- Crystal Palace face Rayo Vallecano in Conference League final
- Steve Parish gives his thoughts
- Wants Eagles to enjoy even more success
Steve Parish has echoed the sentiments of Crystal Palace fans ahead of tonight’s UEFA Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano. The club chairman is out in Leipzig for the game against the Spaniards at Red Bull Arena.
Palace will be participating in their first-ever European final when they face Vallecano tonight. They are looking to win their second trophy in as many years after winning the FA Cup last season.
Parish has been chairman since June 2010 and he’s enjoying the club’s most successful era under Oliver Glasner. He will be bidding farewell to the Austrian after tonight’s final.
“Make more history” – Parish on Palace
Parish watched Palace win the FA Cup at Wembley thanks to Eberechi Eze’s winner. He’s now out in Leipzig to see if his club can achieve more major glory but this time on the European stage.
Asked by club media what the vibe has been like ahead of the game he said:
“Amazing, look at all the fans, it’s incredible. So exciting, been out in the town today, perfect weather, slight breeze, gonna be an amazing atmosphere. Palace fans lighten the place up, the Vallecano fans are great as well. Real carnival atmosphere, gonna be a tough game but let’s hope we can win it.”
Parish was asked if the FA Cup triumph had whetted Palace’s appetite:
“Absolutely, we’ve tasted it now we want more of it, don’t we. Let’s see if we can make more history.”
Palace head into the final as slight favourites despite finishing below Vallecano during the league phase. The South London outfit are playing a somewhat different role than the one which saw them pull off an underdog story in the FA Cup final.
Parish’s objective after the final whistle is the impossible task of replacing Glasner. It appears that Andoni Iraola is at the top of his wishlist, although the departing Bournemouth boss is in high demand.
