in succession before May's finale. So no real pressure on getting a result right now perhaps, or maybe the opposite.
* * * match report: First of all there is no reward for merely deserving to win. Second of all if you don't score you can't win! And of course, if you don't keep a clean sheet it's likely you'll actually lose. Palace scored, Albion didn't - so suffered another home beating. BHA had yet to win in 2020 and ended the day closer to the drop zone after other struggling clubs got points on the board. Brighton fans watched their team racking up multiple chances but none of them entered Eagles net. Meanwhile at a late break against run of play, Palace stole all three points (70min). Potter put on 3 subs but it was same old, same old until final whistle. Credit to opposition for stout defending, although our eleven were regularly off target in more ways than one. The squad was treading water in metaphoric terms of picking up enough points to keep us afloat. There was a flaw in addressing what happened in the final third to create chances and convert into goals. Potter was at a loss to solve this problem and historically his squad were not filled with recognised goal-scorers. So the question became, just how do Seagulls turn this around?
stats: shape 4231-433, ht 0-0, goal 70, poss 66%-34%, on target 8-3, off target 16-9, corners 8-7, fouls 8-9, yellows 2-1, subs 3-2.
Gate - 30,124 . Weather - sunny periods, breezy.
1 Ryan, 22 Montoya Y (16 Jhanbakhsh 77), 15 Webster, 5 Dunk, 33 Burn, 8 Bissouma (46 Alzate 81), 24 Propper, 11 Trossard,
18 Mooy, 20 March (17 Murray 66), 7 Maupay . Subs - 27 Button, 21 Schelotto Y, 6 Stephens, 13 Gross . MoM - March.
Squad - 2 Lamptey, 4 Duffy, 10 Mac Allister, 25 Kayal, 30 Bernardo, 44 Connolly . Injured - 19 Izquierdo.
Prem: P28 . W4 D6 L4 . F17 A15 . W2 D4 L8 . F15 A25 . Pt28 Po15 = 1.00pt/gm. Wins = 21.4%, Loss = 42.8%

Quatr: Pl . W D L . . . F A GD . . . Pt Po pt/gm . W% L%
Total: 38 . 11 10 17 . 31 50 -19 . 43 14 = 1.13 . 28.9 44.7 - Roy Hodgson, finish 27/7/20.
3qtrs: 29 . 10 09 10 . 26 32 -06 . 39 11 = 1.34 . 34.4 34.4 PREM SUSPENDED
Hfwy: 19 . 07 05 07 . 17 21 -04 . 26 09 = 1.36 . 36.8 36.8
Start: 10 . 04 03 03 . 10 12 -02 . 15 06 = 1.50 . 40.0 30.0
EFL Cup: 2nd rnd - Colchester 4pen5 0-0 (H)
FA Cup: Derby 0-1 (H) R3.
Aug: got high up the Prem table but knocked out EFL Cup on pens by L2 outfit.
Oct: just about made the top six by end of first quarter Q1.
New Year: just inside Prem top ten but out of FA Cup at home to C'ship club.
March: in 11th place when Prem suspended.
July: poor form during run in after restart. Ended up close to bottom six.

Season8 2nd Premier League (H) Tuesday 4/12/18 - W 3-1 ~ Murray, Balogun, Andone.
A year and a week since our last meeting with Palace in the Prem here, Albion were again engaged in a busy period of December fixtures. Home form ongoing into this over-rated and hyped so-called derby was good but maybe other tensions would intrude during play on the night, like last term. Any team ouside of the top six elite could beat or be beaten by another from the rest, such was the nature of Prem contests. It all depended on levels of performance and responses to going a goal up or down. Albion had a tendency to sit on a single goal lead and didn't appear to have a killer instinct, merely assumed home advantage would suffice. This tactic was ok on occasion but not that easy strategically with supporters nerves, nor for anoraks positive forecasts. So could it possibly come together on the night?
* * * match report: It turned out to be a match to stick in memory for quite a while. Hosts opened the scoring via Murray from the spot after Izquierdo was ajudged to have been brought down (24min). Within minutes Murray was decked from behind in the area, suffering a shoulder injury but Ref gave a corner. Dunk & Duffy thus came into the box but the latter named big guy butted an opponent and Ref sent him off (28min). Balogun immediately arrived in lieu, while Gross got withdrawn. The reserve cent-def, with his first kick, scored from the now delayed corner by March (31min) and 10 man Seagulls led by two clear goals. Five minutes later Murray disappeared and Andone took to the field (35min). In first-half stoppage time with Eagles forcing play into Albion's area, Bernardo pumped a clearance out to the left wing. Andone chased the ball and went on a run which ended with him slipping the rolling yellow sphere between covering defenders and wide of the keeper - for a superb solo counter attack (45+4min). It was backs to the wall for BHA throughout the second period but mostly kept CP forays & threats out of harms reach. Knockaert replaced Izquierdo (49) and the 10 local men dug in for a siege. Ref pointed to the spot for Palace toward the end but although they busted our clean sheet, were never seriously gonna net another goal (81). Hughton said of victory, 'it was probably one of the proudest ones. We had to defend really well. I felt we deserved a clean sheet.' Concerning the season he said, 'ultimately it's about how many points you've got - what the gap is to the bottom three. Our form has been a bit up & down.' Brighton fans would stay in the moment for as long as possible, knowing games like this wouldn't happen every week but when they did, you had to savour the excitement.
Stats; shape 4411-442, h-t 3-0, goals 24,31,45-81, poss 31%-69%, on target 3-5, off target 6-13, corners 4-5, fouls 14-12, yellows 2-3, red 1-0, subs 3-2 . Gate 29,663, away 2500 . Weather - cold, showers.
1 Ryan, 22 Montoya, 4 Duffy R28, 5 Dunk, 30 Bernardo Y77, 20 March, 24 Propper, 8 Bissouma Y80, 19 Izquierdo (11 Knochaert 49),
13 Gross (14 Balogun 31), 17 Murray (10 Andone 35) . Subs - 23 Steele, 3 Bong, 7 Kayal, 9 Locadia.
Prem P15 . W4 D2 L1 . F12 A8 . W2 D1 L5 . F7 A13 . Pt21 Po10 = 1.40pt/gm. Wins = 40.0%, Loss = 40.0%

Quatr: Pl . W D L . . . F A GD . . . Pt Po pt/gm . W% L%
Total; 38 . 14 07 17 . 51 53 -02 . 49 12 = 1.13 . 36.8 44.7 - Roy Hodgson
3qtrs; 29 . 09 06 14 . 35 39 -04 . 33 13 = 1.13 . 31.0 48.2
Hfwy; 19 . 05 04 10 . 17 25 -08 . 19 14 = 1.00 . 26.3 52.6
Start; 10 . 02 02 06 . 07 13 -06 . 08 14 = 0.80 . 20.0 60.0 - Roy Hodgson.
EFL Cup; 4th rnd - Middlesbrough 1-0 (A), 3rd rnd - West Brom 0-3 (A), 2nd rnd south - Swansea 0-1 (A)
FA Cup; q-f - Watford 2-1 (A), 5th rnd - Doncaster 0-2 (A), 4th rnd - Spurs 2-0 (H), 3rd rnd - Grimsby 1-0 (H)
Aug; RH did firefighting ok but it is harder to call which way the club will go, depending on player ins & outs.
October; a bottom half pos after three months campaigning isn't what Eagles hoped for. Still in EFL Cup.
New Year; struggling to get and stay clear of bottom six as d-z places develop. FA Cup progress.
March; not completely out of danger zone of bottom eight. FA Cup q-f.

