So the fight for survival is going right to the wire, and we at the club are happy it is.

Obviously we would like to be safe but if you go back ten days we would have taken a Sky Sports showdown from anyone.

The Watford game was a massive encounter where only three points would suffice and with everyone praying for a neighbourly favour the game was full of uncertainties.

But having been in the dressing room beforehand, I only knew that Palace needed to do us a favour as there was no way we were going to lose that one. It was the most focused and upbeat group I have ever seen, with absolutely no sign of nerves anywhere, and that is a testament to our squad as this game had monumental implications.

We started the game brightly, took the lead and increased it thanks to a poacher's goal by Paul 'The Yetty' Kitson.

At half-time we knew the Stoke score but we just had to concentrate on our part of the bargain, which we did with a fine second-half performance which brought two more goals of high quality, the third being a five-touch cracker started by Dave 'Chicken Ass' Beasant aided by your's truly and converted in the accustomed Bobby Z way.

Then came a lovely flowing move which saw Charlie Oatway get a very popular goal which rounded off a perfect game. However, it was only made perfect as sandwiched between the two goals came the roar we had been waiting for, a Palace winner, and I can honestly say it was one of the best feelings of my life and one which filled me and the team with immense belief.

Thus it has set up a cracking end-of-season nail-biter which epitomises why this game is so great.

The squad has prepared meticulously with an entertaining and very intense week of training, with every player chomping at the bit to get at Grimsby (and not because it's on Sky). I feel that the atmosphere in our camp is in stark contrast to Stoke's, as ten days ago they were 99.9 per cent safe, with us dead and buried.

Now they are about 50 per cent safe with the momentum and desire firmly with the Seagulls. They must surely have nerves whereas we've been given a lifeline and it's been grabbed with every pair of hands at the Albion.

But there are still a few ifs and if Stoke avoid defeat, they will ultimately survive. We once again need a favour but Reading surely need to win to continue their confident run and gain play-off advantage. I'm not really going to mention our game as we all know what's required and won't let it slip now.

And as I've said before, you as fans have a massive part to play as, when that roar went up, the whole atmosphere at the Withdean changed and there was a freedom and renewed vigour about our play. So it's vital we receive your vocal and positive support tomorrow and spur us on to what could be the greatest days of football anyone has seen since Hereford.

Well the electricity generator in Worthing was working overtime on Wednesday as John 'The Canvey Cat' Keeley slept with all his lights on after his nightmare display in our midweek five-a-side. John was on our green team and had the worst session I have ever seen him have, with the blue team having a 90 per cent success rate in their 'shoot from anywhere policy' with Kajagoogoo re-arming them with unbelievably wayward throwouts.

At one point he was so late with one of his dives that we thought he was diving to retrieve a ball from the net rather than to stop it going in.

Despite Keelo's inept display, nothing can be taken away from Paul Watson's four high-quality strikes and the highest accolade I can give him is that I haven't seen an exhibition of finishing like that since Cardiff City took on Ton Pentre in the Welsh Youth Cup in 1992. And I've got the video to prove it.

Saturday May 3