October 31 2004

Iain Dowie

Nothing can take away the sweet taste of our victory at St Andrews. Jamesey reflects on football's ironic twists and turns.

You couldn't have written the script if you tried, after Palace's away game against Birmingham City (Oct 30).

We met our former manager Steve Bruce's club in the Premiership for the first time as unfancied underdogs.

To the ultimate dismay of the Flat-nosed One, we played a dogged gameplan.

Bluenose reject AJ scored the winner and became the division's joint top scorer, and we gleefully returned down the M1 with three points.

I think I sacrificed a couple of years' of my allotted span in the second half but it was well worth it when the final whistle blew.

I watched the game with family on my nephew's Odeon-sized screen in Shirley and when Iain Dowie gave his gracious post-game interview, I was seriously wondering whether an extraterrestrial aura, denoting supernatural powers, was emanating from him.

I have written in this column that I doubted whether Dowie could keep us in the Premiership this season.

I didn't ever question his talent but I genuinely thought it was putting impossible pressure on the man to expect him to win the play-offs and then storm (or even stay in) the top tier.

Well, it is still early days but it is beginning to look as if he is capable of two awesome achievements on the trot.

Mind you, November will be a testing month.

Beating Fulham and WBA at home is one thing but more serious matters are on the horizon.

Having said that, on the same day that we did the business in Brum, a few welcome cracks have started to appear in the ranks of the "invincibles".

We certainly set an underdog trend on Oct 30, seeing fellow "write-offs" Southampton come within seconds of three points at Highbury, Pompey defeat Man U, Fulham see off Tottenham and Blackburn nick a point off Liverpool.

Strictly, I suppose, we should be wishing the worst on other relegationists.

Personally, I can't help delighting when he sardines turn into sharks and bite the backsides of the giant whales...

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