There aren’t many places in football for unsung heroes. It is an industry full of egos, filled by a hyperbolic press where small successes are celebrated like World Cup wins and minuscule defeats condemned like world wars, that only the real arrogant, driven, horrible lot really succeed.
It makes Keith Millen something of an anomaly. A genuinely nice chap in a tough, unforgiving world, working his hardest to help his beloved Crystal Palace stay in the . And after Neil Warnock’s sacking, this is the third time he has stepped into the breach to lead the Eagles into battle. The first time was before Tony Pulis was appointed and the second after he walked out. In his six games in charge, he’s led Palace to four points.
The third time around has been steady if unflattering; two points from two games. The latest being New Year’s Day’s 0-0 draw at Aston Villa; a goalless draw being the most obvious score before kickoff seeing as Villa have scored the fewest goals in the league this season (just 11) and Palace have been lacking a proper striker for some time. The Eagles have only score two goals in their last seven games.
The point keeps Palace in the bottom three but means the Eagles don’t lose ground on their relegation rivals who mostly all picked up points. It was a drab game by anyone’s standards; Palace had no shots on target, unless you include Yannick Bolasie’s chipped shot which hit the underside of the bar and bounced clear. It was the closest either side came to scoring.