Season7 FA Cup 3rd rnd (H) Mon 8/1/18 - w 2-1 ~ Stephens, Murray.
Albion had made around a 40 million pound loss in the pre-promotion year. So somebody decided it would be a good idea for revenue streams to show this tie live on evening tv and of course the clubs agreed with alacrity. The irony was that the Amex was chosen for making the forthcoming 4th rnd draw, so win, draw or lose, Albion & Palace were both in the hat prior to k-o. Background to this tie, that Seagulls & Eagles fans didn't really want, was a small amount of disorder at the home PL match, where flares were set off in the packed south stand away section. Access there was thus restricted to travelling support only with home fans kept at arms length to say the least. Chris Hughton was expected to field a second eleven as agreed with CP boss Roy Hodgson and in the event he made 8 changes to the starting 11 for the last PL fixture. As a footnote, this tie was selected to trial Video Assistant Referee technology for future use.
* * * match report: Soon after k-o Brown was injured and replaced by Baldock. Albion took the game to Eagles and appeared likely to score at any time. Then Schelotto got forward and played in Stephens who drove home at the near post (25min). Stats racked up in favour of Seagulls but they struggled to add to the lead, especially at opportunities from set pieces of which there were many. At the hour mark Propper came on for Stephens, who gave the armband to Huenemeier. Palace hadn't really threatened but drew level with a wonder strike that went in off a post (69min). Murray next entered the fray with ten minutes to go of the ninety. As the clock ticked toward a likely replay, yet another set piece resulted in a header from Huenemeier being tuned in on the line by Murray (87min). VAR confirmed a goal despite visitors appeals for handball. Chris Hughton said, 'we were the better side. They started stronger in the second half and we missed good chances. At that stage you think a replay but we were forceful enough to deserve victory.' BHA drew Middlesbro away in the 4th round. Again not a fab tie but Brighton fans were happy to go thru and maybe hope 2018 might give us a bonus cup run.
Stats; shape 442-4231, h-t 1-0, goals 25,87-69, poss 56%-44%, on target 6-3, off target 12-2, corners 10-6, o/s 1-1,
fouls 6-9, yellows 0-1, subs 3-2. Gate 14,507 (away 1981)
26 Krul, 21 Schelotto, 18 Goldson, 4 Huenemeier, 3 Bong, 20 March, 6 Stephens (Capt), (24 Propper),
19 Izquierdo, 37 Brown (9 Baldock), 10 Hemed (17 Murray).

Season 7 1st Premier League (H) Tue 28/11/17 - 0-0.
Was this the big one? A six pointer of a local derby? A grudge match of winner take all? Well, a lot depended on attiudes of fans from both camps. True to say things could be ramped up in the Prem, with greater audiences and media coverage. But the rivalry had to be seen in perspectve and we hadn't actually met Palace that much this century. It was all hungover from the good/bad old days at the Goldstone, when BHA aimed for div1 and fans had never experienced that standard before in Albion's 20th century history. In the event, there were fireworks in the away end, although it's doubtful if original fans from the seventies were involved as in younger days of yore.
* * * match report: The game was a no score bore and Albion might even have been left chasing an early deficit but for Ryan's double save. On the night a draw was probably about right, although neither side impressed too much in attack. It was all so predictable and BHA game plan differed little from previous home matches, even when some creative spark was required to break stalemate during the tedious second period. Set pieces were a disappointment as well and Albion's stats in that department to date were poor this term. Defenders & midfielders have a low scoring rate from any number of attempts, to say the least. Subs were routine and left way too late to make any appreciable positive reaction to the display. Hughton said, 'we kept a clean sheet but just didn't show enough to get that goal to turn in our favour.' Brighton fans went home to warm up because it was hard to get hotter from witnessing such a cold affair on the pitch.
Stats; shape 4411-442, h-t 0-0, goals - none, poss 53%-47%, on target 4-4, off target 5-7, corners 10-5, fouls 13-8, yellows 2-0, subs 1-3. Attendance 29,889 (away 2000)
1 Ryan, 2 Bruno, 22 Duffy, 5 Dunk, 29 Suttner, 11 Knockaert, 6 Stephens, 24 Propper, 19 Izquierdo (20 March),
13 Gross (37 Brown), 17 Murray (10 Hemed).
Prem P14 . W4 D5 L5 . F13 A14 . Pt17 Po10 = 1.21pt/gm . Wins = 28.5%, Loss 35.7%

Quatr: Pl . W D L . . . F A GD . . . Pt Po pt/gm . W% L%
Total; 38 . 11 11 16 . 45 55 -10 . 44 11 = 1.15 . 28.9 42.1 - Roy Hodgson.
3qtrs; 29 . 06 09 14 . 27 46 -19 . 27 18 = 0.93 . 20.6 48.2
Hfwy; 19 . 04 06 09 . 16 29 -13 . 18 16 = 0.94 . 21.0 47.3
Start; 10 . 01 01 08 . 04 21 -17 . 04 20 = 0.40 . 10.0 80.0 - Frank de Boer & Roy Hodgson.
Aug - breaking the perpetual bottom-half mould could prove to be equally as difficult for another new respected manager.
New Year - out of the drop zone but in a multi-club battle to stay in the league.
March - in a lower table scrap to stay clear of trouble. EFL Cup 4th rnd & FA Cup 3rd rnd exits.

PALACE away; Prem.
Seasn . W D L . F A GD . . . Pt Po pt/gm %Pt . . W% L%
24/25 - 0 1 1 . 1 2 -1 . 1 16 = 0.50 100.0 . 00.0 50.0 - Oliver Glasner @ 13/9/24
23/24 - 5 6 08 . 20 32 -12 .. 21 10 = 1.10 42.8 . 26.3 42.1 - O Glasner & R Hodgson
22/23 - 4 5 10 . 19 26 -07 .. 17 11 = 0.89 37.7 . 21.0 52.6 - Roy Hodgson & Patrick Vieira
21/22 - 4 7 08 . 23 29 -06 .. 19 12 = 1.00 39.5 . 21.0 42.1 - Patrick Vieira.
20/21 - 6 3 10 . 21 34 -13 .. 21 14 = 1.10 47.7 . 31.5 52.6 - Roy Hodgson.
19/20 - 5 5 09 . 16 30 -14 .. 20 14 = 1.05 47.6 . 26.3 47.3 - Roy Hodgson, finish 27/7/20.
18/19 - 9 2 08 . 32 30 +02 . 29 12 = 1.52 59.1 . 47.3 42.1 - Roy Hodgson.
17/18 - 4 6 09 . 16 28 -12 .. 18 11 = 0.94 40.9 . 21.0 47.3 - F de Boer & R Hodgson.
16/17 - 6 3 10 . 26 38 -12 .. 21 14 = 1.10 51.2 . 31.5 52.6 - Pardew & Allardyce.
15/16 - 5 6 08 . 20 28 -08 .. 21 15 = 1.10 50.0 . 26.3 42.1 - Alan Pardew.
14/15 - 7 6 06 . 26 24 +02 . 27 10 = 1.42 56.2 . 36.8 31.5 - T Pulis, Neil Warnock & A Pardew.
13/14 - 5 3 11 . 15 25 -10 .. 18 11 = 0.94 40.0 . 26.3 57.8 - Ian Holloway & Tony Pulis.

