PLAYER RATINGS - CRYSTAL PALACE AT OLD TRAFFORD

Julian Speroni - Didn't have many saves to make and commanded box well. Beaten by Juan Mata's long range strike and some say he may have done better. But apart from that he was faultless. 7

Adrian Mariappa - Back in the side and got forward well. Delivered two stunning balls into the box in the second half in particular. Deserves to keep place. 7

Joel Ward - Another solid performance in what is now his regular position. But we all know he would love to be on the right. 7

Scott Dann - Commanding and constantly organising. Palace look better with him at the back, and he's definitely over his injury now. 7

Damien Delaney - Returned after illness and linked up with Dann again. Keep these two together. 7

James McArthur - Did the dirty work and tried to break up the play. 6

Joe Ledley - Good range of passing but could have got forward a bit more. Nothing much wrong though. 6

Yannick Bolasie - Storming runs down the left and his delivery was better this week. Can feel satisfied with his performance. 7

Jason Puncheon - Bright in spells. Had a good chance on the break but fluffed his lines as he pulled the trigger with an air shot. 6

Marouane Chamakh - Better than his performance against Sunderland. Needs to start scoring but still provides that link between midfield and attack. 6

Fraizer Campbell - Ran the line well on his own for large parts. Should have scored when one-on-one though. 6

Substitutes:

Barry Bannan - Got a decent cross in from the right but should have come on earlier. 5

Dwight Gayle - Not enough time to make an impact. 5

Kevin Doyle - Last throw of the dice at the death. 5

IN HIS latest column, ALISDAIR KEMP explains why he thinks Neil Warnock is to blame for Crystal Palace's recent slump in form...

CRYSTAL Palace have lost their tactical identity under Neil Warnock. This sudden absence of direction after such a distinct philosophy under Tony Pulis last season has seen us criminally wasting minutes in numerous matches this term: none more so than in Manchester on Saturday.

The performance was insipid at best. Typically under such circumstances I am reluctant to blame the manager – often citing a lack of initiative among those actually able to take to the field of play – but not this time. The tactics employed by Warnock at Old Trafford were inept, unambitious and lacking in commitment: to such an extent that I was left questioning just how much homework the Yorkshireman had done on our depleted opposition.

An immediately superficial problem was our lack of desire to attack a woefully makeshift Manchester United defence. With a fresh-faced academy product and a utility man filling in at centre-back – not to mention two full backs with poor positioning and discipline in tracking back – the Red Devils were there for the taking.

Pressing high up the pitch (even at all would have been a start) and showing a little adventure going forward would have seen the vast array of attacking talent in the United ranks forced to retreat to pitch in defensively; into positions from which they could not possibly threaten our goal.

Indeed the lack of any pressing of the play whatsoever was bewildering. Before Juan Mata's deflected strike finally beat Julian Speroni, numerous shots had been fired – and deflected – from outside the penalty area. Not recognising and learning from this was unobservant on Warnock's part.

Wayne Rooney continually found pockets of space between the midfield and defence. Why then, did the manager not instruct James McArthur to perform a similar man-marking job on the former Evertonian to the one he enacted so diligently on Cesc Fabregas several weeks ago?

Looking at our offensive strategy, we failed spectacularly to live up to the superb counter-attacking reputation we built on the back of last season. In notable games under Pulis, including Chelsea at home and the 3-2 victory at Goodison Park, we were devastating at turning defence into attack. By tucking in both full backs and making ourselves as narrow and compact as possible, we drew opposition full-backs forward before exploding down the subsequently exposed flanks after turning over possession. The success of this relied on Yannick Bolasie and Jason Puncheon hugging the touchlines and providing width on the break.

I was exasperated watching both wingers at Old Trafford take up bizarre and unhelpful central positions time and again. Louis Van Gaal must have been chortling at how much we played into his hands.

I do not doubt Warnock's man-management and motivational skills. However, his tactical decisions and substitutions leave a lot to be desired. His one 'masterclass' away at Everton was simply a carbon copy of the approach used there back in March, yielding the same scoreline.

He must sharpen up, otherwise the infamous "second-season syndrome" will take hold.

