Bonanza beckons for play-off victors
Veteran striker Kevin Phillips was the hero once more in the Championship play-off final this Bank Holiday afternoon, as his extra-time penalty guaranteed Crystal Palace a spot in the Premier League next season.
It's been eight long years since the south London club last graced the top-flight and thanks to a hard-fought victory over Watford at Wembley today they'll get the chance to do it all over again.
'Super Kev' stepped up amidst the highest possible level of pressure to thrash the ball high into the top-left corner of the net to give Almunia no chance between the sticks. Phillips first break in professional football came at Watford and what a story it is for him to come back at the tail-end of his career to end his former club's hopes of play-off glory.
New Manchester United recruit Wilfried Zaha was a constant menace to the Watford defence and it was his jinking on the ball that encouraged a rash foul from experienced defender Marco Cassetti. His ill-judged tackle brought about the penalty from which Phillips nudged Palace in front.
Watford played some splendid football during the regular season under manager Gianfranco Zola, their stylish brand of play taking them to the brink of automatic promotion. Having missed out by the skin of their teeth on the final day of the season to rivals Hull City, Zola had a job on his hands to lift his men. He did the trick in leading his side beyond Leicester City in the play-off semis before facing up to the final against a strong Palace outfit.
Tactics played a large part in Palace keeping their opponents quiet for most of the contest and manager Ian Holloway drilled a disciplined outlook into his charges, which meant they didn't allow a normally fluid Watford side to find gaps in their defence.
On one crucial occasion the Hornets got clean through in extra-time at one-nil down, however Palace spectacularly cleared off the line from a curling effort by Forestieri.
Crystal Palace now step up to the promised land of the Premier League with the financial and footballing rewards that brings with it, while Watford face an uncertain future with likely changes in the loan system in the Championship causing problems for them in terms of holding on to their star players.
Ian Holloway will hope to use the top-flight knowledge he gained from his Blackpool days to make sure he keeps his current club up next campaign. For now, it's time to bask in the glory of promotion before dealing with the transfer market during what is sure to be an extremely busy summer at Selhurst Park.
Twitter: @davewh1980
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