Richards talks 'interesting' first Palace v Brighton experience

Richards talks 'interesting' first Palace v Brighton experience

Chris Richards was pleased to experience Crystal Palace’s rivalry with Brighton & Hove Albion first-hand for the very first time.

The defender-turned-defensive midfielder was not involved in either of the two meetings between the two teams last season, but started his fifth consecutive Premier League match for the Eagles in Thursday night’s 1-1 draw.

The appearance continued Richards’ longest stretch of starts for Palace and the intensity of the occasion made an impression on the 23-year-old, who told Palace TV: “It was interesting!

“Right before half-time, when we scored, the crowd was really loud. It was really good to hear that. I felt like it was a bit louder [than normal] because of the rivalry.

“It was awesome to experience my first Palace-Brighton rivalry.”

Richards’ pressing from the front yielded that opening goal for Palace, his closing down of Brighton ‘keeper Bart Verbruggen forcing the mistake which led to Michael Olise crossing for Jordan Ayew to head home.

“I was a bit tired afterwards – half-time saved me a little bit!” Richards joked. “But I knew we wanted to get after them, and we knew they like to play out from the back, so why not press the goalie?

“[Then there was Olise’s cross] and Jordan’s finish as well, so it wasn’t just me, it was a team effort on that goal.”

Richards reflected further on his newfound midfield role: “It’s interesting. I’m still learning every day, but hopefully I can become a bit more natural by the end of the season.

“[There’s] definitely a lot more running, I’ll tell you that! But it has some similarities in the fact that you’re defending in the middle of the field. You have to watch for balls coming over the top of you and people coming to feet. There are differences, but similarities as well.”

Despite holding onto the lead for much of the match, Palace would concede a late equaliser to Brighton’s Danny Welbeck – an impressive header from some way out in the 82nd minute.

Richards admitted: “I’d say [we’re] a bit disappointed. It always sucks to concede a goal late, especially at home, but I think we feel disappointed because we felt we deserved a bit more from the game.

“In some ways, it hurt a little bit more to concede late. A lot of us are a little disappointed, but in hindsight, it’s always good to get a point.

“A point is a point, so we take the positives from it and move forward.”