NEIL Warnock says he expects Palace defender Paddy McCarthy to return to Sheffield United on loan before the weekend.

The boss put the centre-back on the substitutes' bench against Manchester United on Saturday after his first loan with the Blades ended.

McCarthy was not allowed to play for United in the FA Cup either, as Palace are looking to use him in the third round of the competition at the start of January.

"I spoke to Paddy at the weekend and I believe he's going to go back until January," Warnock told the Advertiser.

"But we can have him back at 24 hours' notice. I think Sheffield United want him to play for them this Saturday."

Don't miss the big interview with Warnock in Friday's Croydon Advertiser.

By Mark Ritson (Twitter @MR_LWMedia)

PADDY McCarthy has returned for a second loan spell at Sheffield United.

The Crystal Palace defender will stay at Bramall Lane until December 28, ansd it is believed Palace want him to feature in the third round of the FA Cup at the start of January.

The Advertiser spoke to McCarthy last weekend and the 31-year-old had expected to go back to South Yorkshire after enjoying a first loan period with the Blades.

"As far as I know I'm set to go back up there this week and play in the game against Doncaster Rovers." he said.

"My fitness is perfect. The first couple of games, it took me a while but the more I play, the better I feel and the easier it is to recover.

"I played five game consecutively for them with no problems. It's about getting back into it and I'm enjoying playing week in, week out.

"There is a lot of quality in the league, especially at Sheffield United. They do things properly and play the right way.

"They looked after me fantastically and I'm looking forward to getting back up there this week for another deal."

CRYSTAL Palace are on the lookout for a new left-back in the January transfer window, manager Neil Warnock has confirmed. 

Joel Ward, naturally a right-back, has had to fill in on the left side for nearly a year and is currently considering a new contract.

The Eagles bought Zeki Fryers from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer but the youngster has failed to oust Ward, and his only two appearances have come against Newcastle United in the Capital One Cup and Everton in the Premier League.

Warnock told the Advertiser: "Getting a left-back in is one of the targets for January and to improve the squad – we've begun looking."

Warnock is set to travel to three international games in the coming days - one on Friday, one on Saturday and one on Sunday - to scout and watch some of his Palace players in action.

Slovenian international Gregor Balazic has been linked with a move to the Eagles recently, after his contract with Ukrainian club Karpaty Lviv is due to finish at the end of December.

He has been quoted: "I don't know where I will continue my career. I have many offers, not only from England, also from Italy, France and some other countries.

"That, at the moment, is the only thing I can tell you, and the fact that I will be leaving Karpaty."

Don't miss the full interview with Warnock in Friday's Croydon Advertiser.

By Mark Ritson (Twitter @MR_LWMedia)

NEIL Warnock has slammed the tackle that has left Palace midfield star Jonny Williams facing up to a month on the sidelines.

The 21-year-old was on the end of a hefty challenge from Watford defender Joel Ekstrand while on loan for Ipswich Town last weekend. It left him in agony before limping off.

It is believed Warnock wanted to recall Williams from his loan to face Liverpool next Sunday.

However, the Welsh international is set to receive treatment back at Palace and the injury is likely to keep him out until the first week of December.

"It was a disgrace and it looks like he'll be out for a month – it was a terrible tackle on him," Warnock told the Advertiser.

For the big interview with Warnock, don't miss Friday's Croydon Advertiser.

By Mark Ritson (Twitter @MR_LWMedia)

JOE Ledley is looking forward to facing Liverpool next Sunday but his first priorities are with the Wales during the international break.

The midfielder is set to tackle Belgium and their array of stars in a Euro 2016 Group B qualifier on Sunday.

Wales are top of the table going into the game following two wins and a draw, but Ledley is confident of getting a result away from home, especially with a couple of star players back from injury.

"I love meeting up with Wales and we've got a great squad," he said.

"We are in a fantastic position at the top and now we have to take on Belgium.

"That's going to be very difficult but we're very strong. We have got Aaron Ramsey and Joe Allen back now, so they will give us something a bit different.

"After that I'll be back focusing on Palace again - facing Liverpool is always difficult. They will be strong even though they haven't started as well as they did last season."

