Post Match report for the Crystal Palace game - Sunday, 8th February 2026
PREMIER LEAGUE 25/26: Brighton V Palace - 8/2/26 P25
* * * * * PATHETIC * * * * *
RESULT: 0-1 . . (h-t 0-0)
VENUE: the Amex, Falmer - thirteenth home match of 25 fixtures to date . Sun 2:00pm.
BEFORE KICKOFF: we were into February now and scheduled time for our annual entertaining of southeast regional neighbours.
Neither side had put a positive run together since start of second half of this campaign after New Year.
WEATHER: cloudy . GATE: tba . ATMOSPHERE: directed domestic hostility from all home areas towards the dugout
FABIAN HURZELER was less bothered by quirky English area rivalry than in putting one over a fellow continental coach.
FH reviewed the January transfer window and found less obvious options for selections than previously.
SQUAD: 7 March 38 McGill (gk) 51 Tasker 54 Simmonds 58 Oriola
INJURED: 6 van Hecke 26 Ayari 27 Wieffer . REHAB: 4 Webster 9 Tzimas . LEFT: 35 Moran 49 Knight
OOL: 8 Gruda 14 Watson 16 Cashin 28 Ferguson 32 Sarmiento 39 Rushworth (gk) 40 Buonanotte 42 Coppola
STARTING SHAPE: 4-3-3
TEAM . . . . . . . . . 1 Verbruggen
. 24 Kadioglu 5 Dunk 21 Boscagli 29 de Cuyper
. 53 Howell 17 Baleba 30 Gross 22 Mitoma
. . . . . 10 Rutter . . . 19 Kostoulas
SUBS: 11 Minteh (71), 18 Welbeck (71), 25 Gomez (71), 13 Hinshelwood (82), 33 ORiley (82)
BENCH: 23 Steele 3 Julio 20 Milner 34 Veltman
GOALS:
0-1 - 61 . visitors take advantage from lack of defensive cover to put the ball past Verbruggen.
YELLOWS: Gomez 85
CHANGES: 71 Minteh, Welbeck & Gomez for Howell, de Cyuper & Baleba
82 Hinshelwood & ORiley for Kostoulas & Rutter
FIRST HALF: a largely forgettable initial forty-five minutes where each side shared goalless basic stats.
SECOND HALF: just past the hour mark travellers go ahead.
Three-quarters of the way thru this contest Hurzeler makes a trademark triple change.
Ten minutes from time two more subs arrive and the formation assumes positional alterations.
IN THE END: beaten by an average side who had a game-plan to smother any threats to their first third.
NUMBERS: poss 63%-37%, on target 2-4, off target 5-3, corners 3-4,
fouls 12-9, yellows 1-3, subs 5-3, shape 4231-3421 . . . . . gd1 pt31 po14
FS
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