Season 68

[talisman]

Friday 17th July, Palace teams news...

Morning/Lunchtime matches for the Palace teams today.

Casuals were first up and had a tricky away match against a lower-table team, PFDGJ, but emerged victorious 3-1. Using the 'hit 'em quick, hit 'em hard' philosophy, left winger Hansen found himself on the right wing for a change and sprinted past the home left midfielder and crossed for striker Mourad to head home after only 2 minutes. The match from there on was fairly evenly matched until the start of the second-half, when Casuals upped the tempo a notch. A Hansen free-kick was nodded in by right-winger Shaqiri in the 53rd minute and in the 71st minute Hansen helped himself to a goal, a shot which caught the home 'keeper on the wrong foot. Despite a consolation goal scored by the hosts 15 minutes from time, Casuals coasted home. An injury to utility defender Zhelev in the dying seconds of the game took some of the gloss off the win, though.

Terriers kicked off at lunchtime, away at table-topping FC Iban, and shocked their hosts, emerging with the three points in a 3-0 victory. An early injury to right-back Roemgens meant an out-of-position substitution, central defender George coming on and playing 85 minutes. You can't give attacking midfielder Moran a chance from a set-piece, and Iban found that to their cost in the 11th minute when Rasskazanov fouled on the left wing, and Moran crossed for striker Jones to head in for the opener. With their tails up after gaining the advantage, Terriers scored twice in five minutes before the half-hour mark, left winger Masegela firing home from 30 yards and Moran scoring himself direct from a free-kick. After half-time, the home side asserted themselves more, but the Terriers defence, particularly George, played heroically and the half-time score stood at the end.

Palace Casuals injury stats - 8 injuries, 33 days - thus comfortably eclipsing last season's 7/24
Palace Terriers injury stats - 11 injuries, 39 days