FIVE- YEAR PLAN | est. 2003

CRYSTAL PALACE

fypfanzine. uk • @ fypfanzine TOM MASLONA

FAVOURITE COVER Our 44th edition was published just before the 2016 FA Cup Final against Manchester United. Having been fourth in December 2015, Palace’s form had dipped to the point where we needed a Jason Puncheon wonder strike to secure our top- flight status in April. The image of him celebrating his winner in that game features on the cover. Less iconic was Alan Pardew celebrating Puncheon’s opening goal with his dad dancing, rather than organising his side to withstand 10 gruelling minutes of inevitable United pressure. MEMORABLE PLAYER/ MANAGER INCIDENT

For my first issue as editor, I asked our former manager Alan Smith if we could set up a regular feature where I’d interview him about some aspect of his time at the club. The first chat went well until I discovered, to my horror, that I hadn’t pressed the record button. Shame- faced, I called him back to explain, and asked him if we could do the interview again. He agreed and, to his credit, probably gave a better interview the second time. When I discovered that this interview hadn’t recorded either, I gave up the ghost and wrote up his article from memory...

MOST IMPORTANT STORY I won’t claim that Palace’s rivalry with Brighton is on the same level as the Old Firm derby, but the two clubs do dislike each other. A couple of years ago, Sussex Police tried to tarnish the reputation of Palace supporters by claiming that some fans took weapons into the Amex Stadium.

FYP challenged this, resulting in an apology from the authority after it became clear that the assertion was a fabrication.