A decent game and a decent result against a team who were playing in the Premier League last season.

Speroni made some crucial saves in the second half and Burnley hit the woodwork two or three times.

Palace had their own chances with Neil Danns coming closest. Vaughan made some good runs early doors but became increasingly isolated as the away side got to grips with their opponents.

Palace played a 4-2-3-1 formation with Danns, Cadogan and Djilali supporting the front man. Djilali was subbed at half time for Zaha. Both he and Cadogan are nippy and clearly talented but need too much time on the ball and were lightweight against Burnley's centre backs. Bikey's casual shouldering of Zaha off the ball exemplified this (and no, it was not a foul, just a much stronger player).

Man of the match was Julian Speroni for his match saving goalkeeping. However I was impressed by on loan full back Alex Marrow (Blackburn) who had a good game against his parent club's bitter rivals. He kept the excellent Chris Eagles at close quarters until he was brought into the midfield to replace Andrew Dorman.

In the end It was pretty straightforward. HMRC’s debt form only a small portion of a clearly defined series of debts where the creditors have accepted a CVA. In short, while the taxman may not be happy about the financial settlement, everyone else is and in a democracy, the majority tends to carry the day.

So nothing prevents the Football League from issuing CPFC 2010 with the “Golden Share” that is the licence to play football in the League.

Inevitably, lessons must be learned about the dangers of over-ambition and high expectation. It is important that, as fans, we recognise that the club has its place in the Football structure and that it might not be in the Premier League, at least not every year.

But that doesn’t mean that there are not goals to shoot for and targets to achieve. I think almost every team in the Championship should consider the play offs an attainable aspiration and as a consequence the prospect of top flight football.

However, should they gain promotion, it is vital for Crystal Palace to take a measured and balanced approach to promotion and acknowledge the strong possibility that the success of achieving promotion to the Premier League will lead to the failure of relegation next season and allow that reality to inform their spending accordingly.

To paraphrase Kipling:

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same;

Then you’ll be a proper football club, my son.

If you are unfamiliar with Danny Last's excellent European Football Weekends blog then this is the perfect opportunity for you to check  out his interview with top comic, Palace fan and friend of the Five Year Plan, your very own Kevin Day.

Aside from CPFC, Kevin talks about his time on MOTD2 and his work with James Corden on that show he did on ITV which I can't bring myself to type.

Check out the interview by clicking here. If you're a Twitter type then follow Danny Last on Twitter here.

However, when they had the ball there were two players who caught the eye in the centre of midfield, both of whom are on trial: Davide Baiocco and his replacement Liam Bridcutt.

I knew nothing about Baiocco before the game and from the first moment I suspected he was not and English player or at least a player who had come through an English system. He has a languid, thoughtful approach to the game rather than you average harum scarum style that so many who play in that position in England have developed. He also has a keen instinct for the simple ball and in the 60 odd minutes that he played, rarely missed a target with his passing. He also enjoys the sideways ball, something you don't see too often in the Championship.

Once I'd got home I discovered that he is an Italian, originally from Perugia but latterly from Brescia.

During the first half there were appreciative murmurings for his performance from around me and I thought, at the time, that he could easily become a Selhurst favourite. And when, early in the second half,  he completely miss hit a cross, having got into a fantastic position down the left, with a total air shot I knew he would be a typical Palace player. Capable of beauty and hilarity in equal measure.

Clearly fatigued, Baiocco yielded his place to the Bridcutt, a former Chelsea youngster, currently without portfolio. With his first touch tried a Hollywood pass which ended up at the feet of a Chelsea player. However, the vision was there and the contrast between himself and his Italian counterpart was quite stark. Bridcutt's passing was much more direct. Not aimless, but forward. Where Baiocco looked for the first man in some space, Bridcutt looked to pass the ball to the player in the most dangerous position.

