Hello Champers!

Welcome back to London, and a new challenge with Crystal Palace in Division 1. We have a six point gap to the automatic promotion spot, in addition to the FA Cup and a surprise Cup Winners Cup campaign.

We start the episode with an FA Cup tie against Bournemouth. A sparkling opening half hour sees us home. Leftsided forward Gerry Cooper and Colombian regen Freddy Asprilla set the pace put the game out of reach in 30 breathless minutes.

Cooper, playing further forward in recent weeks, scores again as QPR are dispatched in a London derby.

Playoff rivals Hull City score early at Boothferry Park, before midfielder Garry Spooner equalizes from the bench.

Werder Bremen are next up, as Selhurst Park prepares for the Cup Winners Cup Quarter final. Captain Kirk Sorvel and youngster Thomas Burns are ineligible after arriving after Christmas. Welshman Adrian Graham takes the armband for this one.

Oof! A red card for defender Wynhoff early on sets the tone, as the lads hit five. After a 3-0 halftime lead Bremen pull back to 3-2 straight after half time creating some nerves. Graham settles the team down and helps pull clear. Two away goals are not ideal, but I means we need to concede three to look down the barrel.

We leave it late to beat Premier League side Blackpool in the FA Cup quarters. Thomas Burns comes off the bench and has a super impact.

The cup draw could be worse! We get my former club Nottingham Forest, as Norwich face Leicester.

Leicester are the side we are trying to catch in the league, and both sides score late in the game in an even stalemate. It’s not the end of the world.

I sign another former player as the deadline approaches. Matt Gooden – the regen of Teddy Sheringham – comes in for a bargain £800k. You may (or may not) remember Gooden was with us as a Plymouth player. He was sold for £8.25m to Man City, before joining Blackburn for £775k four years and 41 games later. It’s a small profit for Rovers, but a good signing for us!

We beat Charlton 1-0 in the league thanks to Gerry Cooper, before boarding a plane to Bremen. Werder need to score three times (at least) to progress and manage it! However, we score twice to end up comfortably going through 7-5 on aggerate. The lads did well to match them blow-by-blow.

Cooper is at the double in the league again – this time against surprise relegation candidates Everton.

Deadline day is upon us and we fend of offers for no less than five players – though do let some of the squad players go. I am offered good money for Graham, Rudge and Kelly but wave them off in favour of my FA Cup and Cup Winners Cup runs.

Cooper scores in his fourth straight league game. The £50k p/w Lazic is returning from injury at the right time and comes off the bench to score.

This is how the squad looks as the window closes. I raid Leeds for defender Simon Moncur, and for the loan signings of Alan Shearer’s regen Matthew Barrett and Christian Panucci’s regen D’Angelo. We’ll have some good players for the end-of-season run-in and Leeds get game-time for the kids.

Gerry Cooper scores two more league goals as Swindon are defeated 2-0.

The lads then switch attention to Europe, and Auxerre. After going behind, Cooper rolls his socks up, and gets the team 2-1 ahead at half time. Substitute Lazic adds a vital third so we can take a two-goal cushion to France.

The lads dominated.

Lazic replaces Freddy Asprilla in the starting line up for the FA Cup semi final at Old Trafford. Lazic shows why he needs to play, as he scores two early goals to down Premier League side Nottingham Forest. It’s a second FA Cup final in a row for Warnock!

Burnley are fighting relegation and concede four as Matthew Barrett gets his first Palace goal. Cooper, Graham and Lazic also score – though we lose two to injury.

It brings up our 40th league game and lads have managed to overhaul Leicester – though Derby have climbed up to second. We’re now only nine behind Liverpool. Can we fight on three fronts?

In Auxerre I play four forwards – Cooper, Graham, Asprilla and Lazic. It’s Kelly who makes way. An early away goal helps settle nerves as the lads battle away to a 2-1 win, and 5-2 aggregate win. A European Cup final! A first for Niall Warnock!

Bad news. Our Welsh wizard – ever-present for me this season – will miss the final.

In the league we beat Reading 1-0 and then draw 0-0 with Barnsley to formally secure a playoff berth.

We are frustrated by Luton in an even game, as Liverpool are declared Champions.

It’s second vs third in a must-win game against Derby. Cooper does the business once again as we apply pressure at the right time.

Two games to go. Three points behind.

We need to beat Ipswich to take it to a final day. The lads cannot do it, as Derby win to gain promotion, and confine us to the playoff lottery.

We beat York on the final day – giving the squad players a run out in the process.

The team amassed 44 points in 19 league games since I joined. An average of 2.3 points per game. If we had the whole season to apply those stats we’d have got 106 points – and promotion. The lads have done well!

Here’s the fixture list; The FA have been very kind in their scheduling!

First up, Huddersfield. Maybe we took an eye off the ball here with focus on Roma… the lads conceded late in the first half and could not reply. We’ll have work to do in Yorkshire to claw this back!

I’m faced with an injury/suspension crisis. I’m thankful the AI will allow loan players to play, unlike players signed permanently!

It means Alan Shearer’s regen Matthew Barrett starts with Cooper up front, and transfer listed Enrico Zerbi starts in the center of the park.

Barrett gets us off to a flyer before disaster strikes. We lose stand-in captain Jimmy Middleton for an ugly lunge. Thankfully Roma return the favour 10 minutes later. We trade blows – Cooper scores and Roma equalize before Cooper nets a 77th minute winner!

We are Cup Winners Cup Winners!!!!

Three days later, and we’re in the FA Cup final. It’s Niall’s third final, and we still have an injury crisis to navigate. Burns joins Asprilla up front and Spooner returns in the middle of the park.

It’s a step too far. Despite going in a halftime all square, Norwich show their freshness and are able to grind out a win. Three Wembley visits and three defeats for Niall in the FA Cup. Fook.

Urgh. The hangover rolls into the Playoffs and our season ends with two painful defeats. The lads are flat, tired and don’t get into the game.

So… Division 1 football again next season.

It’s a poor end to the season, but the Cup Winners Cup Win ensures we get European football again in Division 1 next season. We’ll have to build up the squad in readiness.

Here are the end-of-season stats. Remember Niall joined on Boxing Day;

Garry Cooper and Adrian Graham were the standout performers with central defender Rob Rudge getting an impressive average rating. Let’s not overlook goalkeeper David Lucas who played 70 games over the course of the season, and averaged 7.10 rating.

Join us next time as we start again in Division 1 and try for promotion to the Premier League once again!