For the full interview with Ledley, who talks about playing Liverpool and the Palace fans, don't miss Friday's Advertiser. 

By Mark Ritson (Twitter @MR_LWMedia)

PALACE boss Neil Warnock hopes to see Eagles academy graduate Nathaniel Clyne make his full England debut during the international break.

The right-back received his first senior call-up and has been training with the Three Lions ahead of their Euro 2016 qualifier against Slovenia on Saturday.

And Warnock, who managed the Croydon-born man in his previous spell as boss at Selhurst Park, believes Clyne will keep his place in the squad for the foreseeable future.

"I am thoroughly delighted for him," he said of the Southampton full-back.

"When Nathaniel gets a cap I will be so chuffed and he'll keep his kit.

"Once England see how good he is, he'll keep his place. He was a great lad when I was last at Palace.

"He is probably one of the best defenders I've ever seen."

For the big interview with Warnock, don't miss Friday's Croydon Advertiser.

By Mark Ritson (Twitter @MR_LWMedia)

CROYDON Advertiser chief reporter Gareth Davies has picked up double journalism awards for the second year in a row.

Gareth was named Weekly Reporter of the Year and Digital Journalist of the Year at the EDF Energy London and South of England Media Awards. He won both awards in 2013.

The judges described him as a reporter who "really gets his teeth into stories" and is "clever at breaking down his work into smaller, readable, informative pieces".

They praised his use of data journalism, interactive maps, research and analysis, as well as his investigation into fraudster Neelam Desai and his coverage of the illegal rave in East Croydon.

Designer Alex Leys won the Designer of the Year Award for his work creating the paper's imaginative front pages.

The Advertiser was highly commended in both the newspaper of the year and front page of the year categories, and Gareth received the same accolade in the feature writer category.

The awards, which received more than 300 entries, were held at Brighton and Hove Albion's Amex Stadium.

Advertiser editor Glenn Ebrey said: "Gareth is a first-rate journalist who doesn't just write articles - he gets under the skin of the issues he's tackling, finds new angles and exposes wrongdoing that others would miss. He fully deserves the accolades that come his way.

"I'm also delighted for Alex, who every week helps design front pages and graphics inside the paper that are of the very highest standard."

HOUSING could be built on school playing fields under controversial plans being drawn up by the council.

A new report says there are schools in Croydon which have "very large" playing fields which might be considered "excessive" and could be developed on.

It does not identify any specific schools but the councillor behind the idea has told the Advertiser all of the borough's playing fields – including those used by academies – will be reviewed.

They face a double threat as the report also mentions the council's intention to create more places at existing schools by expanding onto playing fields.

Edward Handley, chairman of Croydon Playing Fields Association, said he was "horrified" by the plans which the Conservative opposition has branded as "appalling".

Simon Hall, cabinet member for finance, said building on playing fields would help tackle the borough's housing crisis, meet demand for school places and find some of the £100 million it needs to save over the next three years.

He said schools in Croydon found to have "surplus" space would be approached with the view to the land being used for affordable homes or council services.

"We have to make the best use of the council's assets. If there are assets not currently being used which could meet the needs of the people of Croydon in another way then we need to look at it," he explained.

The proposals are briefly mentioned in a new strategy, published this week, announcing a review of all 700 of the council's property assets, which include parks, depots and youth clubs.

Plans include renting out space in Bernard Weatherill House, the council's new headquarters, and continuing the previous Conservative administration's policy of asking voluntary organisations to take on responsibility for the buildings they use. The changes it lists would save £3.25 million.

The most controversial aspect of the report, due to be approved by the cabinet on Monday, refers to schools.

It states: "A number of school sites have very large playing fields and ancillary land that may be considered excessive for the number of students that attend the school. Where this may be the case the schools will be identified and opportunities considered for development of affordable housing or other service provision, subject to negotiation with the provider where the council is not the landlord."

The authority believes academies – usually granted 125 year leases on their sites – could also be included because it remains the freeholder.

Cllr Hall said a list had been drawn up of all schools in Croydon comparing pupil numbers with playing field size. He was reluctant to give specific examples when asked which schools had "excessive" fields.

But, he added: "Some are in the south of the borough and some are in the New Addington area."

