Welcome to the directors, players and staff of Wolves to south London today for the first time since New Years’ Day in 2013, and of course to all Palace supporters too.
I must begin by congratulating Wolves on their return to the Premier League, and their hugely impressive start. I have a lot of respect for the club, and they truly deserved to win the Championship last season, playing some magnificent football along the way. It looks as though they’ve invested well in their squad, and I have no doubt that today’s match will be hugely competitive.
Since my last notes, we secured a point against Newcastle United when I felt we deserved all three, had a great win away at West Bromwich Albion to send us through to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, but then suffered away at Bournemouth to a late penalty which was bitterly disappointing for us all.
That said, we sit in 13th position with seven points from seven games. If we go into next week’s international break with 10 from eight games and the makings of an exciting cup run on the horizon, that’s a result I think we’d all have taken at the start of the season had we been offered it.
You will no doubt have seen the club’s statement on the creation of a dedicated ‘singing section’ in the Lower Holmesdale next season. This has been one of the most difficult decisions we have had to make in my time at the club and it certainly hasn’t been taken lightly. It’s a well-trodden football soundbite that fans are the twelfth man, but take it from me – our players and the manager really believe that the atmosphere you all create at Selhurst Park is something that makes this club truly special.
Put simply, they believe the noise you create makes them perform better, so we must do everything in our power to harness that for the benefit of the team. We will work hard to thank the small number of affected supporters for their sacrifice, as well as trying to make their move as painless as possible. We know it’s an upheaval but hope they understand our reasoning.
Speaking of the future, there are a couple of young players I’d like to congratulate. Firstly, our ManBetX Player of the Month for September Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and secondly Nya Kirby who has signed a new contract. Nya has made great progress in the academy and with England’s age groups, and hopefully will force his way into the first-team reckoning soon.
We have arranged a friendly against Dulwich Hamlet this coming Thursday, and Roy will play a strong team on the night. I’d urge you all to come along and support a club whose treatment at the hands of property developers has been well documented. As a club, we feel it’s important to support other teams in our patch who need our help, and that’s why all the proceeds are going to Dulwich. It should be a great night.
Finally, and most importantly, let’s all get behind Roy and his team today. Let’s make it one to remember.
Up The Palace!
You can read the whole of the matchday programme in the following ways:
- At Selhurst Park at kiosks and in the club shop, priced £3.50
- Delivered straight to your door
- Digitally (for mobile or desktop reading) priced at £1.49 or £24.99 for the season - download the Wolves edition now
