Puncheon: Palace crowd can make the difference

The raucous atmosphere generated at Selhurst Park can drive Crystal Palace towards Premier League safety, according to Jason Puncheon.

The winger will captain the Eagles on Sunday in their relegation showdown against Hull City.

Palace go into the match off the back of three straight defeats, which have left them just four points clear of the Tigers going into this weekend’s huge encounter.

Photo caption: Getty Images

And Puncheon, who has been at the club since 2014, compared Sunday’s clash to Palace’s relegation showdown against Norwich City last season, a match they won 1-0 thanks to the winger’s fine strike.

“This is my fourth season at the club and there have been lots of big moments similar to what is ahead of us on Sunday, and it is important, as players, that we take the positives out of our recent good run going into the game,” the 30-year-old said.

“It can be looked at like a cup final as once that game is done, we only have the one left and it’s a similar scenario to our home game against Norwich City last season, and I would certainly take scoring another goal like I did that day.”

Calling on the fans to play their part, Puncheon believes the Selhurst Park crowd could swing the pendulum in Palace’s favour.

He said: “We always know that the fans will be there for us and being our 12th man on the day this weekend can be crucial.

“The match has been a sell-out for some time and we all know that extra bit of support can carry you through.”