Crystal Palace Fan View: Brighton reunion just doesn't matter at the moment

After another missed opportunity to take all three points against Everton on the weekend, the next week sees Crystal Palace first play host Stoke and then make the short trip down the M23 to face Brighton.

Like thousands of others, I’m sure, I can still play the goals back in my mind of that glorious wet evening in May 2013 as we overcame Brighton. Yannick Bolasie beating the full back not once but twice, pulling off a bit of skill to take the ball away from goal before wrapping his foot around it to deliver to Wilfried Zaha, who found himself gloriously alone just outside the 6-yard box…

Magic.

We’d go on to secure promotion that season, a feat it would take another 4 seasons for Brighton to achieve. But here we are, our first meeting against the clapper-toting, prawn-sandwich-eating brigade in the Premier League. By any measure, this should be a huge game.

Given our current predicament, I don’t think that’s the case.

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I cannot stress enough the importance of this run of games overall, and the points we simply must accumulate during it. Everton wasn’t a bad start, a point is useful, but we’re already 5 points adrift – every game is a big game. We need points, and we have as good a chance now as we will have this season to go on a little run of wins. Remarkably, Brighton could even mean less than Stoke.

The reason I say that is Brighton’s form so far this season. With 16 points already, anything but a catastrophe will see them relegated. They’ve done a good job of winning the games they ought (and need) to have won, against teams like West Brom, Newcastle, Swansea and Crystal Palace certainly fall into that category.

Our squad is vastly more experienced, filled with internationals with thousands of Premier League appearances between them Objectively, we should be ahead of Brighton, but the worrying trend of successful promoted sides has put pay to conventional wisdom. Stoke too find themselves victims of this phenomenon, languishing close to the relegation zone in 15th and, especially with ‘home advantage’, that makes this a winnable game for us.

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I’m not saying the Brighton game doesn’t matter, or that we can’t or won’t win it. Form can be temporarily set aside for these clashes – don’t forget if anything we were underdogs back in 2013 – and the Crystal Palace fans will be there in full voice to push the team on. The inclusion and form of Wilfried Zaha, a player who knows exactly how much this means, and the continued presence of figures like Damien Delaney and Julian Speroni could also work to our advantage. Hodgson too will know the importance of this game as well as understand the acute desire of the whole fanbase to notch a win over Brighton and drag them down from their lofty position.

However, three points are three points, and we can’t afford to be picky about where they come from. With United on the weekend, Brighton could choose to rest key players. We will not enjoy the same liberty and must grab the points wherever they crop up.

As long as we aren’t embarrassed by Brighton, I’m happy to look ‘big picture’ for the time being.