January 13 2004

Crystal Palace

Palace are back on the road this Saturday, and results suggest it’s the best place for them.

This season the Eagles have only won three of 14 league games at home, compared with five wins from 13 away. Seventeen of this season's measly 32-goal total has come on the road, and the home fans have seen just 15 goals in 14 home games.

It is no wonder attendances have been so low and volume levels have been likened to a morgue!

Like the proverbial chicken and egg, the question of whether the team should spur the fans or the other way round remains unanswered.

But a case in point is the last five minutes against Burnley, which saw the players and the fans stir from their slumber and finally put the Clarets under pressure - but too late to snatch three points.

It is a shared responsibility and Palace's performances away from Selhurst bear that out. The Eagles are only team outside the top seven to have won five league games away from home, and the support from the stands has been fantastic.

The impetus on home teams to attack and Andy Johnson's pace on the break, makes Palace more potent on the road, but so too does the support they receive.

The problem is reflected around the country’s clubs, and the introduction of all-seater stadiums has played a major part. But with the playing assets at we have at our disposal, Palace’s 18th place in the Division suggests it is hurting us, more than most.

The recent upturn in form under Kit Symons and Iain Dowie has yielded three wins and a draw from the last five, but if Palace are to achieve anything, players and fans must work together to make Selhurst a trip to be feared.

Palace travel to Watford's Vicarage Road on Saturday, log on for the fastest and most colourful text commentary on the web.

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