PALACE PREVIOUS PREM;
Prem points: - -, 45, 48, 42, 41, 44, 49, 43 / 44, 48, 45, 49
recent managers; Patrick Vieira (21-23), Roy Hodgson (17-21), Frank de Boer (2017), Sam Allardyce (16-17), Alan Pardew (15-16),
Neil Warnock (2014), Tony Pulis (2014), Ian Holloway (12-14), Doogie Freedman (11-12).
Roy Hodgson (23-24) P10 W = 50.0% @ July '23 . Experience: came out of retirement and obv has self belief.
Patrick Vieira (21-23) P44 W = 34% @ July '22 . Experience: built on a top player reputation but went into the unknown.
Roy Hodgson (17-21) - Wins = 34.4% @ Aug '20 . Experience: veteran at home & abroad, plus once was England boss.

Seasn . W D L . . . F A GD . . . Pt Po pt/gm . W% L%
23/24 - 13 10 15 . 57 58 -01 . 49 10 - 1.28 . 34.2 39.4 - Oliver Glasner & Roy Hodgson @ 20/5/24
New coach came in and turned things around as club finished season strongly.
22/23 - 11 12 15 . 40 49 -09 . 45 11 = 1.18 . 28.9 39.4 - Roy Hodgson @ 28/5/23
Languished in mid table and manager sacked. The old coach came back to do what he did before like deja vu.
21/22 - 11 15 12 . 50 46 04 .. 48 12 = 1.26 . 28.9 31.5 - Patrick Vieria @ 22/5/22
Mid table once more but with a new young coach and squad that is expected to improve next term.
20/21 - 12 08 18 . 41 66 -25 . 43 14 = 1.13 . 31.5 47.3 - Roy Hodgson @ 24/5/21
Yet another more or less mid table effort with an aging squad. Manager retired at end of season as well.
19/20 - 11 10 17 . 31 50 -19 . 43 14 = 1.13 . 28.9 44.7 - Roy Hodgson. PL SUSPENDED, complete @ 27/7/20.
Enough points in the bag prior to lockdown but poor form after restart.
18/19 - 14 07 17 . 51 53 -02 . 49 12 = 1.28 . 36.8 44.7 - Roy Hodgson
Another mid table completion from a campaign of home & away results reversals. Hard to see how to improve.
17/18 - 11 11 16 . 45 55 -10 . 44 11 = 1.15 . 28.9 42.1 - Roy Hodgson & Frank de Boer.
Frank de Boer was sacked after merely four straight defeats from start of term. The second brand new boss steadied Eagles. So only Hodgson & devotee Pardew completed more than one season, from 10 bosses employed since 2010.
16/17 - 12 05 21 . 50 63 -13 . 41 14 = 1.07 . 31.5 55.2 - Alan Pardew & Sam Allardyce.
Credit is due Big Sam for steadying the fall of Eagles and making the landing appear respectable. But they have a way to go prior to taking off again.
15/16 - 11 09 18 . 39 51 -12 . 42 15 = 1.10 . 28.9 47.3 - Alan Pardew
A long Cup run was not enough reward when viewed against their poor form in second half of the season. So it was assumed Palace were 'also rans' after all.
14/15 - 13 09 16 . 47 51 -04 . 48 10 = 1.26 . 34.2 42.1 - Tony Pulis, Neil Warnock & Alan Pardew.
Talk about second season syndrome, as Palace looked to be in trouble until Alan Pardew arrived for 2015 and reversed a downward trend.
13/14 - 13 06 19 . 33 48 -15 . 45 11 = 1.18 . 34.2 50.0 - Ian Holloway & Tony Pulis.
Palace had come up from the Championship (Po5 Pt72) and immediately struggled with their Premier League inauguration. Tony Pulis came in, worked the oracle from November and hey-ho, Eagles soared by May.
11/12 - 12/13 not Premier League, see Seasons 1-2 - Championship below.

FA CUP from 11/12; 3rd rnd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, runners-up, 4th, 3rd, q-f, 3rd, 3rd, s-f, 3rd, 3rd.
LEAGUE CUP; s-f, 2nd rnd, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 3rd, 4th, 4th, 2nd, 2nd, 2nd, 3rd, 3rd.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Crystal Palace home, Falmer years - C'ship 11/12-12/13 . Seasons 1-2.

Albion v Palace (H) from 11/12: 1-3, 3-0, -, -, -, - . W = 1 D = 0 L = 1
memorable match: Season2 (H) - p-o s-f that sent shock-waves thru B'ton fans.

Seasons 3-6 - not C'ship.

Season2 Championship (H) 13/5/13 p-o s-f - L 0-2 . Agg score L 0-2.
Albion were offered a huge opportunity to reach the p-o final at Wembley following a goalless stalemate at Selhurst Park a few days beforehand. Brighton fans were keeping the faith after a truly great campaign which probably was more than we'd actually hoped for back in August. BHA were on an unbeaten run, while Palace struggled with reproducing form from first half of the season. Gus Poyet was at the peak of his powers to date as a first-time manager but Ian Holloway had been round the block a few times - talking just as much as GP and all. The gate fell just short of 30k at the Amex, although Eagles were very well supported in the SE corner.
*** match report: The match remained well balanced for over an hour with neither outfit able to break deadlock. There was plenty of ebb and flow, where visitors were perhaps more direct and fluent compared to our patient build up. Orlandi came off around 65min to be replaced by Barnes who immediately had two quick chances to put Seagulls ahead. But travellers were dangerous when countering and put pressure on us. They deservedly went one up with a rocket header from a deep cross as B'ton switched off (69min). Gus put LuaLua on and went 424 in an attempt to equalise (73min). Just before full time CP scored again with a Prem-style snap shot (88min). We'd been knocked out of p-os but it was probably a fair result on the day. In aftermath of defeat much was made of comments by Gus and shortly afterwards he was suspended by the club along with Tanno and Charlie. It was a very sour ending to those last three successful years and left a bad taste in the mouth to boot. We saw the down side at this level in disappointing fashion to say the least.
Kuszczak, Calderon (LuaLua), Greer, Upson, Bridge, David, Bridcutt, Hammond, Buckley, Ulloa, Orlandi (Barnes).

