CITY 0 CRYSTAL PALACE 0
FA Premier League
5th May 1993
attendance 21,167
Ref Steve Lodge
City Coton, Ranson, Phelan, McMahon, Curle, Vonk, White, Sheron, Quinn, Flitcroft,, Holden – subs Kerr(63), Simpson(unused), Dibble(unused)
Crystal Palace Martyn, Shaw, Southgate, Williams, Young, Thorn, Humphrey, Thomas, Armstrong, Rodger, McGoldrick – subs Osborn(unused), Gordon(unused), Woodman(unused)
FROM THE PRESS BOX
REPORT FROM THE DAILY MIRROR 6TH MAY 1993
Tony Coton last night forced Crystal Palace to go looking for a life-saving point at Highbury on Saturday.
The Manchester City goalkeeper produced a defiant late save to deny Gareth Southgate the goal that would have guaranteed Premier League safety.
Instead, while relegation rivals Oldham were beating Liverpool, Palace had to be content with a point.
They are now three points ahead of Joe Royle’s side but while Oldham are at home to Southampton, Palace must visit the Arsenal team they have already lost to three times this season.
Selhurst Park manager Steve Coppell admitted that the next few days will be the longest wait of his life. He declared: it’s like visiting the dentist, I would much rather get it all over with tomorrow but we won’t know if we have survived or not until 4.45 on Saturday.
We now face our Cup final and that will be as important to us as Arsenal’s visit to Wembley in the FA Cup final.”
Coppell put a brave face on it, but he knew his side should have been celebrating on the way back to South London.
He stressed: My players were terrific tonight and we could have won by three or four, but their keeper made some great saves. Now we need a point to survive. But it has been a freak year, because normally our points total would already have enough to keep us up, in a way you feel cheated.”
Just six minutes of this dour class remained when Paul Williams sprinted to the by-line to cut the ball back for Southgate. The Palace man appeared to have made the perfect connection as he flicked the ball towards the top corner of the net. But Coton arched his back to brilliantly claw the ball over the bar, leaving Palace the high-tension task of confronting George Graham’s Cup kings looking for a positive result.
Maine Road manager Peter Reid had ordered his troops to give everything in support of near-neighbors Oldham, who put themselves on life-support with the win at Villa Park that handed Manchester United the championship.
Coton, above all did his bits for Boundary Park cause, to the consternation of Palace.