So, our run of unbeaten games, clean sheets and endless amounts of optimism has finally come to a very abrupt and conclusive halt. It seems that, despite our recent form going above and beyond anyone's expectations prior to the season beginning, one defeat at the hands of Cardiff has exposed what an utterly useless and inexperienced bunch of losers we have representing the shirt. Well, at least that was the way the final whistle was greeted by many on Saturday evening.
Back in reality, it was clear for all to see, that despite expectations rising with every passing unbeaten minute, the prospect of the boys getting something out of the game against our Welsh opponents was perhaps a bridge to far on the day, given the heavy duty fixture list we have had to contend with in the last few weeks.
To some extent, the warning signs were evident on Tuesday night at home to Portsmouth, with Jonny Williams and Sean Scannell withdrawn from first team duties and Zaha looking tired and frustrated after a relatively short period of the match, it could be argued that our young players, who incidentally offer most of our spark and attacking threat when they are on form, were in need of a sustained rest after a run of seven games in just three weeks.
A fact that didn't escape Dougie when he was asked for his thoughts on Saturday evening:
"We have young players and it has been relentless so the break comes at the right time. We can rest up and go again. Today was probably a game too far, we lacked a spark but performed well against an experienced side but I believe we are on the right path for our long term goal."
In truth, the first half of the game saw us get the better of Cardiff for large spells, and had chances for Scannell and Zaha happened to fall slightly differently, we could be discussing another superb away victory this morning. Without wanting to sound like an aging pundit, churning out clichés for the sake of it, there are key moments in games like these, and unfortunately for us, the timing of Kenny Miller's goal happened to come at such a time, I certainly won't be getting myself too worked up about our first loss in nine games, and I urge you to do the same.
It is always worth trying to put any defeat into some form of perspective, and in doing so, the overwhelming thing to remember is the league position we have secured for ourselves going into the two week break.
Currently in 6th place with a points tally of 25, we can reflect on a job extremely well done by Dougie and the boys in the early stages of the campaign. Despite the disappointment of Saturday, I cannot imagine there is a single Crystal Palace fan that wouldn't have jumped for joy if they were offered the position we currently occupy, back in August. If you do happen to feel that we have somehow underachieved so far, I would suggest that supporting Palace probably isn't for you.
Moving away from the Cardiff defeat, Dougie has been discussing the future of young goal keeper Wes Foderingham, who is currently doing a sterling job whilst on loan at Swindon Town:
"Wes is a fantastic young keeper who had been playing reserve team football here but is now out in the real world at Swindon and doing very well. We'll try and keep him there as long as possible because it is better than reserve level. Just after Christmas we'll have a little talk with him. By then we can see where we are in the division and start offering contracts and talking to people that we'd like to keep over the next two to three years."
It must be said, that Wes has exceeded everyone's expectations for him so far for Di Canio's side, having not conceded a single goal in any of the five games he has played in. It is testament to the talents of the man, that prior to the move he was still waiting for his first opportunity to show what he could do at a professional level, and now he can look back on a few weeks which have seen him become a cult hero at The County Ground, with the Robins fans wondering if anyone is going to score against them again.
What is clear from our perspective, is that it is now more important than ever, to ensure that in January, the long-term future of Wes is tied down. With his contract set to expire in the summer, Dougie clearly needs no more convincing that at the tender age of 20, Foderingham is doing everything needed to prove that he is the natural successor to Julian Speroni's crown as Palace number one. Hopefully he can continue his remarkable run of clean sheets for some time to come yet, with his next test coming when Swindon entertain AFC Wimbledon in the JPT on Tuesday.
Until tomorrow...
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