A win of any sorts - at Selhurst Park - has proven to be a bit of a rarity for Palace fans durign the last season and a bit. Mark Gardiner reviews the action from a hard-fought defeat of Aston Villa. 

For all that the display against Arsenal was encouraging, it’s not results against the “Big Clubs” that will define our progress this season. We need to start getting results against the mid- & lower-table clubs at home which were poor last year – IIRC of teams that finished below us only Leicester & QPR went home pointless. We struggled to break down teams that played much as we did away from Selhurst, denying space and sitting back; of course this also helps explain our success away from home. Before the match I thought we’d win 2-0 or 2-1 but hopefully with some more creativity & attacking flair. Well, the result was OK but the performance was oddly disjointed with some questionable choices in terms of players, positions, substitutions & formations.

The initial team news brought some sideways glances: Bolasie & Wickham didn’t even feature in the match day squad – Yannick for reported person reasons, & Connor for... well, does anyone know? Injury? Illness? Anyway that saw Murray return up front and a debut for Sako. The assumption was that Sako would play on the flanks, and initially it looked like Bakary was on the left, where he made one good move with Souaré, and Wilf on the right, where he drew a couple of early fouls. Cabaye and Puncheon were making some good initial moves in midfield, an exquisite feint by Jason and a defence splitting pass from Yohan the pick. This initial good feeling was soon spoilt, in part by a Villa team who were more robust and less flaky than last season, even missing Benteke & Delph. Gestede & Delaney were having a rare old battle, one that saw Damien take an early standing count in addition to an excellent early block. I couldn’t make out if Villa were intending to play wing backs or if Sánchez was just playing a really deep midfield role, but they did seem to have a lot of possession around our box, helped by the number of times Palace coughed up possession cheaply.

Palace’s normal formation soon morphed into something very different but horribly rickety. Wilf moved to the left, where he made some good progress without creating many chances, but Sako, who hadn’t really featured much, looked to move infield, where despite a couple of good runs & touches he appeared a little lost. On the right McArthur was trying hard to help Ward, whose shaky defensive play continued on from Arsenal, but Villa often unhinged our right flank with Amavi overlapping and Agbonlahor drifting wide. Still it was unexpected when Dann presented Villa with a chance (or perhaps not – he did gift Benteke the winner last season) only for Agbonlahor to scuff his effort that was blocked by McCarthy. Palace attacks were spasmodic, Murray nearly setting Zaha free inside the box only for the chance to be snuffed out. Villa had a second choice to seize the lead but McCarthy tipped over Grealish’s rising shot from an angle. Come half time Villa probably had a slight points lead.

Two substitutes came out stripped for action during the interval, and a couple of idiosyncratic choices they appeared: Mutch, who is not the flavour of the month; and Gayle, who is feted but understandably wants away. Murray was one withdrawn, which worried me as Dwight has a poor record when not partnered by Glenn. The other brought forth much head shaking – Zaha, whom Pardew had been seen wagging his finger at in the first half, but in the absence of Bolasie and with Sako pretty anonymous seemed to offer our most potent attacking threat. Lee or Bamford looked more attractive options on paper. At least the formation change made some sense, with Mutch on the right and Sako on the left, and Puncheon back in the middle.

Last week a home debutant nearly scored straight after the break; this time Sako’s effort from a tight angle appeared from the Whitehorse to strike the post, although it was credited as a save by Guzan. The chance came from a fine piece of wing play from Mutch. Palace appeared far more settled and Villa carried far less threat. Then came the breakthrough when a fine pass by Puncheon (?) set Gayle free inside the box; he turned and from our angle smashed the ball past Guzan. We celebrated, the PA announcer celebrated, the players celebrated, the Villa fans were disgruntled, the referee ran back to the centre circle, and the Villa players berated the linesman en masse. To some amazement the referee, who had been happy with the goal, was persuaded to speak with the linesman, who had not flagged, and then awarded Villa a free kick. The Villa fans celebrated, the home fans were disgruntled, etc. I can only guess there was a “Bournemouth” after the Premier League’s letter, although it looked like the referee indicated handball. By the time you read this we’ll all know how wrong I was!