Season2 Championship (H) 17/3/13 - W 3-0 ~ Ulloa 2, David.
Powers that be decided this so-called derby was played on Sunday lunchtime, which hardly left any time to get to the Amex after church. You see, there are hardly any truly local fans residing close to the stadium, except maybe those actually living in Falmer or transient at nearby Uni accommodation. Anyway over 28k got along (including 2k+ away fans) who produced a new ground record on a rainy winter day. Other background info included the fact that both clubs were seeking promotion and we were nine points behind Palace with nine fixtures remaining during the run-in. Gus Poyet selected an attacking line-up, injecting two wingers on this occasion and asking Bridcutt to do the sole holding role in m-f. Brighton had come off the back of three consecutive away games and merely gained one point for efforts, so there was plenty to play for in more ways than one.
*** match report: Albion started cautiously and as each side sparred thru the first half, it was probably visitors who shaded possession and chances. Kuszczak was forced to save from a misdirected defensive header, although was generally well guarded by Greer and Co. With a few fans drifting toward concourses for beverages, Albion attacked down the right. Buckley did his job and provided a deep cross to the far post where Ulloa jumped and nodded home (43min). In stoppage time, Buckley was decked and Ref allowed slow build-up at the set-piece. David duly swung a curler over the wall and it found the top corner via underside of the crossbar (45+). Immediately after the break Seagulls took off again as Eagles were left on the floor. A superb move down right flank with interchanging passes saw the ball lobbed over for Orlandi to head across the area. Ulloa left his marker for dead and volleyed a third goal to settle it early doors (50min). Gus introduced Crofts around the hour mark to beef up m-f and much later Hammond as BHA saw it out in fine style. Palace pressed to pull one back but B&W shirts were content to hit them on the counter in search of a big score. Gus said, 'the meeting at halftime changed completely from what I was thinking to say to what I said after. It was a big difference.' Three goals in eight minutes and suddenly we were different class. It was gonna make end of season very interesting.
Kuszczak, Calderon, Greer, Upson, Bridge, David (Hammond), Bridcutt, Orlandi (Crofts), Buckley, Ulloa, LuaLua.
Champ's P38 . W15 D14 L9 . F54 A38 . Pt59 Po7 . W = 39.4% L = 23.6%

Season1 (H) 27/9/11 - L 1-3 ~ Mackail-Smith.
Brighton went into this evening derby against historical rivals now at the Amex, unbeaten in four Championship games. Even Gus Poyet was surprised by the good start Seagulls had made on their return to level two, after six consecutive years in League1 at Withdean. But we didn't have a home win versus Eagles since Goldstone days, so much of the pre-match rhetoric came from a time when terrace support had slightly different meanings. Poyet assembled a fairly small squad for his initial campaign at higher grade, retaining best of those from lower league, plus a few expected to prove themselves capable in stronger competitive contests. On the night, nearly 21k audience attended during an Indian summer.
*** match report: Albion struck first and took an early lead when Mackail-Smith notched at the near post from Dicker's square ball after a corner. During the opening period some of the BHA footy was sublime, however we couldn't increase the lead and Palace dug in. The second half saw something more of a turn around than just ends. Poyet subbed off Taricco on the hour and shortly afterwards introduced LuaLua and Spanish midfield genius Vicente Rodriguez. But visitors from Croyden, backed by capacity away contingent, threatened to score and upped the ante. They equalised ten mins from time (80min) and Albion fell apart. The Palace winner came almost on full time when Brighton got in all sorts of trouble at the back. Ex-Seagull Glenn Murray bagged a third in stoppage to rub it in - although he didn't celebrate. Brighton fans flocked for exits and the whole affair fell flatter than a pancake in a buffet car up Norwood Junction.
Ankergren, Taricco (Vincelot), Greer, Dunk, Painter, Harley (Vicente), Bridcutt, Dicker, Noone (LuaLua), Barnes, Mackail-Smith.
Champ's P9 . W5 D2 L2 . F15 A11 . Pt17 Po5 . W = 55.5% L = 22.2%
* * * * *

Withdean Era: 12 seasons from 1999 to 2011.
Seasons 4 02/3, 7 05/6 - Championship.

Withdean era: Albion v Palace 0-0, 2-3 . . . W = 0 D = 1 L = 1
memorable match: Season7 (H) - all sorts of incidents to report on & off the pitch.

see: Seasons 4, 7 for club & stadium info. Also Steve Coppell & Martin Perry.

Crystal Palace - Away, Falmer Years:
Prem 17/18-24/25, seasons 7-14 . . C'ship 11/12-12/13, seasons 1-2.
Albion record @ Eagles: W = 1 D = 6 L = 2

Palace v Albion (A) from 17/18: 3-2 1-2 1-1 1-1 1-1 1-1 1-1 . . W = 1, D = 5, L = 1 . F9 A9
scorers: Murray 2 Izquierdo Knockaert Maupay 2 Mac Allister March Welbeck.
memorable match: Season7 (A) - defeat at local rivals that showed we needed to up the ante on the road in future.
note: for home Falmer Years results & reports scroll further up.

Season14, 8th Premier League (A) Sat 5/4/25 - tba
This reciprocal Apr '25 fixture was the 16th of 19 away, coming during the run-in (Q4). The reverse game was 14 Dec '24 in a very busy month of the second quarter (Q2) - see home scroll further above. Last season we'd met here pre-Xmas '23 when getting yet another score draw in greater Croydon. We had won the home match last year during Feb '24, scoring four times. At the halfway stage (Q2) we had xpts and they had xpts. Then at the three-quarters stage (Q3) we had xpts and they had xpts. Now we had xpts and they had xpts. Our Prem record at Selhurst Park versus Eagles was; lwd ddd d - in all seven seasons to date. This sequence had defaulted to parity. Current away form was; W D L F A tba. Hosts home form was: W D L F A tba. At the moment Brighton were xth, while Palace were xth from x games played. At the halfway stage we were xth and they were xth. At the three-quarters stage we were xth and they were xth. In the last three campaigns we'd been 9, 6 & 8 at the halfway stage and finished 9, 6 & 11. Albion were again looking to add to points in the M23 derby. Their boss had so far ... in the January window. In the FA Cup . Headline news this week was ...
*** match report: tba day after result
stats: ht , goals , poss %-%, on target , off target , corners , fouls , yellows , subs , shape
weather: . gate: . MoM:
team: 23 Steele 2 Lamptey 29 van Hecke 5 Dunk 30 Estupinan 24 Adingra 10 Enciso 18 Welbeck
subs:
bench: 1 Verbruggen 3 Julio 4 Webster 6 Milner 7 March 9 Pedro 15 Moder 20 Baleba 22 Mitoma 28 Ferguson 34 Veltman 41 Hinshelwood
squad: . injured:
Prem P31 . W D L . F A . W D L . F A . Pt? Po? = x.xxpt/gm . W = xx% L = xx%

