Mystify Crystal Palace News

First half goals to Simone Loria and Wes Brown gave the visitors a handy lead at half time, but the English team were slow to start the second half, and Genk drew within a goal on the 49th minute. After 15 minutes of end-to-end football, Palace broke the game open with two goals in two minutes, before Mokoena sealed the vitory with a fifth goal. After that, the Londoners coasted through the last 15 minutes.

Although his name does not appear on the score sheet, Palace manager Tim Neame gave much of the credit to veteran striker and Palace new boy Noel Whelan. "We've had a very busy schedule so far this season, and we needed to add a bit of depth to our line up to cope with that. I'm very pleased we were able to get a hold of Noel, and I think tonight's effort shows what he will be able to contribute to the club. He just gives us something different to look at up front, and that helps to stretch the opposition defense. On another night, he would have reaped the reward for that, but I know that he is an experienced enough player that he will be well satisfied with his contribution here."

Boateng gave Stockport the upper hand with a well-worked strike early in the time added on, but Palace did not yield. Their defense held firm, and they were rewarded with a goal for Tony Niro just before the change of ends. But it was Stockport who had all the answers after that time, and a second extra time goal, this time for Ian Woan, was enough to see them through to the next round.

However, football is a funny game, and right from the outset it was clear that nobody had told the Crystal Palace players that this was a game they were destined to lose. With injury depleting his options, Coventry manager Andy Farmilio was able to field only ex-Palace player Sam Phillips and the inexperienced Andy Gouck in midfield. The youthful Palace midfield were able to take control of this part of the game, and launch repeated thrusts against a talented, but beleaguered, Coventry defence.

After a frenzied opening period, Crystal Palace finally broke through Coventry's resistance after 13 minutes, with a goal to their young striker Aaron Mokoena. Palace continued to press, but without success, and gradually Coventry worked their way back into the game.

After half time, Coventry emerged full of fire, and the Palace fans endured a number of nervous moments as the skillful Coventry line up launched thrust after thrust against the Palace defenses. However, the back four, ably led by captain Dave Challinor, stood firm. The match was not settled until two minutes from time, when a Palace counter-attack caught Coventry on the hope, and veteran full back Dean Gordon was able to put the game safely out of Coventry's reach.

After the game, a jubilant Crystal Palace coach, Tim Neame paid tribute to his players. "Look, Coventry did have a couple of players out injured, but so did we. I don't think Andy would be blaming the injuries for the loss, and we won't be either. Coventry still fielded a pretty powerful line up, but the lads were able to spot the weaknesses and take advantage. All credit to them."

"When I arrived, Andy was in his twenty-somethingth season with the club. We knew he was retiring at the end of the season, and he hadn't played a game all season, but he was still first to arrive for training, and he was training just as hard as the rest of us. He loved the game, and he loved the club. He said to me, 'Tommy, my old man worked as a milkman. He was up at 4:30 every morning, and he got paid as much in a year as we get paid in a week. And they pay us all that money for something we'd be doing anyway. I reckon doing what the coach asks is a pretty small price to pay for that.'"

It certainly seems that Gill has been listening to his coaches this season, as the eighteen year old from Bradford has risen from being a seviceable midfielder to becoming one of the stars of the game. Gill's impact on games was clearly highlighted by this week's game against Exeter, where his 3rd minute clinical strike deflated his opponent's early ambitions for a win, and his commanding presence in the midfield made it clear to team mates and opponents alike that Palace would not be letting this lead slip. Crystal Palace manager Tim Neame paid tribute to the youngster. "Tommy was always good over the ball. He had those silky skills and great ball control when we saw him at the academy. All we've done is to tell him what to do when he doesn't have the ball. And its a credit to him that he has been willing to listen and learn, and he's really been approaching his career very professionally."

With Sam Phillips' transfer to Coventry at the end of last season, Crystal Palace's midfield was looking a little shakey, but the rise and rise of Gill has helped to fill the gap left by Phillips' departure. Neame plays down the comparisons, however. "Look, I think its a bit premature to be comparing him to Sam, or any of the other stars of the Premier League. He's had a good season, and we are very pleased with how he's developing, but lets not get a head of ourselves here. We've all seen players who turned out to be flashes in the pan. One great season, then you never hear of them again. Tommy is doing everything right at the moment, but football is a harsh mistress, and there's a lot of things that could still go wrong. For one thing, he's never had this kind of media attention before, so we'll have to see how he handles that."

Gill himself also plays down the star tag. "I just try to do my best for the team. I've made some good friends here at the club, and I am enjoying my time here. I'm learning a lot. Who knows what the future will bring but I hope that I can be part of some very successful Crystal Palace teams."

Palace coach, Tim Neame, was adamant that neither man had been pushed out at Palace. "Not at all. Both Noel and Maik have made very valuable contributions this season, and in all honesty, we would love to see them playing here again next season. But all good things come to an end, and they both have other things they want to do, so we wish them all the best for the future."

The departure of Kischko is likely to leave a particularly big hole. Although Palace first string keeper, Claudio Stocchi, continues to perform well, the departure of Kischko would leave Paul Pettinger as his only support. Pettinger has not seen any first team game time this season, and his reserve team performances have reportedly been poor. Neame says that Kischko will have to be replaced. "Obviously we're going to have to bring in someone to take Maik's place. Especially if we get into Europe again, we'll be needing more than one quality keeper. I will be actively seeking a player to fill that hole."

Meanwhile, Palace have taken action to boost their stocks up front, with the arrival of Nelson Ferreira from Romania during the week. Ferreira is a part of a swap deal that will see popular defender Joaquim Martins leaving the club. Neame is one who is sad to see Martins going. "Joe has been around the club for a number of seasons now, and we have certainly seen him develop. But the reality is that, since we signed Dave Challinor, we haven't been able to give him as much time on the pitch as he deserves. Joe wasn't keen to go to Romania at first, but we got assurances that he would be getting the same pay there as he has been getting here, and when we found out he'd be playing first team football practically every week, well he was sold on the idea."