That actually sparked some real atmosphere inside the ground, aided by the ref who had booked Cabaye for an admittedly cynical foul but had been the victim of 3 or 4 such challenges that went unpunished. Palace won a corner and Puncheon’s delivery was flatter than the usual floated efforts from him & Cabaye; Dann won a fine header and despite a goal line intervention the ball went into the roof of the net. Palace were paying quite well now, with some fine triangles down the left featuring Sako, Puncheon & Souaré, and Sako again brought a good save from Guzan. Ironically it was this strength down our left that in part brought about Villa’s equaliser. A fine overlapping run by Souaré was wasted when Sako’s final ball went behind; as Pape trotted back he appeared to lose concentration, chatting with Delaney as substitute Traoré sped into acres of space down our left. Finally aware of the danger too late as Traoré reached the goal line, Souaré’s attempted block was deflected in at the near post past a wrong-footed McCarthy.

For a few minutes Pape looked to lose his focus as Traoré ripped into our left flank & it looked like the momentum was swinging Villa’s way. Even Pardew looked to have doubts, replacing Cabaye with the steely Jedinak, perhaps shoring up a shaken team. But Palace continued to make good work down the left, Souaré looking to make amends. The late winning goal was a strange affair: a poor Palace set piece conceded possession with our big men up front; Dann, who had prevented a quick throw by Guzan, was still making his way back when Amavi dithered on the ball and allowed Scott to rob him of possession. With Villa caught going the wrong way, with a fine touch for a central defender Dann outflanked Villa on the right and a good cross found Sako, whose shot across Guzan found the far corner. Villa’s hearts sank and they never looked like coming back again, and Palace ran the clock down in possession. So, kudos to Pardew for the substitutions, as the reshuffle worked well, or some head scratching at the initial team?

McCarthy – 7 – Fine performance with two good important saves at 0-0 from Agbonlahor & Grealish. Looked in command of his box when coming for crosses, and had sense not to come too far and get caught between Gestede & Delaney. There were a couple of poor kicks, at least one when our preferred short pass from the back was closed down.

Ward – 5 – Another shaky performance at the back, and worryingly there was another header in the first half that he backed out of. Was caught napping a few times and there looked to be confusion between Joel & McArthur. Didn’t face anywhere near the problems after the break, for which Mutch deserves some of the credit.

Souaré – 7 – There was a five-minute spell when Pape looked to have lost his concentration & composure under pressure from excellent prospect Traoré. I swear he was chatting with Delaney, possibly about having to dash two lengths of the pitch for nothing, in the build-up to their equaliser. Unlucky with the deflection but really should have closed his man down well before that, and his state of mind was shown by conceding a dangerous free kick minutes later for a foul on the same player. For the other 85 minutes he had a fine game, offering a lot down the left, although there is room for improvement in his crossing, and in many ways effectively replaced Wilf’s threat down that flank.

Delaney – 7 – Real battle with Gestede that Damien won on points despite an early clash of heads seeing him needing treatment. Did make one poor pass in the second half that was picked off but his fellow defenders bailed him out.

Dann – 7 – Nearly gifted Villa the lead when giving the ball away to Agbonlahor, but that was about his only mistake. With a goal & an assist to add to his defending Scott turned in the sort of display that must soon attract Roy’s boys.

Cabaye – 7 – Good but not quite as good as last week. Still astonished by the amount of work he pouts in defensively; obviously I drew the wrong impression from his time at Newcastle! There were some excellent passes in midfield that set the attack free but found the attentions of Grealish a pain. Booking seemed undeserved given the treatment he received at Villa’s hands.

McArthur – 6 – Did a lot of defensive chasing down the right that reduced his effectiveness in the first half. Less frenetic in the second but again gets through a shed load of work.

Puncheon – 7 – Some good touches in the first half to set Zaha and Murray free, including a lovely dummy turn that switched the entire line of attack, and good close control most of the time, although did turn over some possession cheaply. More influential in the second half when restored to a more familiar central attacking role, setting up Gayle’s “goal” and delivering a good corner for Dann’s.

Zaha – 6 – Frustrating day for Wilf, who often managed to beat his man but was often double- or triple-manned, and never quite created a clear chance for himself or others. Pardew’s ire was obvious but not that understandable, and it was still a surprise when he didn’t reappear after the interval.

Sako – 7 – Quiet first half when he looked lost in what I assume is an unfamiliar central role, although there were a few good touches. Looked different player in the second, only denied by Guzan / the woodwork twice. Forged a really good partnership with Pape down the left and took his goal excellently.