There are strict rules protecting school playing fields and any change of use would have to be agreed with the Secretary of State for Local Government, Eric Pickles.

Cllr Hall said: "Quite properly, there are very careful considerations that have to be given before a playing field can be used for any other purpose. We would never go against those.

"But we have to be creative in terms of meeting the ambitions and the needs of people in Croydon. We would be wrong not to."

Mr Handley, whose group aims to protect school playing fields - used in the past by the likes of England rugby skipper Chris Robshaw and Palace star Wilfried Zaha - said: "I'm horrified to hear this. We want playing fields so children can play and enjoy sports and recreation.

"The more green space we lose the less opportunity they will have to become fit and escape the obesity crisis.

"I understand all councils are in very difficult financial situations but they shouldn't be selling off priceless assets."

Sara Bashford, deputy leader of the Conservative group, said the idea was "appalling".

"If we don't keep our open spaces and school fields we're going to end up being overcrowded and over-developed," she added.

Cllr Hall said: "This plan is at an incredibly early stage. This is not something we can do overnight or impose.

"What we can't have is a situation where we say it doesn't matter if a site is under-utilised or is expensive to maintain.

"We're saying that, where sites are found to be surplus, and we have all these pressures around school places and housing, they should be in the mix.

"We can't just assume that various pieces of the jigsaw can't be looked at.

"It's unsustainable given the pressures we face."

New Addington school highlighted 

THE council report does not mention specific schools and Simon Hall would not initially be drawn on which may or may not be affected.

He eventually gave one example, telling the Advertiser that Castle Hill Primary School, in New Addington had a section of its playing field it barely used.

He said: "I used to be the chair of governors at Castle Hill, where part of the site, due to it's location, is basically used twice a year. It's that type of school we might look to expand, bring in other community use or it could be looked at [for housing]."

Reach2, the academy chain which runs Castle Hill, could not be reached for comment.

"What is best for pupils?"

THE Government issued local authorities with new advice on protecting school playing fields earlier this month.

Any changes to school playing fields would have to be agreed with Sport England and the Secretary of State. Consent is also required if schools themselves are expanded onto fields.

The guidance states: "Authorities and schools should not view the sale of playing fields as a mainstream or routine method to fund improvements to facilities.

"The Secretary of State expects authorities...to first investigate and exhaust all other means of funding before considering the sale of school playing fields."

All decisions, it says, should have one question in mind: "What is best for pupils' education and their wider school life?"

Councils are expected to have explored "all reasonable options" before making an application.

Where plans are put forward to change playing fields for financial reasons, the proceeds would be ring fenced and the government expects the first priority for reinvesting the money should be sports facilities or specific capital projects to improve provision at or for schools. 

A FORMER Coulsdon Christian pastor accused of child abuse, assault by penetration on a woman and sexually assaulting 13-year-old girls has appeared in court.

Reverend Howard Curtis, 71, of Bloxworth Close, Wallington, faces six charges of child abuse against boys and girls, two charges of indecent assault on girls under 16, four charges of sexual assault on 13-year-old girls and assault by penetration on a woman.

Curtis, formerly of the Coulsdon Christian Fellowship, did not enter a plea to any of the charges at Croydon Crown Court this morning (November 14) but a date for his potential trial was set for September 7, 2015.

The 13 charges relate to alleged offences against eight victims, who cannot be named for legal reasons, dating from between 1969 and 2012.

Curtis was given conditional bail ahead of a plea and case management hearing on February 2, 2015.

Curtis was the leader of the Coulsdon Christian Fellowship, in Chipstead Valley Road, until May 2012. He remained a senior minister until June 2013.

A WOMAN has been caught on camera swearing and shouting at a man who asked her to pick up some litter. 

A video, uploaded to YouTube,  shows her foul-mouthed reaction to being asked to clear up a McDonald's wrapper she apparently threw from her car outside IKEA in Croydon. 

In the description posted alongside the clip, the author says her brother told the driver: "Excuse me, I think you dropped something."

When she appeared unconcerned, he added: "Well, do you want to pick it up? You can't just litter like that."

She replied: "What is your concern? Next time you shouldn't talk about it. Don't escalate the situation. Don't worry about it. It's not your business."

