At least two fans left happy (From Your Local Guardian)

At least two fans left happy

4:40pm Tuesday 20th January 2009

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While many Palace fans went away from Selhurst Park on Saturday grumbling about bad defending and poor refereeing, there were two who couldn’t have been happier.

Christopher Goble proposed to his girlfriend on the pitch at half time and, thankfully for him, she said yes meaning the day will forever be entrenched in their memories, unlike most Eagles supporters who will be eager to forget it.

In truth, Palace didn’t play all that badly, which might seem odd to say when they lost 4-1 - their heaviest defeat at home since the 3-0 Championship play-off semi-final loss to Watford in May 2006 and the first time they have conceded four goals at Selhurst Park for more than five years, that time a 4-3 defeat to Ipswich in October 2003.

But the expected chorus of boos did not ring out around the ground at full time and that’s because the Eagles did put together some very good passing moves, they just lacked a cutting edge in the final third.

The move that set up the penalty that never was featured some lovely interplay and it wasn’t the first or last time during the match.

They did mix it up too with Alan Lee’s goal being perhaps the most route one piece of football I have ever seen and it gave Julian Speroni his third assist for the season But for once it was the defence that let Palace down. Having been so consistent last season, shifting more than two goals in a game just once, they have now conceded four goals three times this campaign.

They seemed to lack order and leadership on Saturday in the absence of Paddy McCarthy and it is something that needs settling down soon if they want to seriously trouble the play-offs.