Murray – 5 – Only broke free twice, once finding his way to goal blocked, the other almost setting Wilf free in the box. Aside from that Glenn had a quiet game, in part due to the team’s increasingly disjointed first half efforts, apart from conceding some silly & cheap free kicks. Not greatly surprised he was subbed.

Mutch – 6 – A much improved display in a right-sided role as sub, starting with an awful first touch then immediately making amends with a good run & cross for Sako’s early chance. There was far more that was good than bad so perhaps we are starting to see the real Jordon.

Gayle – 6 – Didn’t do that much as Murray’s replacement, although he did find the net only for the latest of disallows to rule it out. Strange that he was preferred to Bamford given the transfer situation.

Jedinak – 6 – Came on to bolster the midfield following the blow of Pape’s own goal and looked at home.

Mark Gardiner returns with his detailed match reports, as Arsenal defeat Crystal Palace in a close 2-1 tie. 

Like the Premier League’s new handicap – Leicester start with 6 points, we have 3 and Arsenal have none... What do you mean we’ve played a game already! Did warn you the b*ggers would lose when I returned.

It is always dangerous when Palace fans’ expectations are raised; the usual result is a home defeat by Shrewsbury (that’s just 9 days away now). Some wise spending in the close season, although I’d like another top central defender, and no key players lost to richer clubs. An excellent result at Carrow Road combined with Arsenal & Cech slipping up against the Hammers led some of us to dream of a good shot at our first home win against the Gunners since Thatcher’s government was in short trousers. Tempting fate really – despite no lack of effort and some good football in the end the side with more class in depth took away the three points with a little help from an over-generous referee.

Pardew made two changes to the XI that started against Norwich, with Bolasie in for Mutch and Wickham having a first start replacing Murray. Having been enjoying views from The Nek and Rhododendron Ridge last week I can’t say whether these changes were sensible but it did restore the usual 4-2-3-1 formation with two proper wingers, although Zaha & Bolasie swapped flanks on a regular basis, and at one stage Bolasie swapped with Puncheon to play behind the striker. This fluidity also applied in the midfield where Cabaye, McArthur & Puncheon all took turns to play the more attacking role. I’m a little confused by the preference of McCarthy in place of Hennessey, assumed to be Julian’s heir-apparent, but Alex’s performance proved to be solid. One interesting change in the Arsenal XI was the return of Bellerin at right back but not as expected in place of Monreal, but England’s Gibbs, with Monreal switching to right back. Was this concern over Palace’s raw pace down the flanks?

It was down the wings that Palace first threatened with Wilf down the right, and for much of the first half it was only when the ball was moved wide that we looked particularly dangerous. However Arsenal soon established dominance of possession & territory, much as they had done in last season’s first half at Selhurst. From the Whitehorse Lane end the Palace goal was besieged with plenty of desperate challenges and blocks as Arsenal sought the killer through ball. Our strength in attack down the flanks did turn out to be a potential weakness as both Wilf & Yannick at times failed to track back as Arsenal’s full backs moved up, Ward in particular being left outnumbered on several occasions. The hard work of Dann, Delaney, McArthur & Cabaye kept us in the match during this phase while an awful error by Ward (similar to Dann’s gift to Benteke in the same spot last year) nearly gifted Arsenal a chance.

Palace’s best half-chance came when a rehearsed corner routine saw Cabaye’s shot blocked on the edge of the box; with so many players pushed up and the Gunners being more fleet of foot the beak nearly caught us out, that combination of luck & bravery seeing two goal-bound shots by Sánchez blocked – think it was Ward & McArthur putting bodies on the line. We didn’t escape punishment for long as Ozil again found too much space on our right gifted by Ward (who I think conceded possession?) and Giroud’s volley across McCarthy beat the keeper. That brought a period of even more possession football from Arsenal, happy to waste time passing among their back four with Palace holding the halfway line. Wickham, who took time to become accustomed to the pace of the game, started to press Cech & defenders deeper and that allowed us to break up Arsenal’s game, although the stiletto of the counter-attack was always looming. It was from breaking up one Arsenal move that Palace fashioned an equaliser, a good passing move seeing the ball teed up for Ward. There was no comparison to his only other Palace goal in 100+ appearances, a bumbling effort past hapless QPR; this shot from 30 yards arrowed inside the far post, although I was surprised that Cech was beaten from this distance, perhaps taking too long to get his long frame from vertical to horizontal.