Season13, 7th Premier League (A) Thur 21/12/23 - D 1-1 ~ Welbeck
Back during mid summer pre-season build up Palace played two friendlies in America. They lost to Millonarios 2-1 & drew with Sevilla 1-1. Palace also had SE local region games with Barnet 1-0 (A), Brondby 2-2 (H), Crawley 0-4 (A) and Watford 2-1 (H). Finally entertaining French outfit Lyon 2-0 at theirs. Albion were 6th (62pts) and Palace 11th (45pts) last term, giving us a 17pts +ve difference. Since joining the elite, Brighton had finished 15, 17, 15, 16, 9, 6, while Palace were 11, 12, 14, 14, 12, 11. So originally in Aug hosts hoped to reach the top ten come next May. Our Prem record at Selhurst Park versus Eagles was; lwd ddd in six seasons to date. A single loss & win registered so far. And one-one draws seemed the default scoreline. The Croydon outfit had spent 31 mill in the Aug transfer window on 2 buys but also got another player in free. Our current away form was; wwl ldw ll - we'd scored in every game bar that last loss but always conceded too. Going into this pre-Xmas A23 match BHA were 9th and CP were 15th from 17 played thus far. Roy Hodgson had continued on his second spell down Whitehorse Lane but was up against it this term. Based on previous meetings Brighton were now looking for only a second away win at Palace.
*** match report: guess what? Yeah, one all at the death... yet again. And Albion left it very late to score an equaliser to boot. A truly dire first half saw Seagulls take the game to Eagles but not score. Then just before halftime locals netted a Xmas gift when we mucked it up playing out from the back - really dumb move in stoppage time (45+ mins). De Zerbi put on 2 subs straightaway at turnaround and off we went again trying to break down 10 behind the ball. All chances to level were left in Croydon until Welbeck headed home a Gross cross (81mins). So BHA took a point back down the A23 after all is said & done. De Zerbi said we should won, Brighton fans said similar and bored neutrals didn't care anyway. It was an easily forgettable performance that won't be remembered by dawn of 2024. Mitoma was added to a long injury list, although no one is making too many excuses as being the single reason for recent mediocre Prem form. Inexperienced players from the squad are regularly getting game time and that alone will assist their development at elite level. Brighton are down to the bare bones for a starting eleven who can go for 90 minutes. So De Zerbi mixes it up with a blend of old hands and youth, subbing as necessary during on field action or due to yet another injury. As a footnote we'd suggest Tony Bloom & Co shall be chatting to Roberto about that January window opening soon. Just saying.
stats: ht 1-0, goals 45-81, poss 35%-65%, on target 3-6, off target 8-12, corners 3-1, fouls 12-11, yellows 5-2, subs 2-4, shape 433-4231
weather: dry . gate: 24,171, away 2500 . MoM: Welbeck - Prem class
team: 1 Verbruggen 41 Hinshelwood 29 van Hecke 5 Dunk 3 Julio 24 Adingra 11 Gilmour 13 Gross 20 Baleba 22 Mitoma 9 Pedro
subs: 18 Welbeck 45 (24), 40 Buonanotte 45 (20), 14 Lallana 75 (41), 15 Moder 83 (22)
bench: 23 Steele 6 Milner 8 Dahoud 28 Ferguson 52 Kavanagh
squad: . injured: 2 Lamptey 4 Webster 7 March 10 Enciso 30 Estupinan 31 Fati 34 Veltman
Prem P18 . W4 D4 L1 . F18 A12 . W3 D2 L4 . F16 A19 . Pt27 Po8 = 1.50pt/gm . W = 38.8% L = 27.7%

Season12, 6th Premier League (A) Sat 11/2/23 - D 1-1 ~ March
This game was now played as our first meeting of the campaign due to the Sept home match being postponed (see scroll above). Three consecutive draws from our last three previous visits to Selhurst Park maintained parity there across five Prem seasons (see away scroll below). We'd first got beat in Apr '18 but won in Mar '19, before drawing in Dec '19, Oct '20 and Sept '21, almost spaced at yearly intervals (seasons 7-11). This term was originally anticipated to be equally close between distant regional rivals because both squads were work-in-progress trying to set the bar (or respective roosting perch) higher for each ornithological symbolic icon. Eagles versus Seagulls contests go right back into 70s aggro but there were many lapses of neutral down-time periods since and nothing stays the same forever. Football and attitudes around it evolve and today is about showing pukka Prem skills rather than pseudo reconstituted brown ball & boots rivalries of yer grandads era when they had extra long hair and very short shorts.
*** match report: guess what! yep, four one-one draws in a row now. And in a way it was even-steven again for record books but a on balance of play a game Albion could have won if chances had been taken. Estupinan got the ball in hosts net after half an hour - then two minutes later VAR chalked it off via a very marginal offside. Talk about fine lines! After turnaround March opened scoring proper with a half volley from Estupinan's deep cross (63mins). Then Sanchez fumbled a high ball in mid-air and a Palace shirt took advantage from well inside a crowded area (69mins). Everybody huffed & puffed thereafter but fickle finger of fate had pointed, lady luck came & went and gods of football decree'd that parity would rule ok! Roberto de Zerbi thought there was only one team on the pitch and Brighton fans got a singalong going during this one sided display. In the evening motd analysis criticised VAR for errors but at end of the day it made no difference at all. It is what it is and to some extent spoiling, rather than enhancing, the spectacle of seeing two teams, Ref and linos in real time. Is splitting hairs really what technology is for, such that the audience of each side has polarised emotions reversed following unseen slo-mo playback and so-called geometrical precision. Brighton fans would rather see a flag go up immediately, with backroom staff as support, as opposed to VAR running the show. It's football Jim but not as we knew it. Footnote: in days following the game officials announced human error had disallowed Estupinan's goal.
stats: ht 0-0, goals 69-63, poss 25%-75%, on 1-7, off 5-10, corners 1-6, fouls 10-11, yellows 4-1, subs 4-2, shape 4231-4231
weather: cloudy . gate: 24,827, away 2500 . MoM: Mac Allister - industrious.
team: 1 Sanchez 34 Veltman 4 Webster 5 Dunk 30 Estupinan 7 March 13 Gross 25 Caicedo 22 Mitoma 10 Mac Allister 21 Undav.
subs: 28 Ferguson 57 (21), 2 Lamptey 76 (4)
bench: 23 Steele 29 van Hecke 19 Sarmiento 20 Enciso 26 Ayari 40 Buonanotte 49 Moran
injured: 6 Colwill 14 Lallana . squad: 18 Welbeck 27 Gilmour
Prem: P21 . W5 D2 L3 . F17 A10 . W5 D3 L3 . F21 A17 . Pt35 Po6 = 1.66pt/gm . W = 47.6% L = 28.5%

