League

Swinton Stadium
Spectators: 5001 (Terracing: 4001, Seating: 1000, VIP seats: 0) The field was rather wet after several days of rain when Craig Lemerond took the kick off in the first half of the match. Craig Lemerond sent away a hard shot on goal in the 6th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. After having played for 7 minutes, Jeffrey Trusswell managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. crystal palace's supporters crossed their fingers, but Jeffrey Trusswell was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. Tristram Bittner showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Craig Lemerond, who was totally free with the ball in the 9th minute. Tristram Bittner showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Jeffrey Trusswell in the 12th minute of the match. crystal palace's Craig Lemerond got a good chance for a goal in the 15th minute, but he totally mistimed the shot and it went over the crossbar. The audience thought a goal was coming when Patrick Bailey got free with Steven Boxall in the 19th minute, but the goalkeeper managed to catch the ball with a huge effort. crystal palace's Steven Boxall played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Russ Crichton in the 22nd minute of play. Patrick Bailey blasted a shot towards the goal in the 30th minute, but the shot hit the top of the crossbar and went out without Steven Boxall having to make a save. In the 31st minute, Russ Crichton fired away a shot on goal. He put a little to much spin on the ball and sent it just wide of the right post. Tristram Bittner took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Craig Lemerond, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Johnathan Preston charged in rather forcefully in the 36th minute of the match, and managed to knock his opponent down. The referee showed Johnathan Preston the yellow card, and asked the players to shake hands before continuing play. After 36 played minutes Swinton AFC got a freekick which was hit by Johnathan Preston. Tristram Bittner stood for a superb save when he managed to get hold of Craig Lemerond's shot from short distance in the 37th minute. An unexpectedly hard shot by Jeffrey Trusswell in the 42nd minute of play forced Swinton AFC's goalkeeper Tristram Bittner to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Tristram Bittner took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Craig Lemerond, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Craig Lemerond's shot was meant for the net just under the crossbar, but Tristram Bittner read the situation well and was quickly in position to make a wonderful save in the 47th minute of play. The first half was very even, with the score at 0-0 when the whistle went for half-time. The players welcomed the break and quickly retired to the dressing rooms.

Both teams looked relatively alert before the second half when the referee blew his whistle to tell Russ Crichton to make the kick off. Tristram Bittner stood for a superb save when he managed to get hold of Craig Lemerond's shot from short distance in the 56th minute. Tristram Bittner made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Craig Lemerond in the 58th minute of play. George Shakespeare hit a great freekick 59 minutes into the match. Craig Lemerond struck a weak shot in the 61st minute. Tristram Bittner didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for crystal palace. The supporters of crystal palace booed when Swinton AFC was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 62 match minutes in a wonderful position. Johnathan Preston didn't get a good kick on the ball. If Jeffrey Trusswell had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 63rd minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. Steven Boxall made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Russ Crichton in the 67th minute of play. Steven Boxall didn't have a chance when a screaming shot from Patrick Bailey went, in the 70th minute, to the upper right corner, 1-1 was the resulting score. After a defensive mix-up in Swinton AFC's zone, Jeffrey Trusswell stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Tristram Bittner came out of the goal and Jeffrey Trusswell tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. In the 77th minute, Jeffrey Trusswell left the goalkeeper for dead before tapping the ball into the right side of the net. The crystal palace fans were clearly happy with the effort and the scoreboard reflected the new score: 1-2. After 80 minutes, Craig Lemerond mouthed his way into the referee's book. The tension between the crystal palace and the Swinton AFC players grew even worse after the yellow card. The supporters of Swinton AFC booed when crystal palace was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 80 match minutes in a wonderful position. Craig Lemerond didn't get a good kick on the ball. Garry Walker received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 82nd minute. Tristram Bittner tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. 84 minutes into the match, Swinton AFC's goal looked a bit too open when Craig Lemerond came free, but Tristram Bittner reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. Tristram Bittner was out of position in the 88 minute of play, and Jeffrey Trusswell capitalized on the mistake with a soft shot into the goal. Jeffrey Trusswell really showed his touch with that goal: 1-3. Tristram Bittner showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Craig Lemerond in the 95th minute of the match. crystal palace's players went to the stands to thank the travelling support. The fan's backing had helped spurr the team on to a fine performance that won them the match.