Fredrikstad
Our first UEFA Conference League assignment was to qualify for the competition ‘proper.’ That meant a play-off round tie with the Eagles drawn against Norwegian side Fredrikstad.
Palace made the long trip to the Østfold county with a one-goal lead from the first leg, Jean-Philippe Mateta’s effort ensuring a 1-0 win at Selhurst Park.
That meant a draw would be enough to book our first league stage qualification for a European competition. The game itself was not a classic.
Palace dominated the ball but in the early stages struggled to adjust to the demands of the artificial surface at the hosts’ stadium.
Chris Richards, Justin Devenny and Mateta all missed good chances in the second-half, but thankfully it didn’t matter with the tie finishing 0-0 on the night, 1-0 to Palace on aggregate.
The scenes in the away end at full-time were joyous, as the prospect of a fully-fledged European tour was finally confirmed. The 90 minutes may have not been the most memorable, but for those who made the trip to Norway, sampling a first European away day would never be forgotten.