Season11, 5th Premier League (A) Mon 27/9/21 - D 1-1 ~ Maupay.
Here we go again for a fifth straight visit to Selhurst Park and potential to return to the south coast with pinched points and perhaps bragging rights too for another term at this level. It was a Monday evening match on pay tv but we'd expected such regular backwards movement to the derby fixture for obvious reasons. In summer Albion had got 50m for White and bought in Cucurella, Mwepu & Scherpen for about 40m. Unfortunately the striker we wanted had gone to our near rivals up the A23. Palace had a new manager in ex-France legend Patrick Viera, who'd instigated a pre-season clear-out. They'd then spent at least 60m putting together a younger squad. Their aim was to score goals from word go and hit mid table but prior to August pundits quickly marked the Croydon outfit down as potential bottom six. It was now late September and prior to this weekend's fixtures there were actually 10 places between us in the PL table. Albion were almost unbelievably in 6th and Palace disappointingly held at 15th. You couldn't make it up.
*** match report: Albion went home with a point, dramatically snatched at the death. We'd otherwise have lost to a soft pen given just prior to the break (45min). Seagulls hardly took flight and it wasn't until later stages before we got airborn. Potter changed from 343 to 442 for the second period but sub Alzate soon went off injured. He was later followed by Welbeck with a calf injury. Brighton strived to equalise but were chasing the game with more possession as Palace ran out of legs. In stoppage Maupay caught a thru ball fom Veltman to lob the keeper (95min). Travelling support duly went bananas as you might expect, although we'd obv played away in aqua (turquoise) strip. Potter said it felt like a win and we knew what he meant for sure. Injuries were some worry but at this moment in the scheme of things BHA was over-achieving big time. We hadn't made any of it up either.
Stats: ht 1-0, goals 45-95, poss 47%-53%, on target 3-4, off target 5-4, corners 6-5, o/s 1-0, fouls 12-10, yellows 2-4, subs 3-3, shape 433-343
weather: dry, cool . gate: 22,975, away 2500 . MoM: Maupay
team: 1 Sanchez Y, 24 Duffy, 5 Dunk, 33 Burn (17 Alzate 45, 15 Moder 65), 34 Veltman, 13 Gross, 14 Lallana Y, 3 Cucurella Y,
9 Maupay, 11 Trossard Y, 18 Welbeck (7 Connolly 76). bench: 23 Steele, 2 Lamptey, 10 Mac Allister, 20 March, 28 Roberts, 30 Richards.
squad: 27 Locadia . injured: 4 Webster, 8 Bissouma, 12 Mwepu.
Prem: P6 . W2 D0 L1 . F4 A3 . W2 D1 L0 . F4 A2 . Pt13 Po6 = 2.16pt/gm . W = 66.6% L = 16.6%

Season10, 4th Premier League (A) Sun 18/10/20 - 1-1 ~ Mac Allister.
Match played behind closed doors under covid restrictions protocols - no fans attending.
This 'derby' fixture came after the first pause for internationals, in a Prem season already delayed starting until mid September. The previous campaign finished in late July amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
According to Graham Potter, stepping up, controlling possession and taking chances was a strategy to be employed this term on any given day. That it coincided with a trip up the M23, to outer reaches of Croydon, added to pre-match expectation for housebound Brighton fans. Previous results here had been a mixed bag, so current squad strength, ongoing form and managerial motivation should show where we were if predicting a likely score before kickoff. First of all the transfer window had just shut and apart from Andi Zeqiri there was also the very late signing of Danny Wellbeck. Second of all, Albion were leaking goals so far this term and needed to keep a clean sheet very badly indeed.
*** match report: Albion did not keep a clean sheet because Ref awarded Palace a soft penalty... which looked like a dive anyway (19min). Seagulls were all over Eagles with regard to possession but alas could not stick the ball into the net. It was all very pretty going forward and resolute at the back, however the final third left something to be desired. Perhaps scoring the perfect team goal isn't possible on every occasion and maybe just getting the ball on target could produce more positive results. After lotsa huffing & puffing on field Potter put on Connolly & Mac Allister fairly late in the day. This search for an equaliser went to the wire before both subs combined for Mac A to bag his first Prem league goal (90min). In stoppage Dunk got sent off when trying to bag a winner at a melee. Potter thought BHA were unlucky after a pukka performance as derby visitors and deserved more from this feisty contest. Unfortunately neither Ref nor VAR would agree coz only their decisions count in reality. Pity that Albion couldn't score a couple of goals in normal time and thus cancel out any earlier perceived errors of judgement.
Stats: ht 1-0, goals 19-90, poss 34%-66%, on target 1-3, off target 0-9, corners 2-5, fouls 13-12, yellows 3-2, red 0-1, subs 2-3.
Weather: dry & mild.
Team: 1 Ryan Y, 2 Lamptey, 4 Webster, 5 Dunk R, 33 Burn (13 Gross 82), 20 March, 8 Bissouma Y, 3 White, 14 Lallana (10 Mac Allister 78),
9 Maupay, 11 Trossard (7 Connolly 78) . Bench: 23 Steele, 30 Bernardo, 34 Veltman, 17 Alzate.
Squad: 19 Izquierdo, 29 Zeqiri, 41 Sanders . Injured: 16 Jahanbakhsh, 21 Andone, 24 Propper, 31 Walton . MoM: Lamptey.
Prem: P5 . W0 D0 L2 . F3 A6 . W1 D1 L1 . F6 A5 . Pt4 Po16 = 0.80pt/gm. Wins = 20.0%, Loss = 60.0%

Season9, 3rd Premier League (A) Mon 16/12/19 - 1-1 ~ Maupay.
December was an extra-busy Prem month date-wise, as per various pay tv schedules, so guess what - Albion had to visit Croydon right in the middle of it. And of course, an evening kickoff as traditional in SE25 to boot. Thus another Met policed, over-hyped, so-called derby match to enthrall - very remotely linked by the M23; which incidentally, geographically & factually is routed north-south, thus a little latitude perpetually puts them above us anyway. Beforehand both clubs were immersed in a mid-table mix of 10 or so clubs all within a six points span from top to bottom. A good run could elevate an outfit toward the top six positions, while a poor sequence would leave them too close to the d-z. Anybody was capable of beating any other in this group on any given day and therefore fall of fixtures had an influence on placings as well. The basic parameter was to maintain 1.1pt/gm minimum return over this midseason period, in order to stay ahead of the bottom three clubs by start of the the run in.
* * * match report: In the event Albion hung on for a point after leading until late and dominating possession. These game by game reports & synopses have often dwelt on lack of creating goal-scoring opportunities but tonight the problem was actually converting such to go get the win Seagulls deserved. VAR turned down an early pen shout when Montoya got decked as BHA took the play to hosts. It almost seemed incredible that things were goalless at halftime given the number of chances from visitors. On turnaround Maupay opened scoring following a fast move involving Bissouma & Trossard (54min). Palace didn't really get into the match until the last quarter and pulled level with a snap shot (76min). Potter put on Duffy & Alzate to cope with locals increasing aerial threats, reshaping to defensive 541. Albion came under the cosh with time running out but held out for a point. Brighton fans felt it was two points lost, Seagulls having done everything but score twice. But facts say possession isn't worth 3pts, only netting more than opposition ensures taking all points.
Stats; ht 0-0, goals 76-54, shape 433-4411, poss 34%-66%, on target 4-10, off target 6-3, o/s 0-1, corners 3-7, fouls 7-12, yellows 1-1, subs 2-3. Gate 24,175 away 2500 . Weather - rain.
1 Ryan, 22 Montoya, 15 Webster, 5 Dunk, 33 Burn, 13 Gross (30 Bernardo 92), 8 Bissouma (4 Duffy 85), 24 Propper Y, 18 Mooy, 7 Maupay,
11 Trossard (46 Alzate 84) . Subs - 27 Button, 21 Schelotto, 16 Jahanbakhsh, 17 Murray. MoM - Propper.
Ban - 6 Stephens . Squad - 3 Bong, 14 Balogun . Injured - 19 Izquierdo, 20 March, 44 Connolly.
Prem P17 . W3 D3 L2 F12 A10 . W2 D2 L5 F9 A15 . Pt20 Po13 = 1.17pt/gm. Wins = 29.4%, Loss = 41.1%

