July 27 2006

Jobi McAnuff

Portuguese outfit Boavista obligingly gave Palace their first home win of the season in front of an appreciative crowd. Jamesey was one...

Well, I've said it before and unless the editor deletes it, I'll no doubt say it again - you can't beat live football.

Despite a wealth of TV World Cup footie during the summer this was your columnist's first live game since our embarrassing play-off defeat (0-3) to Watford nearly three months ago.

So it was a great pleasure (apart from the Somali level heat) to be back on the old Selhurst stopper and into the evening routine again for our friendly with Boavista (July 26).

A couple of pints in the Selhurst Arms, one in the Glaziers, the roar (well almost) of the 6,800 crowd and the glare of the floodlights. What a perfect evening.

And my mood was enhanced even more at the sight of our proper red-and-blue strip instead of that horrible all-blue atrocity with a couple of red bars in front.

OK, it was only a friendly but it did have more significance than usual, being Peter Taylor's first game as manager at Selhurst and, of course, there was the opportunity to see some of our new boys.

Well, there was good news and bad news. The bad news is, of course, the imminent departure of Jobi McAnuff to Watford.

His first-half performance made him my MoM. The Portuguese defence were panic-stricken every time he streaked down the left.

If giving him the captain's armband for the match was some sort of attempt to bribe him to stay here, it was a noble but futile effort.

A player of his talent deserves to be plying his trade in the Premiership and unfortunately that will be CPFC's loss.

Mark Kennedy also looked impressive. He took some really incisive corner kicks so I fervently hope he will be replacing Ben Watson as our dead-ball specialist (please, please, Mr Taylor). And what a cracker of a goal to give us a first-half lead.

James Scowcroft has attracted quite a lot of criticism on our message boards. But I thought he did a target-man's job efficiently, getting the ball and holding it, without ever setting the world on fire.

All in all, it was an entertaining game which, of course, we won 2-1 and if we can sustain that level of football into the league, we should be challenging for promotion in 06-07 with somewhat more credibility than last season.

Well, the real thing starts on August 5, so we will have a good indication soon.

Email Jamesey with your comments to Jevans3704@aol.com

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