Game on! The game was very open now, the creative touches of Cabaye & Puncheon and the latent threat of Bolasie & Zaha creating the odd moment of panic in Arsenal’s defence, against the classic counter-punch. In the middle of this Coquelin committed a foul only five minutes after being shown a yellow card: I have no issue with Mason not sending him off at that stage, but he should really have given him the “last chance” speech then & not after yet another foul in the second half; and McArthur was booked for his first poor – if blatant – foul a minute or two later. It might have made no difference to the result – Coquelin might have been subbed before Wenger was invited to replace him in the second half – but it remains a sore spot - should have walked after the fourth foul.

Bolasie did not reappear after half time. He did not look fully fit and occasionally disinterested in defensive duties, but he still created some dangerous moments on the attack. His replacement Mutch lacked the same explosive pace & willingness to run at opponents, and Puncheon’s creativity was muzzled when he was switched to the wing. Palace should really have grabbed an immediate lead, Wickham stabbed effort cannoning back off the post with Puncheon missing the rebound; was it easier to hit the target from close range? Arsenal’s response was emphatic, a period of pressure involving corners & free kicks, but having failed to take advantage of this it was another counter-attack that did for us. Mutch lost possession upfield and a swift movement was Ward beaten far too easily in the air at the back post by Sánchez whose goal-bound header, having beaten McCarthy, was lashed into the roof of the net by a despairing Delaney. Seems to have been credited as an own goal which is unfair on both Sánchez (fine header) & Delaney (desperate effort to keep the ball out).

After that the game suited Arsenal. Wickham & Mutch lacked pace although they did occasionally threaten to burst through on sheer power alone. Zaha offered a little penetration down the right but never delivered the perfect cross, while Souaré impressed pushing up the left. Some fine saves with his legs by McCarthy and some inspired last ditch defending by Delaney (especially against sub Oxlade-Chamberlain) kept us in the game as the Gunners looked more likely to score a third. Puncheon missed two chances, putting one effort straight at Cech, and the arrival of Lee and Bamford made little difference. Mutch looked to divert an on-target header over Cech’s bar while our last chance saw Dann’s header drop easily into the keeper’s arms. At the end the effort Arsenal had to put in to subdue Palace showed as most players slumped to the turf; the difference was that little piece of class in the final ball (Cazorla in particular was a masochistic delight to watch) and sadly some uncharacteristic below-par defending by Ward.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tHtVdlrkKY

Ratings:

McCarthy – 7 – Good solid home debut. Made some good saves, particularly with his legs, and fielded both high & low crosses. Kicking was more accurate than Julian’s. I’m much happier having seen this display.

Ward – 5 – Brilliant goal but let himself down with poor defending for both goals. Looked to be a weakness down our right for which Zaha & Bolasie must share some of the blame as they didn’t always track back diligently. Worst moment was dithering on the by-line and being robbed of the ball.

Souaré – 7 – Had some difficult moments defensively, again not helped by the occasional lack of cover, but kept going and provided great attacking support in the second half.

Delaney – 8 – Every season I worry whether Damien can keep this form going – perhaps I am being unfair as I think he’s playing way above his station, but as that now appears to be an almost permanent level I’d better rethink my opinion on him as a Championship defender made good. Sometimes it looks rushed as he lacks the pace on field & occasionally in the head. As it was without his efforts Arsenal would have won easily, the highlight being somehow closing down Oxlade-Chamberlain’s break.

Dann – 7 – Not as many highlighted challenges & blocks as Damien but Scott again turned in a fine defensive display. It will be boring typing this out another 36 time this season but the lad is just a consummate professional.

Cabaye – 7 – Not the defensive weak link I’d feared, looks a slightly classier version of McArthur as he showed work-rate, determination in the challenge and some lovely short & long passing ability. Looks to have good vision on what opportunities open up with some of his switch play superb; not everyone can see & make the pass. Hopefully will be the difference that can break down more defensive opponents.

McArthur – 7 –Not far behind Yohan in terms of performance, and added his usual goal-line clearance to the game. It has to be said that Ledley & Jedinak (let alone poor abandoned Bannan) will struggle to get a start if these two remain fit & in form. A more rounded midfielder than the three mentioned above.

