Over the Christmas period, Schlupp spoke with the Palace programme to reveal how he maintains his calm and what he does to prepare for the mental battle of changing your game multiple times a season. If you’re playing in defence against a tricky winger, he explains, and then playing further up the pitch. up front against centre-halves, it’s almost roles reversed. Mentally you’ve got to get it right.”
It means taking preparation seriously, he continues: Normally leading up to the games I’ll have a chat with the gaffer if he’s about to put me in somewhere else, so I’ve got enough time to get my head around it and prepare well for whatever position I’m playing.
But the football Palace were playing was leading them to success, and much of it was down to the hours put in at Mitcham.
“It got very dirty - we were competitive in training,” says Bright. “There were always scuffles breaking out, a bit of overzealousness, but nobody used to think anything of it.”
Manager Steve Coppell used to face the players off in games of ‘North v South’, and unsurprisingly it got the blood boiling.
“That got a bit violent! There were ‘oles’ and backheels and nutmegs – but everyone looked out for each other. We had a great team spirit.”