Bristol City came out hard. Lee Johnson, their manager young, energetic, with a point to prove had clearly told his players that a Premier League team's reserve eleven was there to be beaten.
They pressed high, they competed physically, and they tested the young Palace defence from the first minute. In the sixth minute, a long ball over the top caught Hannam flat-footed, and their striker was through, one-on-one with Pope.
For a sickening, stomach-dropping moment, I thought the night was going to end before it began. But Pope magnificent, reliable, increasingly essential Pope read the danger, came off his line, spread himself wide, and smothered the ball at the striker's feet with a save that was part goalkeeping and part act of faith. He stood up, pointed at Hannam, and barked an instruction. Hannam nodded, reset, and didn't make another mistake all night.
