Three of us set off from Cupar to the hallowed turf of Selhurst Park. I made myself logistical manager as there were complex and precise timings involved to reach our destination and back. Harry and Dougie were my companions on the long road down covering a total of a thousand miles. It was an early start at 5am for the first leg of the journey where a Partick Thistle fan named Stuart would be waiting at my house to take us to the airport. Harry would be late in driving to my house blaming the fog and the mist from St Monans located in the East Neuk of Fife on his late arrival, leaving Dougie slightly anxious to our whereabouts as he diligently waited outside the now defunct Cupar Nightclub called Jordans. Anyway ten minutes later than planned we were off and arrived at Edinburgh Airport with plenty time to spare after booking in. This of course was the cue to get the first alcoholic beverage down our throats with the time at 0640. Our flight was in time and after a short free bus ride from Luton Airport to the railway station we boarded the Thameslink to East Croyden for our accommodation at Jurrys Inn. Harry and myself had planned the trip well in advance sorting our tickets, accomodationn and flights but Dougie had left it to the last few days costing double for the airfare and he still had a ticket to buy so we headed by taxi to Selhurst Park about 3 miles away. Plenty tickets were left and Harry and myself purchased a new Palace top, a matchday programme and i bought a Dougie Freedman mug. We were now ready for a few pre-match pints cue the Selhurst Arms. Inside we mingled with the locals and discussed our travel arrangments down to this mecca where the general response was surprise and bewilderment at such dedication to the Eagles cause whereupon we were rewarded with folk buying us pints. Our good friend Bob who we met at the Spread Eagle pub in Croyden after a home game v Wolves last season eventually turned up and after a another pint we were ready for the 10 min walk to the Stadium. Unfortunately we lost Dougie at this point and despite our best attempts to find him, we gave up and walked to the ground where we heard a lot of cheering. Yes we had missed a goal after 75 seconds and worse it was 1 nil to Cardiff. Upon finding our seats we sang along with the vociferous home crowd and rejoiced when Stuart Green raced past the Scottish Internationalist Goalkeeper Neil Alexander and slotted the ball home for the equaliser just before half-time. We used the the 15 minute interval to cure our craving thirst by consuming more alcohol.
In the second half the match could have went either way and with a draw looking likely our visitors took advantage of sloppy play and scored what proved to be the winner 6 mins from time. A bitter pill to swallow and as we left the ground to walk to a pub the mood amonst the Eagles faithful was one of gloom and despondency. We arrived at the Cherry Trees and as we discussed the whereabouts of Dougie the man himself appeared out of nowhere. Dougie then proceeded to tell us that he witnessed a mass brawl involving both sets of supporters as he left the ground featuring about 200 people. After the Cherry Trees we headed down the street to a pub called the Ship and again we lost Dougie. Harry by this stage was fairly inebriated and was starting to slur his words. He decided it was time to leave the premises to go to a shop as his cigarrete supply had plummeted down to the wire. After a long period of time he phoned my mobile trying to find his way back but it was very difficult to understand what he was saying as the alcohol had seeemingly destroyed a few of his brain cells. Twenty minutes later he re-learned the name of the pub he had been in and with guidence from the company i was in he found his way back to which a huge cheer greeted him on his re-emergence as well as another pint. Resembling a zombie from the movie Shaun of the dead he shuffled towards the bar area and that was the last time i saw him until he returned to the hotel at 6am. This was not quite going to plan, although i did not envisage a clockwork operation, now i had lost both my friends. It was a forlorn hope but i tried to retreive the situation by frequenting a few of the bars that we had passed on the way up hoping i would bump into Harry or Dougie. There was to be no joy and i eventually caught a bus to take me back to East Croyden where i then had a pint back at the hotel with no sign of my pals.
I was woken by Harry entering the hotel at 6am in a rather foul mood and it was then that i noticed Dougie had made it back too. Harry told us about his night, how he had walked for miles probably round in a circle, got nearly arrested, lost his mobile, matchday programme, baseball hat, packet of cigarettes and a lighter. Questioned by us how he had lost all these possessions he replied that he didn't have a scooby and sat and slept on a chair from 0620 to 1000. Dougie and myself enjoyed the full English breakfast but Harry was not in the mood.
On the return journey we were a bit fortunate to make our return flight. We checked in with loads of time but after spending too long a period at the bar we left it very tight to be searched as a long queue had developed and we had only about 20 minutes left before the flight took off. This was to prove academic as the plane was subliquently delayed and our fears were thus nullified.
We made it back to Cupar at about 8.30pm where Oggy met us from the railway station platform. Tired and dishevelled Harry decided to head straight back to St Monans and Dougie was partied out as well as he too headed home. As i was of work Monday i had one or two pints in the Imperial then the walker before calling it a night reflecting on another Palace adventure where things certainly do not go according to plan.