When the man repeats himself, the motorist responds: "Pick it up then. Shut yourself up and get in your car. It's none of your concern."

Then, getting out of her vehicle, she says: "Why are you so concerned about me littering? I pay my taxes. Mind your own business. This doesn't concern you. Don't worry about me." 

Gesticulating angrily, she adds: "Are you my mum? You pick it up. Go push your trolley - you look like a mug. You look like a ******* mug."

According to the person who uploaded the video the woman also told her brother to "call the litter police". 

"She probably doesn't know you actually get a fine for littering so I would love for this video to go viral and for her to be fined!

"She has no respect whatsoever. She got into her car before I started filming, shouting very loudly at her friend exactly what happened, how some guy came up to her asking her to pick up her litter.

"When my mum returned, we calmly told her what happened and the woman started screaming and shouting again - very angrily - and that is when I started to film." 

It is not clear when the incident occurred but the video, called My IKEA experience, was uploaded to YouTube on September 16. 

The name is a reference to the video My Tram Experience, which showed New Addington mother-of-two Emma West racially abusing passengers on a Croydon tram in October 2011. 

The recording was watched by more than 11 million people after it was posted on YouTube and West was later prosecuted. 

THREE teenagers have been jailed for a total of 21 and a half years for a savage attack on a man in a hotel lobby in Southwark.

Joseph Tanti and Morgan Stripling, both 18 and of Addington Road, South Croydon, hit their victim over the head with a skateboard, then kicked and punched him on the floor.

As the 27-year-old man lay unconscious, Tanti stamped on his head several times before a third attacker, Sermet Hassan, of Evelyn Street, Lewisham, took an iPod from his pocket.

The officer investigating the attack said it was the one of the most "violent and frenzied" he had ever seen. 

The three thugs were caught following an appeal on BBC's Crimewatch in April.

Jailing the men at Croydon Crown Court today (Friday) today, the judge said the defendants had shown "total savagery and a disregard for life", adding that the victim was lucky to have survived.

Police were called to the Premier Inn in York Road, Southwark, in the early hours of March 2 to reports of a man being attacked by three people in the hotel lobby.

They found the victim had been approached by the men in York Road and, realising they were preparing to rob him, he decided to take refuge in the hotel.

Initially the door to the hotel did not open and Tanti, Hassan and Stripling surrounded him and threatened to stab him if he did not hand over his phone.

The victim tried to strike out at one of the suspects but was unable to get away as they started to attack him.

The court heard that the door to the hotel then opened and the man ran into the lobby. His attackers followed him and launched into a vicious attack – striking him with the skateboard and as he lay on the floor.

The attack was captured on the hotel's CCTV which recorded Tanti returning to the victim, who was lying unconscious on the floor, and stamping on his head several times, before Hassan stole the iPod.

Police and ambulance crews were called and the victim was rushed to hospital in a serious condition.

He was discharged the same day but later readmitted complaining of dizziness and memory loss.

Officers turned to Crimewatch and appealed for information to identify the men involved in the attack.

Hassan, 19, handed himself in and Tanti was arrested a week later after attending a police station with a solicitor. Detectives then identified Stripling as the third suspect and he was located and arrested.

Tanti was sentenced to nine years, with a three years extended licence, after pleading guilty to attempted grievous bodily harm (GBH).

Hassan was found guilty of robbery and attempted GBH following a three-day trial at Inner London Crown Court and was sentenced to five years imprisonment on each count, to run concurrently.

Stripling received seven-and-a-half year sentence after pleading guilty to attempted GBH. 

Detective Constable Jamie Keane, from Lambeth CID, who investigated the case said: "This was one of the most violent and frenzied assaults that I have ever seen. 

"The three of them were intent on causing serious harm to the victim who was simply walking back home from a night out in central London.

"Even eight months on from the attack, the victim is still suffering from the effects of the attack, both physically and psychologically, but I hope that today's sentence will help him start to move on from this terrible ordeal."

Croydon's Ben Haenow gives Advertiser readers an exclusive sneak peak behind the doors of the X Factor house in his weekly blog about life on the show...

