Palace v Brighton to be shown live on Sky

By jove, Sky Sports have finally got it! After two seasons of trying to push Brighton v Plucky Little Bournemouth as a rivalry to be broadcast live, they’ve decided at last to give the nation Crystal Palace v Brighton in the Premier League.

As a result, the Albion’s trip to Selhurst Park on Saturday 9th March will now kick off at the earlier time of 12.30pm. This probably represents good news for the Metropolitan Police, if not Seagulls supporters who need several stiff drinks beforehand to cope with the trauma of visiting the Croydon area.

This will be the first time that the M23 Derby as it should never, ever be called has been shown on television as a regular league game since November 2005. On that occasion, Jobi McAnuff scored a last minute winner as the Eagles won 3-2 at Withdean to avenge their 1-0 defeat at Selhurst a month previously.

There have of course been three subsequent installments of the rivalry shown live since then. Sky broadcast both legs of the Championship play off semi finals in 2013 which we don’t want to talk about. BT then showed last season’s FA Cup third round tie which made history as the first domestic game in English football to use VAR.

If the game in March is anything like the last three meetings, then the nation will be in for a treat. The aforementioned FA Cup tie was only decided by a last minute knee from Glenn Murray and four months later, the sides shared five goals in a ridiculously entertaining game at Selhurst which ended 3-2 to Palace.

Then there was the Eagles visit to the Amex earlier in the season. Murray scored against his former club again before Shane Duffy was sent off for headbutting Patrick van Aanholt.

Having to play for over an hour with 10 men didn’t bother the Albion though as Leon Balogun scored with his first touch to make it 2-0 and then Florin Andone netted the goal of the season right on the stroke of half time. Luka Milivojević pulled one back with a second half penalty but Brighton held on for a famous win against the odds.

More of the same in March, please – and this time the rest of the country can enjoy it with us.