Puncheon – 6 – Performance only slightly dimmed in comparison to his midfield partners, but spent some time on both flanks. On the ball was part of an excellent creative triangle feeding the wingers. Faded in the second half in part due to positional switch and did miss a couple of decent chances.

Bolasie – 6 – Not at his best but perhaps his absence was noticeable after his withdrawal as we lacked the threat (real or imagined) of his pace. Still created some problems for Arsenal’s defenders but also went missing at the back letting down Ward & Souaré at times.

Zaha – 6 – Start flattered to deceive as Wilf was never a decisive factor in the game. Made some fancy moves particularly when playing down the left that led to half-chances and plenty of groans of anticipation. Saw more ball in the second half and delivered a couple of good crosses but like Yannick not at his best. Also occasionally let his opposing full back have a free run at our full backs and conceded possession in our half.

Wickham – 5 – Last saw him at Dagenham looking fat, unfit and with a knee injury. An improved performance but didn’t really get into the game until we were behind. Some nice touches and some heavy ones. Not seen replay of his shot that hit the post so unsure whether he was unlucky or profligate. I didn’t see Glenn’s display at Norwich so may be a little unfair but at this time I’d prefer to see Murray up front until Connor settles in.

Subs:

Mutch – 5 – A different prospect to Bolasie but one that I’m sure Arsenal preferred to face. Some good touches but also lost possession a little too often, including the start of the move for Arsenal’s winner. What is his best role?

Chung-yong Lee – 6 – A couple of good moves but passed up a good chance by trying to get the ball onto his left foot. Again what is his best position?

Bamford – 5 – Unable to show up front but strangely impressed that he was back in our box to clear a rebound from McCarthy’s save on a quick Arsenal break. It shows the right spirit at least!

After Palace suffered a 3-2 defeat after extra time against Newcastle in the Capital One Cup, Mark Gardiner assesses the Eagles' performance. Didn't fancy a late October trip to Manchester anyway...

So, after a late night, a full day of spreadsheet surfing and no opportunity to see any clips of last night’s game, it’s all up to my hazy memory to make some sense out of last night’s clash. The game was always enjoyable, with both sides trying to play good attacking football, but Newcastle had the edge in a slightly stronger team and probably deserved their narrow win.

Warnock elected to make the full eleven changes to the starting XI with a 4-1-4-1 formation. Of note was Fryers making a debut at left back, a diminutive central midfield pairing of Williams & Bannan, and Wilf starting wide right with Gayle wide left. With Guédioura as the holding midfield player the centre lacked the steel that Jedinak, Ledley or even departed KG provided, so there was the promise of some passing football. While this was attempted the old problems of a weakened team came to light in a lack of cohesion – many good looking moves were cut short when the final ball or run was sub-standard – while several players were short of game-time. Another issue with the formation was that Gayle rarely stayed wide and often the defence lacked an out-ball mostly down the left, although Zaha & Gayle did swap wings occasionally.

The opening was quiet although Gayle’s early snap shot whizzed just wide. Palace chances in the first half were at a premium: Doyle seized on a defensive error but lacked the pace to pull clear of the cover, while a Bannan free kick was tipped over. Newcastle saw a lot of the ball but didn’t do much with it, and we were treated to the sight of Hangeland & McCarthy playing cross-field passes as Palace looked to build from the back. The first opening came when Zaha down the left for once beat his marker but didn’t quite escape him; I thought the tackle made contact with the ball so was pleasantly surprised to see a penalty awarded; Gayle’s effort beat Elliot for pace. Newcastle responded by making ground down the flanks, particularly our left, and a number of crosses fizzed into our box with no one seemingly able to get a decisive touch, with Hennessey making a couple of awkward-looking stops while Hangeland made a couple of good interceptions. The goal seemed to come out of nowhere, Rivière turning Hangeland on the edge of the box and suddenly appearing in so much space, and his effort was so perfectly placed in the corner that Hennessey didn’t move.

