Passport Control, Gatwick Airport, 2.15am, Friday, August 29. Crystal Palace’s bleary-eyed delegation has just touched down from their trek to Frederikstad, in Norway, where their ticket to the was stamped after a gruelling 1-0 aggregate victory. Now, they just want to go to bed.
Among the group is the Eagles weary first-team squad, who will be in action again on Sunday when they head to Villa Park for a big Premier League fixture. Often in these cases the unwritten rule in football – players’ first – kicks in, and the squad heads to the front of the queue to ensure they are the first home as they seek to maximise recovery time.