October 15 2005

Selhurst Park

Having missed our first away victory (1-3) against QPR at Loftus Road, Jamesey arrived back from holiday to celebrate our second win on opposition turf against Coventry today by an even greater margin (1-4).

Perhaps I should go away more often?

As I have already said in this column I was deeply disappointed by our 1-1 draw against Preston NE (Sept 24).

And our 2-0 home win against Sheffield Wednesday (Sept 27) was hardly a magical performance...but you really can't complain about a 2-0 victory.

And now, two away wins on the trot seem to be giving this season the sort of shape which we hoped we might see.

One of the great pleasures in writing this column over the past four years (it can't be can it?) has been the many emails I receive from Palace supporters.

Some, of course, are mildly abusive, taking me to task (usually quite justifiably) for some over-the-top observation I have made or an inaccuracy due to fading memory.

But most are from long-time Palace fans of a certain age and many of those are from exiles living in the USA, Canada, Australia and the Far East.

It is quite amazing that decades of living at the far ends of the earth have not dimmed the passion and enthusiasm of such supporters although it must be said that the wonders of the internet make it so easy to keep in touch with everything that's happening in SE25.

Anyhow, after a couple of near-misses, it was a real delight to put a face to an email address in the Glaziers Bar, before the Sheffield Wednesday match.

Tony Wynn has been corresponding with me for a few years from his Vancouver home and when we finally identified each other in person it was no great surprise to discern a strong Canadian twang.

He gets back home at least once a year to get his "fix" of Palace games and goes home with a bagful of programmes and any other "Palaceabilia" he can get his hands on.

It was lovely to chew the fat with another veteran supporter and we shared memories and a few gripes.

Despite the level of performance Tony always feels a thrill to walk into Selhurst every year.

He subsequently told me that he had watched the first hour or so of the Centenary DVD, and what a great job they have done. To see and hear the old players from his youth talking about those times, tingled his spine and left him a little moist eyed, longing for those old days.

"Football, nothing like it, Jamesey," he said.

I had to agree.

Email Jamesey with any of your comments to Jevans3704@aol.com

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