Season8 2nd Premier League (A) Sat 9/3/19 - W 1-2 ~ Murray, Knockaert.
You maybe wonder why Sky originally chose to feature a barely understood SE regional rivalry at lunchtime, when other Saturday PL fixtures somehow seemed much more interesting. But then closer inspection revealed, there were now two live FA Cup QF sides in play (with real prospects of both advancing to SF ties) each competing in a danger zone clash for crucial Prem points prior to start of that all important run-in.
* * * match report: Albion did the double, scoring with two stunning goals but with a dodgy penalty conceded in between them. It was an exercise in defensive solidity and taking opportunities as & when they did crop up. Knockaert was booked in the first minute but stayed on the field. Four others also entered the book at intervals as Seagulls managed the game as best they knew around & about the rules. But those goals... Dunk hoofed a ball out of defence, it bounced toward Murray running up field and he drove it past the keeper to the far upright (19). After the interval Palace equalised from the spot following a 'dive' over Propper's knee (50). In fact Eagles were rolling all over the ground any time a green shirt got near them. Then Knockaert cut in from the right to unleash a trademark left footer that found the top corner from 20 yards (74). March now came on as the Frenchman was withdrawn, with travelling fans celebrating his worldy in earnest. Hughton said, 'it's a big win. I know the nature of the game, a derby, but for whatever that means, the three points mean even more.' Did Brighton fans go home happy? Well what do you think? Murray got his 100th league goal for BHA and Albion kept a 5pt gap over the 18th team - job done on two counts.
Stats; ht 0-1, goals 50-19,74, shape 433-451, poss 63%-37%, on target 3-3, off target 5-1, blocks 7-0, crosses 26-4, o/s 1-1, corners 8-0,
tackles 28-23, fouls 8-18, yellows 1-5, subs 2-2 . Gate 24,972 . Weather - dry & windy . MoM - Dunk.
1 Ryan Y, 22 Montoya Y, 4 Duffy, 5 Dunk, 30 Bernardo Y, 8 Bissouma, 6 Stephens, 24 Propper, 11 Knockaert Y (20 March 78),
17 Murray Y, 16 Jahanbakhsh (9 Locadia 90) . Subs - 27 Button, 3 Bong, 33 Burn, 7 Kayal, 19 Izquierdo.
Prem P29 . W6 D4 L4 F17 A15 . W3 D2 L10 F15 A27 . Pt33 Po15 = 1.13pt/gm. Wins = 31.0%, Loss = 48.2%

Season7 1st Premier League (A) 14/4/18 - L 3-2 ~ Murray, Izquierdo.
The run in had six to play, with the last five versus top seven sides. Results on the road against bottom half clubs were: Watford 0-0, Bournemouth 2-1, West Ham 0-3, Swansea 0-1, Huddersfield 2-0, Newcastle 0-0, West Brom 2-0, Southampton 1-1 and Stoke 1-1. So if Albion could at least get a point or maybe a better result, it would go quite a long way toward helping survive in the PL. Seagulls away record was; ldl lww lll ldl ddl, so on the face of it a point was probably the best to be anticipated. On the day it was sunny & warm and Chris Hughton had almost a full squad from which to select a match winning team.
* * * match report: Albion crashed to another defeat, which alarmingly further took destiny out of their control. All the goals came during a frenetic first half when BHA were two down inside 15 minutes. Both goals were tap ins following corner routines (5 & 14min). Murray grabbed one back from a Dunk header, also at a corner (18min). But hosts extended the lead again with a header at a chip over the top (24min). Izquierdo got one from a Locadia pass but the game was already up (34min). Hughton sent Knockaert on for the second period and later went for broke when inserting Ulloa & March. Although Seagulls flapped they never really got off the ground. Hughton said, 'it's a difficult period but there is enough in our game to give us confidence we can get results. We produced a good second half performance but the damage had already been done.' Brighton fans were dismayed at the loss of form in recent weeks and the old fear of free falling down the league, like during winless January, was returning. Away form had just not been acceptable or in any way helping the cause.
Stats; shape 442-433, ht 3-2, goals 5,14,24-18,34, poss 50%-50%, on target 8-3, off target 2-6, blocked 5-3, crosses 12-29, corners 5-6,
o/s 3-1, tackles 12-14, fouls 12-16, yellows 3-2, subs 2-3 . Gate 24,656.
1 Ryan, 21 Schelotto, 22 Duffy, 5 Dunk, 3 Bong (20 March 86), 6 Stephens, 13 Gross (16 Ulloa 71), 7 Kayal, 19 Izquierdo,
17 Murray, 25 Locadia (11 Knockaert 45).
Prem P33 . W8 D11 L14 . F31 A46 . Pt35 Po13 = 1.06pt/gm . Wins = 24.2%, Loss = 42.4%

PALACE @ home; Selhurst Park.
Seasn . W D L . F A GD . . Pt Po pt/gm %Pt . . W% L%
24/25 - 0 0 1 . 0 2 -2 . 0 16 = 0.00 00.0 . 00.0 100.0 - Oliver Glasner @ 13/9/24
23/24 - 8 4 07 . 37 26 11 . 28 10 = 1.47 57.1 . 42.1 36.8 - O Glasner & R Hodgson
22/23 - 7 7 05 . 21 23 -02. 28 11 = 1.47 62.2 . 36.8 26.3 - R Hodgson & P Vieira
21/22 - 7 8 04 . 27 17 10 . 29 12 = 1.52 60.4 . 36.8 21.0 - Patrick Vieira.
20/21 - 6 5 08 . 20 32 -12. 23 14 = 1.21 52.2 . 31.5 42.1 - Roy Hodgson.
19/20 - 6 5 08 . 15 20 -5 .. 23 14 = 1.21 53.4 . 31.5 47.3 - Roy Hodgson, finish 27/7/20.
18/19 - 5 5 09 . 19 23 -4 .. 20 12 = 1.05 40.8 . 26.3 47.3 - Roy Hodgson.
17/18 - 7 5 07 . 29 27 +2 . 26 11 = 1.36 59.0 . 36.8 36.8 - Frank de Boer & Roy Hodgson.
16/17 - 6 2 11 . 22 25 -3 .. 20 14 = 1.05 48.7 . 31.5 57.8 - Alan Pardew & Sam Allardyce
15/16 - 6 3 10 . 19 23 -4 .. 21 15 = 1.10 50.0 . 31.5 52.6 - Alan Pardew.
14/15 - 6 3 10 . 21 27 -6 .. 21 10 = 1.10 43.7 . 31.5 52.6 - T Pulis, Neil Warnock & A Pardew.
13/14 - 8 3 08 . 18 23 -5 .. 27 11 = 1.42 60.0 . 42.1 42.1 - Ian Holloway & Tony Pulis.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Crystal Palace away, Falmer years, C'ship 11/12-12/13 . Seasons 1-2.

