Hartlepool’s big day out may have ended in defeat but this was an occasion those who made the journey to south London will never forget.
An inspired performance from Michael Olise, who set up Marc Guéhi’s opening goal before coming up with a brilliant solo effort of his own proved enough to end the resistance of Graeme Lee’s brave side as their attempt to reach the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time fell short.
Despite a convincing display from the hosts, it was the 5,000 visiting supporters whose voices could be heard at the final whistle.
“After the game the atmosphere was amazing,” said Lee. “The players and the fans needed that moment.”
The presence of Olise and Eberechi Eze in the Palace starting line-up would be enough to give any team a headache, and Hartlepool’s five-man defence must have known they were in for a long afternoon when the former glided past David Ferguson in the third minute before being brought down.
Olise, the hero of Palace’s win over Millwall in the last round, picked himself up to deliver a pinpoint cross that Guéhi gleefully turned past Ben Killip.
Conceding such an early goal was never likely to spoil the party in the away end. Having been close to extinction in 2017 after being relegated to the National League, reaching this stage of the competition has capped a fairytale few months after they beat Torquay in the playoffs last June.
A flowing move almost straight after conceding that ended with right-back Jamie Sterry finding left-back Ferguson at the far post was an indication that Hartlepool were certainly not here to make up the numbers after dumping out Championship side Blackpool in the previous round. After his error against Millwall, Jack Butland looked relieved to see the ball spin behind the post when it slipped out of his hands.
Despite Hartlepool’s win over Palace in the third round when the two sides met in 1993, the hosts offered to subsidise coach travel for nearly 5,000 supporters who packed out the away end with their blue and white flags.
Having paid £12.50 for the 277-mile trip from the north-east, there seemed to have been plenty left over for refreshments as they roared their team forward.
One passage of play involving a series of passes along the defensive line prompted an outbreak of Olés, although attempting to keep possession proved to be their downfall for Palace’s second goal. Joel Ward was quick to react to Killip’s goal kick and Conor Gallagher’s pass still gave Olise plenty to do.
After taking out Timi Odusina with a sublime first touch, the 20-year-old arrowed his finish into the corner for his fourth goal since joining from Reading in the summer.
Palace have reached the fifth round once since losing the final to Manchester United in dramatic circumstances in 2016, and look well equipped for another decent run this time around. They could have made certain of their progress early in the second half had one of Olise, Jean-Philippe Mateta or Jeffrey Schlupp found the net early in the second half, with Killip also responsible for keeping his side in it.
An emergency in the away end that required medical staff from both clubs to sprint across the pitch caused a short delay as a supporter received treatment. Thankfully, the players were able to resume around six minutes later.
Hartlepool responded by creating their first opportunity for some time, only for Butland to deny Luke Molyneux. Had Sterry’s effort that whistled just past the Palace goalkeeper’s post with seven minutes still to play been on target, there could even have been a grandstand finish.
Tayo Adaramola was also inches away from scoring seconds after coming on for his debut on a day that he too will always remember.
