Just when we thought we could ignore club football for a short while, they go and announced the 2012/13 fixture list.

With three London derbies home and away, and matches against Br*ghton, this should have been an exciting day for any Palace fan.

However I’m left feeling a little hollow, partly due to more interest in the current Euros, but mainly because there aren’t any fixtures to really salivate over.

According to the Palace official website, the first round of the League Cup begins before the start of the league season, which seems unprecedented, but we’ll take their word for it. Palace go to Dean Moxey’s old stamping ground, St James Park, to face Exeter, week commencing 13th August.  Palace will be looking to get off to a flyer after their fantastic run in the cup last season.

At least Palace start and finish the league season at home this year, which up until a couple of seasons ago we seemed banned from doing either for about a decade. So a home ‘London’ derby against Watford is swiftly followed an even duller fixture against Bristol City away. Two winnable fixtures should set us up nicely for an away trip to Middlesbrough, against whom we had one of our best performances of the season.

September starts to get a little more interesting. Sheffield Wednesday visit Selhurst on the 1st, the two sides haven’t met since the Eagles relegated the Owls on the last day of the 2009/10 season in that epic winner-takes-all thriller that created legends in Alan Lee and Darren Ambrose.

Then Palace go back to the Valley to face near neighbours Charlton. The Clowns will be looking to test themselves against their hated rivals having returned to the Championship after years in the lower league wilderness.

Former Eagle Chris Powell is now manager and Rhoys Wiggins, Palace’s academy player is in the Charlton first team.

Forest then come to Selhust followed by Cardiff as Palace looked to exact revenge for last season Carling Cup Semi Final defeat.  I’m actually getting married on the day of the Cardiff game, but not too devastated to miss this one – don’t send flowers, send cash.

We then have two tricky fixtures against newly relegated Bolton and Wolves.

The next London derby will be October 20th as Millwall return to Selhurst, we’ll put the repair bill in the post now shall we?

The other relegated club, Blackburn come on 3rd November.

Annoyingly Brighton come to Selhurst when I will oop north for a friend’s wedding, on 1st December, although this might well become a TV or radio game so fingers crossed I’ll be able to keep tabs on the action!

The Christmas fixtures are fairly uninspiring as usual with Huddersfield on 22nd December, Cardiff away on Boxing Day (yeah I can really be bothered to travel for that one!), then 29th away at Forest.  At least Wolves on New Year’s Day should blow away the hangovers!

Palace should get a stern test over the Easter period, with Birmingham at home and then Blackpool away.

With six fixtures in the league to complete in April,  promotion run in will be quite tough against Blackpool, (Barnsley), Millwall, Ipswich, Leicester and Blackburn, and we should have the title wrapped up to lift the trophy at home to Peterborough on the final day!

I’ll start planning my away trips once the Euros are over.

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