Palace v Albion (A) from 11/12: 1-1, 3-0, -, -, -, - . W = 0 D = 1 L = 1
memorable match: Season1 (A) - Gus Poyet took BHA on a first visit to Palace since the Withdean era.

Seasons 3-6 - not C'ship.

Season2 Championship (A) 10/5/13 p-o s-f - 0-0 first leg.
Brighton had finished fourth and so met fifth-placed CP at theirs up Whitehorse Lane first. Gus Poyet said, 'it's not going to be a normal match. The game will have an extra edge. We need to prove again we are a better team.' Palace had been strong at home in the Championship, merely losing twice. Meanwhile Albion finished with a useful away record, having been beaten six times but winning eight fixtures. Both clubs wanted to avoid defeat on the night and a tense affair was expected. Two thousand travelling support took the short hop to Selhurst Park in anticipation of a right result. Gus selected a strong line-up and bench, with a fine line between defence and attacking options.
*** match report: The contest remained goalless throughout, so you could argue it was a moral victory for visitors. Albion dominated the first half, although did not score. Palace were better in the second period and had an effort cleared off the line before the end. Both keepers were not unduly tested, so it was important to get a grip when called upon. Hammond got on the end of several scoring opportunities but couldn't notch one. Ex-BHA striker Murray, the league's top scorer, was stretchered off just after an hour. With twenty minutes left, LuaLua replaced Buckley and Albion reshuffled. Late in the day Barnes got on for Orlandi. Play went from end to end but neither side was able to break deadlock as local rivals played out this first leg tie. Brighton fans went home happy on Friday evening, ready to relax over the weekend and meet again at the Amex on Monday night.
Kuszczak, Calderon, Greer, Upson, Bridge, David, Bridcutt, Hammond, Buckley (LuaLua), Ulloa, Orlandi (Barnes).

Season2 Championship (A) 1/12/12 - L 3-0.
The usual hype preceded this fixture - the big one according to some fans. On a cold winter's afternoon about 3k travelling fans assembled in the away section, taking numbers up to 20k. Palace were doing good to date and could go top of the table if winning. Meanwhile Albion were chasing a play-off position, so wanted to remain unbeaten at least. However Gus Poyet had a few injury niggles with defenders and couldn't name one on the bench. Our form on the road hadn't been too bad, where we'd picked up 15pts from nine games incuring only two defeats. Seagulls biggest problem was in finding the net when fish and/or chips were down. In truth the squad probably lacked a striker capable of Prem quality movement and finishing.
*** match report: It all turned out to be a complete disaster for BHA and aforesaid devoted but depressed faithful. On beginning the game Albion couldn't get going and soon lost Dunk to a red card for taking out his man (7min). Palace then hit the bar from the resulting f-k. A quick reshuffle stopped the rot as home fans howled for Eagles to go kill us off. But before h-t break, massed defence was breached when ex-Seagull Glenn Murray headed home (38min). Immediately on turn-around CMS struck a post and after a spirited attacking period it soon went tits up. Murray dived over Kuszczak to snatch a penalty and converted it too (54min). It was all Palace until the end and Murray won a second spot kick, converted by another red/blue, prior to being subbed and receiving much applause (71min). Albion went thru motions but we couldn't compete on the day and it left a bad taste prior to proverbial fish&chip supper. A half-decent striker had exposed weakness at the back and you wondered if Albion were really up to par there.
Kuszczak, Bruno, Greer, Dunk, Calderon, Hammond, Bridcutt, Orlandi (Crofts), Buckley (Dicker), Mackail-Smith, Barnes.
Champ's P20 . W8 D7 L5 . F27 A19 . Pt31 Po8 . W = 40% L = 25%

Season1 (A) 31/1/12 - 1-1 ~ Barnes.
It was transfer deadline night and Gus Poyet had been on the blower all day. BHA needed extra bodies to increase squad strength but GP was after quality rather than quantity. He got Sam Vokes from Wolves as target man and previous right back Jara Reyes returned, plus left back Joe Mattock from WBA. This gave more options at the back, albeit Steve Cook had transferred, Tommy Elphick was long term injured and Painter & Taricco had hamstring probs. Fit again Will Hoskins went out on loan to Sheff Utd. On the night, Vokes was on the bench that included youngsters Jake Forster-Caskey and Tor Agdestein. Nearly 2700 Brighton fans travelled to Selhurst on a freezing evening, where the gate was 17k.
*** match report: Albion took to offensive action from kick-off, intending to get a result and expunge memory of that debacle at The Amex. Palace were getting back into this derby fixture before half time but neither side was setting the south-east alight with fire power. On turn around the match sprang into life and some hefty tackles got the crowd quite vocal. Almost against run of play Eagles lifted off when Ref pointed to the spot for a trip by Buckley (64min). Seagulls got in a feeding fenzy and scrapped for fair share of possession. Gus then did a double sub and went for broke in attacking mode (70m). Shortly after, Buckley was brought down and Barnes slotted home from twelve yards (74m). In the final fifteeen or so minutes, Albion continues to notch on/off targets and might have nicked it when Calderon's fierce drive was saved. Poyet took the point away from home, although musta been a tad disappointed we didn't receive all three.
Bezovan, Calderon, Greer, Dunk, El-Abd, Buckley, Bridcutt, Navarro, Sparrow (Agdestein), Mackail-Smith (Vokes), Barnes.
Champ's P28 . W12 D6 L10 . F31 A30 . Pt42 Po11 . W = 42.8% L = 35.7%
* * * * *

Withdean Era: 12 seasons from 1999 to 2011.
Seasons 4 02/3, 7 05/6 - Championship.

Withdean era: Palace v Albion 5-0, 0-1 . . . W = 1 D = 0 L = 1
memorable match: Season4 (A) - a reality check for players, manager, club & fans.

Noughties last there - 18/10/05 (A) Championship.
Revenge for that thrashing at Selhurst Park during our traumatic 02/03 initial campaign at level2.

see: Seasons 4, 7 for club & stadium info. Also Steve Coppell & Paul McShane.