Both approaches have their drawbacks: Baiocco will help Palace keep possession but may lack directness in attack. Bridcutt may get more assists (he almost set up an equaliser for Calvin Andrew during this afternoon's game) however he will inevitably give the ball away as he seeks the killer pass.

Which player, Burley prefers will say a lot about how Palace will play this season. I personally hope he chooses Baiocco as I'd like to see Palace keep the ball and wear the opposition down. But then again, there is great merit in an exciting, attack minded central midfielder such as Bridcutt.

Perhaps the manager will pick both and give us some variety. Sod's Law says he won’t pick either of them and render this post meaningless.

I'm off to see my first Crystal Palace match of the pre-Season tomorrow as the Eagles take on the champions Chelsea at Selhurst Park. Before I go though, I'd like to impart a few aspirations for the season ahead, both on and off the pitch.

Let's have some decent football: I'm not naive enough to believe that Palace's players are as good as Barcelona but I would like to see them emulate the modern style of possession football and pressing the opposition when off the ball. Preferably, I'd like to see a lone striker up front supported by two attacking midfielders and two defensive midfielders assuming Burley has the personnel to achieve this.

A more pivotal role to Sean Scannell: I think Scannell has the potential to be a cracking player but worry that he is ever so slightly short of pace. Nevertheless he has the technique to become a decent attacking midfielder. I would like to see him unshackled from the wing and given more responsibility.

Clyne must stay for at least another season: The England Under 19 full back is destined for greatness and we should acknowledge that if he is to fulfill his potential, he will need to player for a bigger club. However, his career needs to be managed responsibly. One more season in the Championship should give him the experience he needs to then take the step up to top flight football in any of the major European leagues.

Financial prudence must always overcome misplaced ambition: I'm all for getting Palace back into the Premier League but am sick and tired of listening to a succession of club owners claim that Palace is a big club and deserves to be in the Premier League. If that were true then we would be there by now. Giving supporters false hope, raises their expectations and put pressure on the club to spend money on players that they don't have. If Palace are to go up this or any season it must be within our means. So far, the new board seem to be adopting a cautious approach to the club's spending.

Give youth a chance: The Academy is probably Palace's greatest contribution to the Football. This need hardly be said but George Burley should continue the tradition of blooding our youngsters in the first team. Let this be a breakthrough season for the likes of Wilfred Zaha and Kieron Cadogan.

A decision regarding a new stadium: My personal view his that we should redevelop Selhurst Park. However, I appreciate that there may be compelling reasons to move. Let's try and at the very least, arrive at a decision as to whether we stay at SE25 or leave for pastures new.

Go for the Play-offs: Goodness knows what manner of shoeing we'd get if we won the Play-offs this season but if we don't try we'll only stagnate. Palace don't do boring mid-table and I don't have the stomach for a relegation scrap. If Blackpool have shown us anything ,they've shown that it is still possible to get promoted in unlikely circumstances so COME ON YOU EAGLES! Let's go for the car!

Picture: Wanderer above the Sea of Fog 1818; Oil on canvas, 94 x 74.8 cm; Kunsthalle, Hamburg

OK, OK! I’ve finally succumbed to my latest hair brained scheme. As a blogger and podcaster I really do not have the time to set up a proper Crystal Palace blog.

And yet here we are.

The fact is I can’t resist. I’m in a position where I have the financial wherewithal to buy a season ticket for the first time since... well, the Holmesdale had terracing and as football a blogger, I don’t see how I can’t blog about Crystal Palace FC.

So this is how it will go down.

I’ll start with the best possible intentions: Blogging every other day, keeping an eye on the transfer activity, monitoring the latest gossip. Then I’ll get caught up with my other work on the Bundesbag and the Sound Of Football and Football Fairground. Then I’ll get frustrated and angry before ditching the whole idea of a Palace blog and probably deleting the whole site in a fit of pique.

If this blog works at all, it will be sporadic and probably so esoteric that it will be impenetrable to most Palace fans who stumble across it.

Mind you, that’s how blogs are supposed to be isn’t it?