IT'S been a cool week because I went to the premier of the Hunger Games with my mum. She was over the moon, she got a makeover and got her hair done. It was just really cool to have that experience with her as it's the first event like that we've been to.

We went down the red carpet, me and my mum schmoozing with all the celebrities. We didn't really meet anyone we just saw them from afar but even that was really cool.

A lot of people started chanting my name when I got out of the car so that was really overwhelming. They're there to see everyone not just us but just the fact that they were shouting my name was very surreal.

My mum was blown away by it. She was a bit shocked when she first got out he car but she absolutely loved it we had a bit of champagne in the car on the way there so she was in good spirits.

Jennifer Lawrence and the rest of the cast were there and they came out on stage first and were lined up and we thought they were going to do an ensemble for us! They didn't, though!

I can't really get my head around it you see that sort of thing on the tele but to actually go and walk the red carpet is surreal. The noise from everybody there is crazy and it was an experience we'll remember for a long, long time.

We haven't done a lot other than. Its big band week so we have really had to knuckle down and rehearse.

We went to a studio with the big band and that was an insane experience. I'm used to singing with a four piece rock band so to have 30 odd people there playing for you, and the power that comes with that sort of music, is amazing.

It's been a dream of mine to play with a big band so it's another thing I can tick off my list.

You do feel the pressure, it's one voice against thirty people so you've got to bring it.

And I'm confident I will bring it this weekend! X Factor have sorted me out with a nice suit and we're going the whole hog so it should be really cool.

Last week I came home and spent a day in Croydon with my brother Alex. The community have been amazing, especially the Swan pub.

I used to play gigs there and they've been supporting me from day one. They have been unbelievable so it will be really nice to get down there soon too. The whole of West Wickham is covered in banners!

People have been stopping my family to talk to them and that's lovely, and a sausage has been named after me too which is pretty cool.

It's amazing because Croydon is where I grew up. To have support from people back home is really cool and I hope I'm representing them in a good light.

And now I've got the X Factor tour coming up too. That is one of the bench marks you want to get to when you start the programme and to know that I'm going to go around and meet the fans and play at some of these really prestigious places is amazing.

There has been a lot of attention this week on me after I was photographed kissing Lola on the head in a shop but it's been cleared up.

I'm a very hands-on person with my friends and with everyone. It was misconstrued because in that same shop I also kissed Ollie, the researcher, on the head and that didn't get shown in the papers.

There's nothing going on between me and Lola and we've all spoken about it. Me, Lola, her boyfriend and Jess, my girlfriend, have all met up so there's no ill feeling.

It's made me a bit more wary about what I do in the public eye but it's a learning curve for all of us. We've been thrust into the lime light and great as it is we're learning fast.

IT WOULDN'T, on the face of it, seem to be the most appropriate name for a child's toy.

The 'Cock Happy' electric chicken, on sale at a stand in the Whitgift Centre, is described as being a 'baby plaything' on its packaging - just to the right of its innuendo-laden name.

Twitter user @MaceWindy posted this photo earlier, with the simple message 'Seen in Croydon'...

Maybe 'Happy Cock' would have been a better name.

Or maybe not.

A FOREMAN who fell between the train and platform at East Croydon station during a rush-hour crush has thanked one of the men who helped to save him.

Peter Gambrell, said he was "indebted" to two scaffolders who pulled him from under the train as people continued to board it around him.

Last week, the Advertiser reported how the dad-of-two wanted to find and thank the men who helped save him.

He has since been reunited with one of the men, Dean Banks, 31, a scaffolder from Walton Green, New Addington.

Dean's mother-in-law, Angela Wickenden, also from New Addington, realised who had helped after reading about the incident in last week's paper.

She told Dean, who coincidentally bumped into Peter at the station again on Tuesday morning this week.

"I don't think I did anything special, just what anyone should do," said Dean, who works for GKR Scaffolding.

"But Peter said he appreciated it and said thanks, it was good."

Peter, 47, from Waddon, broke a bone in his hand and suffered ligament damage in his leg in the fall, which happened on Tuesday, November 4, but was grateful it wasn't far worse.

