If I found it desperately strange to be standing at Withdean shouting "Come on Palace" last week, spare a thought for Dave Beasant.

He was deeply touched by the rapturous reception his 82nd minute clearance received!

Speaking to him after that superb, nail-biting game, he told me he was still very impressed with his nifty ball work even though he soon realised that the jubilant celebrations were the result of Palace putting the winning goal past Stoke.

There was a memorable atmosphere at this game and whilst it didn't quite compare with the famous "half time at Hereford" experience of six years ago, it will go down as unmissable by all of us in the stands who were delighted by Albion's performance at the same time as being plugged into the radio coverage from Selhurst Park.

All my earlier, treacherous, thoughts about wanting to see the relegation battle decided against Watford were forgotten because the team put in a performance that showed their commitment to staying up.

And so, as the more pessimistic armchair pundits predicted, our fate will be decided at the last game of the season when thousands of Brighton supporters will pour into Grimsby desperate to witness our survival in Division One.

The match will get live TV coverage but for the many fans unable to get tickets this barely compensates for the chance to watch the action live from Blundell Park and, with Grimsby already relegated, there had been high hopes of them releasing more tickets.

Until Humberside Police stepped in that is, and thwarted this sensible idea on the grounds of safety.

Quite how their decision generates the sort of "safety" normally associated with that happy state of affairs is beyond many fans, especially since Humberside Police don't seem to understand that their "stay at home" advice to the ticketless may fall on deaf ears.

I was lucky enough to have my application for tickets successfully drawn in the lottery so I'm not faced with the dilemma, but I know plenty of unlucky but otherwise law-abiding, sensible supporters who would normally accept the inevitable and stay home when the supply of away tickets exceeds demand.

This time, however, they aren't prepared to be "sensible" and bow to the misguided opinions of the local Old Bill. There are several reasons for this, but the best one is their determination to support the team by getting behind them and willing them to win in a way that just isn't possible from in front of a TV screen. Even if this does mean putting "sensible" on the backburner for the weekend. Or worse, go in the Grimsby end disguised, as a friend suggested, by a liberal application of "Eau de Haddock" before sneaking in through the enemy turnstiles!

Whatever the constabulary say, there's going to be a mass exodus up the A1 this weekend with quite a few of us heading for the bright lights of Cleethorpes and their handily timed beer festival on Saturday night before going on to Blundell Park for Sunday's game. So unless the police are planning to cordon off most of North Lincolnshire and turn away anyone who looks suspicious, I can't see how they can prevent this merry band from getting to the game where, instead of having the fans neatly packed into the stadium under their watchful eyes, the police face the prospect of not actually knowing where the ticketless Expeditionary Force has billeted itself.

And if that isn't the recipe for crowd control problems I don't know what is!

But enough of the complaining! The fat lady is practising her high notes and by Sunday evening our fate will have been decided and the season will be all over.

Roz South edits Brighton Rockz fanzine. Email roz@southspark.co.uk