WATCH YOUR WASTE LINE!

Big Sam warns Palace not to throw away all their good work against the big clubs

SAM ALLARDYCE has one simple message for his players ahead of Crystal Palace’s knife-edge basement battle with Hull: Do not waste all your hard work.

Allardyce insists there will be no prematch rallying cry or Churchill-style stirring speech. By then, all the hard work and preparation will have been done. And that will include a reminder of the huge effort Palace put in to pull off shock wins against Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool and breathe life into their survival bid. Allardyce said: “For me, it’s about thinking back to the results we’ve gained, say to yourself, ‘We don’t want to waste this, waste beating Chelsea away, Liverpool away and Arsenal at home. Don’t waste it, lads’. “They were terrific performances at a time where we never expected to be in the position we’re in now. “We actually put ourselves in a very positive position with five games to go. We’ve slipped up and have to make sure we finish it off.” A point tomorrow and survival is guaranteed, but lose, and Palace may need a result at Manchester United on the final day of the season to stay up.

Words of inspiration from Allardyce just before the teams run out tomorrow could make a crucial the difference.

But he said: “No, there will be no big speech. I just get out of the way really – leave the players to focus on the game.

“Our preparation is before we get into the dressing room, it’s not a team talk.

“If we have to do that, if we haven’t prepared our players, we’ve failed as a staff, failed miserably.”

Allardyce admits he will struggle to sleep tonight but will be raring to go come the noon kick-off.

He said: “I don’t sleep easy before any games. I watch boxsets though I’m running out, I could do with some new ones. Billions has finished, I’m gutted about that.

“Tomorrow you get up, get to the ground, play the game and see what the outcome is.

“An early start suits the players, you can fatigue mentally while you’re thinking about the game.

“How you relax and approach the build-up to the game in terms of conserving energy is very important. We will get down to Selhurst, let’s get at them and get it done.”