"If the train had started moving, that was me done for," he said. "I was so grateful for them grabbing me more than anything because there were people still getting on the train. It was nice to know there was someone who would do something."

The other man who helped was an acquaintance of Dean's, Stephen Dunn, who he knew through playing football.

"I also told Dean to pass on my thanks to Stephen," said Peter.

Dean played down his heroic actions.

"Peter was to my right and I saw him slip down. It was crazy that people were still trying to get on the train.

"Me and Stephen just grabbed him by his arms and pulled him back up.

"I didn't think too much of it afterwards, it was only when my mother-in-law rang me to say I had been in the paper.

"I felt a bit coy and embarrassed to be honest."

Mrs Wickenden said she was "proud" of her son-in-law for what he did.

"He is a caring, fine young man, who I am proud to call my son-in-law.

"He's certainly a credit to New Addington."

Peter's wife, Nickola, 39, was especially glad the two strangers had saved her husband.

"I don't even want to think about what might have happened, it's horrendous."

She has since reported the incident to British Transport Police, who told her they had logged the incident with the Rail Accident Investigation Branch.

She said she was worried no station staff had appeared to spot the incident.

Station operator Southern confirmed it was investigating but declined to comment further.

TWO years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, a group of Berlin schoolchildren visited Croydon and gave the borough a fragment of the partition.

November 9 marked the 25th anniversary of the day the wall came down, and Councillor Toni Letts remembers meeting the youngsters in 1991 after Jim Walker, then Mayor of Croydon, invited them to visit.

The fragment is now on display at the Museum of Croydon.

"They were charming young people," said Cllr Letts.

"I have never known young people with so much ambition, drive and energy. They were full of excitement about the new life that was promised to them."

Mr Walker invited the students, from east Berlin, to visit after meeting them on a trip to Germany. Cllr Letts recalls that five girls and two boys, all around 15, and their teacher had tea in the mayor's parlour.

"Jim Walker adored young people," said Cllr Letts. "They were so honest about the difficulties of living in east Berlin, with little money, no real future and no luxury goods whatsoever. One of the first things they remembered their parents buying when they went into the west was toilet roll.

"I've never forgotten that day and the way those young people, who hadn't had a great start in life, were grasping fully their futures.

"I just recall their energy and enthusiasm for life."

And Cllr Letts said Croydon's young people could learn from the teenagers of Berlin.

"It would be a good experience for some of our young people to talk those in Berlin.

"They will have watched their city grow and develop into a great place to do business and work and be entertained, but still keeping wonderful museums and being terribly honest [about the past]. They haven't tried to change history and I think that would be an education for our young people."

Cllr Letts added that young people are not valued enough and Croydon should be proud of its youth.

She said: "The riots gave young people a sense of power in powerless lives. We still have young people, particularly in the north, who've never had a job.

"Croydon has come together since the riots. What happened after was miraculous because people did it for themselves.

"I think we don't value young people enough. They're tomorrow's leaders and as Jim Walker would have said, they will have to look after me when I'm older."

GOOD Samaritans have clubbed together to offer a youngster a replacement games console – after he was robbed of his new one before he had even got it home.

Police are hunting for the man who snatched the brand new Playstation 4 – worth more than £300 and bought less than an hour earlier in Croydon town centre – from a 14-year-old boy and his 12-year-old brother at Sandilands tram stop on October 12.

But since the Advertiser reported the robbery online last Friday we have received calls from readers who have started raising funds to get the youngster a replacement console.

One of those was Jean Duke, 54, from Coulsdon, who has started fundraising on Facebook and has had pledges totalling more than £120 so far.

"I put a post on Facebook because I have got a couple of young ones myself. My 17-year-old had a phone stolen off him at a similar age to those boys and it was awful," she explained.

"It's especially bad as its coming up to Christmas. I just threw it out there and people have responded."

Another to get in touch was Jamie Wilkinson, 40, from South Croydon, who runs Roadrunners Minicabs with his brother Ben. They have offered to replace the console outright.

"When I read the story, I just thought 'those poor kids'," Jamie said. "They must have been so excited to get it home and that was heartbreaking.

"I would have hated for it to happen to any of my children and it's nice to show there's still a community spirit here and everybody can help out so it's not all bad news."

