Percival & Potter thank record Palace crowd
Ria Percival and Lexi Potter – both influential in Crystal Palace Women’s 3-0 win over Watford on Sunday – were keen to highlight the role of a record crowd at Selhurst Park.
Experienced New Zealand international Percival scored her first goal for the club, and teenager Potter kept the play ticking over impressively, in front of a club-record 5,566 supporters at Selhurst Park.
The Eagles remain just one point off the Championship summit with four matches left to go, and tickets are already on sale for Palace Women’s next home game: against Birmingham City on Sunday, 14th April (14:00 BST), at the VBS Community Stadium in Sutton. Find out more here.
“I think it’s good to get more fans, and the crowd today, you could hear them the whole game,” Percival told Palace TV.
“Scoring a goal in front of them and hearing them go crazy… it’s a great feeling. It’s a thanks to all of them for coming and hopefully we can get them for the rest of the games.”
Potter added: “It’s really good when the fans come along as well, it really gives us that extra push.
“It’s amazing to play here on a really good surface, and that allows us to show what we can do.
“It was really special. The fans really helped us out at times in the game, and the support’s been great. Keep it up!”
On scoring her first goal for the club, which arrived in the 11th minute with an accurate low finish into the bottom corner on her left foot, Percival said: “It was a good feeling to get my first goal for the club. It fell to me nicely on the edge of the box and I just saw the chance to hit it, and it went in nicely!
“I think today was probably the best day to get it. The crowd here were amazing today. It’s good to have so many fans here and the crowd were great, and I think they helped us to the three points.
“It was a good victory. The last five games are important for us, and to get the win today, and in the fashion we did – we played some really good football – I think we’re happy today.”
Potter also said: “It was a really good, really important win. We’re obviously taking it game by game, but it was good to bounce back.
“Obviously it really helped us out having the fans, but I think we stuck to the basics well – that was our focus for the week – and we executed the gameplan well.
“Obviously scoring goals early on helps you out and gives you a pillar which is helpful later on in the game, but starting fast, we really wanted to get at them and put as much pressure on them as possible, and I think we did that.
“We had a really good training week this week – a lot of intensity, and obviously the passion, the desire, to get the three points every week.”