Kiernan’s Corner: Friendly Football!

There’s something very strange about pre-season friendlies, especially ones that are affected massively by the World Cup.

Here I am, standing with 21,000 others at Selhurst Park (most likely to be their biggest attendance all season) watching 22 players that even the most ardent football fan would struggle to identify. All the big names of course are still resting from their South Africa exploits… or lack of depending on your outlook.

Indeed, the only players that I recognise on the Chelsea side of things are Petr Cech (who by all accounts had a very quiet World Cup because the Czech Republic didn’t qualify), and John Obi Mikel and Michael Essien (who also had quiet World Cups… because they were both injured). If you are keen football follower there’s also a certain Gaël Kakuta, who caused all that fuss nine months ago, when he was deemed to breached his contract with Lens to sign for the Blues.

For Palace meanwhile, things get even tougher for us in the stands. The most recognisable name is Julian Speroni – a goalkeeper who although had a torrid time in the Premier League for the Eagles back in 2004 has actually developed into quite the shot-stopper. But apart from the Argentine, the rest of the side appear to made up of players on trial (most of whom incidentally have since been let go) and fringe players.

This is hardly looking like a contest to remember, then.

Unfortunately, the first half proved us to be correct. The two sides cancelled each other out, to such an extent, that neither team could reach the opponents latter third, let alone get a shot on target. The only moment of note was a cracking effort from Essien, who rattled the bar from 30m out.

When the half-time whistle went, I started to ponder why an earth I was here watching this drivel at all. And then…with an hour gone it all made sense.

Essien broke through and scrambled the ball home from close-range to put Chelsea in the lead, and the away end in which I was standing broke out into ecstatic pandemonium. Remember – this is only a friendly, but for most of these fans, they would have watched the dross that was England in South Africa and would have long forgotten what celebrating a goal was actually like! A touch harsh perhaps, but you get my drift. They were celebrating as if they’d just won the league for goodness sake!

Elsewhere to my right, was a young chap part of my clan who was attending his first ever football game supporting Chelsea at the tender age of four. Success has come at a price for the Blues, with the cheapest seats at the Bridge £44 a game, it is hard to justify taking the family in these tough economic times, but not today at Selhurst. For the price to take an U16 is just £1 when accompanied by an adult, and thus this young Blue can get his first taste of this sport that we all know and love.

The fact so many of us have taken advantage of this offer also helps the cash-strapped Eagles, who were hours away from liquidation just a matter of weeks ago. The full stadium will help no-end in their quest for financial stability.

On the pitch too, maybe there is a point to this mundane match after all. Palace get the chance to hire a player or two on a free based on a match performance, while Chelsea get to see which youngsters to blood in the first team this year (Scott Sinclair and Ryan Bertrand look the likeliest candidates at this stage).

And so, as the final whistle went, I realised that (without being too poetic) everyone wins…apart from Palace on the pitch of course, who lost 1-0. Sorry, I had to mention the result… I’m slightly biased!