Mrs Duke said extra funds could be used to purchase a gift voucher for the boys to get games or accessories for the console.

"I think it's really nice [that people are donating], it restores your faith in humanity," she added.

Colin Walker, 29, from South Croydon has pledged £20 to the cause and was hoping to raise more via online video game streaming community Twitch.

"I remember being that age myself and saving to buy a console. I bought one myself and it took me ages to get enough money, and I'm an adult with a job," he said.

"The poor kids, that must have left a terrible impression on them."

The investigating officer has said he would liaise with the fundraisers to work out the best way to pass the console ons.

The police have a policy to not name the victims of crime.

They have, however, released a picture of a man in a beanie hat in they would like to speak to in connection with the robbery.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

AN ELDERLY woman has been found dead by fire crews who tackled a house fire in South Norwood last night (Friday).

The woman, who has not been named, was found in the rear lounge of a home in Waverley Road shortly after 8pm,  according to London Fire Brigade (LFB).

An LFB spokesman said: "Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus found the body of an elderly woman in the rear lounge. She was sadly pronounced dead at the scene."

"The brigade was called at 7.54pm and the fire was under control by 8.19pm. Fire crews from Woodside and Orpington fire stations attended the incident. The cause of the fire is under investigation."

WITH Ben Haenow edging closer to winning the X Factor crown, he returned to Croydon to visit another Crown, the pub in Shirley where he used to work.

Ben was a barman at the pub seven years ago and Saturday's show saw him and brother Alex return for a pint and a heart to heart.

Gemma Bright, assistant manager at the Crown, said: "It was brilliant. He was absolutely lovely, just really normal. He's still grounded, and the women were besotted.

"He was really good to staff and made us all laugh. We were talking to him for most of the day. He said it was really fun and he had a good time working here."

The pub are backing Ben, with some regulars remembering being served by him.

"They remember him shaving his head for charity one night. They said he was just a really good guy, really fun," said Gemma.

And the Crown aren't the only pub backing Ben.

The Haenow brothers have performed at the Swan in West Wickham since the current owners took over four years ago, and the pub have pulled out all the stops to get people voting for him.

Landlady Lisa Powley said they have printed 30 "Vote for Ben" T-shirts (which the staff now wear as a uniform), 50 posters, five banners and four flags. And they have sent posters to other businesses who want to lend support.

Ben even had a taste of the other side of talent shows in the Swan as a judge for West Wickham's Got Talent. "I don't think he liked being a judge, it's quite hard believe it or not but he was a very good at it," said Lisa.

"Whenever he played gigs it was fantastic. Traditionally the Swan is very male dominated and very sporty but whenever we had Ben and Alex in you knew they were due to play because all the girlies would come.

The pub isn't very big but 80 or 90 people would come to watch and he would always take time to go around and talk to them."

Lisa said the pub has been screening the shows and even some Strictly fans are supporting Ben.

"This doesn't happen to people like that around here and it's just great that he is so good and it's happening to him," said Lisa.

Ben's mum, Rosanna, has been rallying support at Sainsbury's on Station Road in West Wickham where she is a customer services assistant. Ben worked on the deli counter at the supermarket ten years ago, and now the staff are wearing "Vote for Ben" badges and putting out "Vote for Ben" announcements on the tannoy.

Rosanna said the store manager, Patrick Feenan, has always been very fond of Ben. She said: "Everyone has really got into it, they've been amazing. People come in and find me and say we watched him, ask how he's doing and for his autograph. It's absolutely fantastic. I can't tell you how overwhelmed we are with everyone's response. And I just think, it's my Ben. I still don't think it's sunk in."

And Alex said he has to factor an extra half hour in every time he leaves the house as so many people stop him to talk about Ben. He said local businesses from gyms to estate agents and plumbing merchants have put up posters and stickers.

"We're just ecstatic about it. Even people who don't know Ben but just know he's from Croydon have decided to put up flags. It's brilliant the local community are really getting behind him.

Alex said the day spent filming in the pub and driving in his van is the most time he's spent with Ben since he went into the X Factor house.

"It was really nice to have an hour or two to ourselves to just talk because I've really missed him to be honest," he said.