The second half started with a penalty for Newcastle. When Ameobi picked up the ball on the right side of our box and was faced with McCarthy, his winger audibly informed him: “Run at him!” He did and Paddy couldn’t deal with the threat, bringing the striker down for a clear spot kick, which Rivière put in about the same place as Arfield’s a couple of weeks ago but Hennessey was unable to repeat Speroni’s feat. Newcastle seemed content to play on the break as Palace took some time to settle, with both Gayle & Bannan sending decent chances over the bar; in return Hennessey had to tip over a shot from distance. The return of AJ in place of Doyle added some pep and as the second half drew to a close Gayle had a header that looked from our end to have just slipped past but seems to have come off the post. Young Kaikai and Gray were thrown on with Palace switching to 4-4-2 but it seemed that our chance had gone when Kaikai forced the ball past Elliot at the second attempt in stoppage time; I thought the cross from the right came from Mariappa, who by that time was playing at centre back, so what he was doming there…

Extra time saw Abeid dismissed for two yellow cards which gave Palace the edge in men; the Toon simply sat back and looked ready to play for penalties (how Pardew has the gall to complain about Julian’s time wasting given Elliot’s display beats me!). They looked to have been undone when a fine shot from Gayle hit the net but the flag had been up several seconds before. Almost from the free kick Newcastle made ground down our right and some fine wing play (from Haïdara?) set up a chance for full back Dummett to score from inside the six-yard box. Palace tried hard and in one late scramble a Mariappa header was blocked and Hangeland did put the ball in the net but the whistle had already gone.

Hennessey – 6 – No chance with any of the goals, made a couple of scrambling saves in the first half and one good one in the second. Looked comfortable under the high ball.

Mariappa – 6 – Started at right back but ended at centre half. Not sure where he was when Ameobi’s run into the box was terminated by Paddy’s clumsy challenge, or for Dummett’s winner, but am almost certain it was his cross for Kaikai’s goal.

Fryers – 5 – Not easy to make your debut in a scratch side when you are lacking competitive practice so was relatively unimpressive.

Hangeland – 6 – Thought he had a mixed game, mostly good with a couple of tackles that you didn’t expect a player of his physique to make, but his lack of agility was pounced on by Rivière’s turn for their first goal. Was a threat to their goal but I want to look again at the winner to see what his role was.

McCarthy – 5 – Badly embarrassed by Ameobi for their penalty and also made a very loose pass that nearly let them in during the first half.

Guédioura – 6 – Mixed game as defensive midfield doesn’t really seem to be his forte, with his challenges a little rustic looking. Did make some decent passes but his shooting… one was dragged so far wide it was frankly embarrassing. Late on suffered from cramp and a blow inflicted by Abeid.

Williams – 6 – Thought he was our best player in the first half, as though trying to make a point, although lack of physical presence did lead to him being eased off the ball more than once. Faded in the second half, one pass in our half setting off a Newcastle attack.

Bannan – 7 – Not the perfect display and I wouldn’t fancy a midfield pairing of Barry & Jonny in the Premier League, but probably our best player, especially in the second half. Set piece delivery was variable, with a couple of free kicks wasted compared with one that drew a save from Elliot, while his shooting from open play could also use some work. Did get stuck in and harass the opposition.

Zaha – 5 – Looked short of pace in the first half – even when winning the penalty he was caught up by the defender he’d beaten. Tried hard but seldom broke free, coming in for some tough tackling that occasionally edged into the realms of foul play, escaping once in the second half to set up a chance. Compare his display with the move that brought the Toon winner, which was more like the Zaha of two seasons ago.

Gayle – 7 – Not sure if he was meant to play wide or as a second striker, although he ended up as the latter from about the middle of the second half. Had plenty of efforts on goal, some good (snap shot wide, header just wide / clipping post), some bad but always a threat. Penalty beat keeper for pace.

Doyle – 5 – Worked hard but lacks the pace to seriously worry good defenders, exemplified by intercepting a ball halfway inside their half but being caught from behind by the covering defence. Did win several balls in the air but usually so deep that nothing came of them.

Johnson – 6 – Intelligent running but not surprisingly no longer blisteringly fast so unable to seize on half chances that came his way, his one shot weak.

Kaikai – 6 – His first touch gave the ball away deep in our half, so it could only get better, which it did with his reactions to have a second stab at a late chance to register a debut goal. Did look a little lost at times in terms of positioning and gave the ball away with some poor passing, and was it his man who scored the winner? There’s enough to work with there.

Gray – 6 – Came on at right back and put in a good display, especially going forward, with a couple of good crosses.