Palace sitting comfortably

Although life as a Crystal Palace fan has never been easy, the previous two seasons have been considerably stressful with the possibility of relegation running through the heads of the red and blue faithful.

So to say with 12 games of the Championship season left that Dougie Freedman’s men sit 19 points above third-from-bottom Coventry is quite pleasing.

To make things even better, Palace are only seven points away from the play-off places, although sixth-placed Birmingham have a game in hand.

The team are also on a seven match unbeaten record, although some are highlighting this run has only seen Palace win twice, with five draws making the streak less exciting.

Despite Tuesday night’s 1-1 draw against struggling Coventry, in which the Eagles took the lead before conceding late on, Palace still sit comfortably in the league and can take many positives from the seasons so far.

Having gained 48 points, the exact amount the Eagles tallied throughout the whole of last season, Freedman has built a team around level-headed youngsters coupled with experience.

Dougie’s boys face a gruelling two months, with the team expected to play six games in both March and April, with the season drawing a close on April 28 with the visit of Cardiff.

Talking of Cardiff, or should I?

Whilst I get the tissues ready, Palace’s journey to the Carling Cup semi-finals, in which we were only five penalties away from a trip to Wembley, will certainly be the highlight of the season.

I can hold my hands up and admit that Cardiff deserved to win the match over the two legs but the thought of being able to sit in a comfortable seat whilst enjoying posh match day grub will haunt me for life.

Being a student, at least I saved some money!

Getting back to the football, looking at the following six fixtures in March, only Hull are above us in the table, meaning nothing is stopping the Eagles getting something from every game.

As we learned back in 2004, all it takes is a run of wins, coupled with results going our way, and Palace could find themselves in the play-off zone.

After a torrid few seasons, along with obvious financial difficulties that questioned our future, we are due some luck.

I won’t be disappointed if we don’t reach the play-offs as it is a very difficult task, and having looked back on the season and the famous 2-1 victory of Manchester United at Old Trafford, I feel the fans can hold their heads very high.

But as we have all learned, anything is possible with Crystal Palace!

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