BREAKING NEWS: Stuart Hazell changes his plea to GUILTY
TIA SHARP: Stuart Hazell will be sentenced on Tuesday for Tia Sharp murder
LIVE: Stuart Hazell to be sentenced for murder of Tia Sharp
Wilbraham and Phillips vying for key role in play-off clash
CRYSTAL Palace head to the Amex Stadium to face Brighton & Hove Albion for the second leg of the Championship play-off semi-finals this evening.
Either side will face Watford at Wembley in the final on the Monday, May 27, to earn a place in the Premier League next season.
The first leg of the semi-final was held on Friday night, which saw a 0-0 draw at Selhurst Park, and despite Brighton going into tonight's game as favourites, Palace manager Ian Holloway insists it is still all to play for, despite the Eagles being without their 30-goal striker Glenn Murray after he was taken off with a cruciate knee injury during Friday's match.
The Palace star was set to go for an MRI scan today and we await to hear the outcome but he is expected to be out for 6-9 months.
This means that either Aaron Wilbraham or Kevin Phillips will start tonight's game. Jonny Williams is also expected to play despite coming off on Friday with cramp in his hamstring.
Brighton's Craig-Mackail Smith and full-back Bruno remain sidelined with long term injuries.
Kazenga LuaLua, who looked impressive when he came on for Will Buckley in the 72nd minute in Friday's game, could start for the Seagulls tonight alongside striker Ashley Barnes and Leonardo Ulloa.
Meanwhile, Brighton have released a travel update for fans going to the game tonight.
Normal matchday bus services will remain in operation but for fans travelling by train, the 22.10 train direct from Falmer Station to East Croydon will be running, and if the match goes to extra time and penalties, fans will have to get the 23.10 train.
Brighton train station will also be implementing a queuing system to ensure supporters can travel safely to their destinations.
Fans travelling by car can park in The Bridge car park, which will cost £12.
For live updates on tonight's match, follow us on Twitter @AdvertiserSport or 'Like' our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/advertisersport.
Police blame 'human error' for failure to find Tia Sharp's body
Championship play-off semi-final: Brighton v Crystal Palace LIVE!
LIVE BLOG GAME OVER! PALACE ARE GOING TO WEMBLEY. BRILLIANT PERFORMANCE! 90+2: Bolasie shoots wide. At the other end, Speroni saves comfortably from Barnes. 90 mins: Five mins of injury time. Zaha, the hero, off and replaced by O Keefe.87 mins:AND THERE IT IS! GOAL!!!!!!!! Zaha's second of the game, emphatically into the roof of the net from just inside the area. GAME OVER. 86 mins:Cleared. Palace now have the ball in the Brighton half. Another Eagles goal looking more likely than an equaliser. Palace fully deserve this so far.85 mins:ANOTHER CHANCE! It's Wilbraham again, shoots wide from the edge of the box after great build-up play from Zaha and Bolaise. But now, Brighton have a free kick...84 mins:CHANCE! Free header for Wilbraham but he fluffs his lines, 8 yards out. Wide.84 mins:Moritz shot deflected wide. Corner.83 mins:Seven minutes left. We can safely call this squeaky bum time...81 mins:Holloway's tactics haven't always gone down well with Palace fans, but you'd have to say he;s got it bang on tonight so far79 mins:Brighton starting to resort to long balls. Good signs for Palace.78 mins:29,518 at the AMEX tonight, including 1,962 Palace fans. At the moment, they're going home happy75 mins:Palace look full of belief here. Moxey, who's had a stormer, draws a foul from Buckley, who is booked.73 mins:Wasted. Good.72 mins: 18 minutes plus added time left. Lua Lua is on for Brighton, who now have a free kick..70 mins:More on the goal - great footwork from substitute Bolasie on the left, he got half a yard and produced an inswinging cross which was headed in by Zaha, who caught Wayne Bridge napping.69 mins:GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!! Zaha heads in after a brilliant Bolasie cross from the left.68 mins:CHANCE! Jedinak almost scrambles the corner home, but Brighton clear.67 mins: Palace corner, Upson clears Moxey's dangerous cross65 mins:That was a wonder save from Speroni. Barnes almost scored with his first touch, having just come on for Orlandi. Brilliant from Jules.64 mins:HUGE LET-OFF! Ashley Barnes, only on the pitch for 30 seconds, has an effort tipped onto the bar by Speroni. From the resulting corner, Albion have a header cleared off the line.63 mins:BOOKING: KG yellow carded for Palace.62 mins:Palace have one change left - how long before it's KP time?61 mins:DOUBLE CHANGE: Bolasie and Moritz on, Williams and Garvan off.60 mins:Williams appeals for a penalty after feeling he was bundled over in the area - Clattenburg has none of it. Replay suggests he slipped as much as the defender nudged him.59 mins:Bit of territoy for Brighton but still no chances to speak of for the home side.57 mins:More silky Zaha skills win a corner. Cleared.56 mins:Back underway. Brighton have a free kick into the box cleared.54 mins: Orlandi still being treated. Our man Mark Ritson has just Tweeted: 'cpfc fans mock Brighton paper clappers: "We clap with our hands, we clap with our haaaands, we're Crystal Palace, we clap with our hands".52 mins:Pause in play after Orlandi takes a boot in the face from Eagles full back Joel Ward. Holloway still in the referee's ear anout earlier incidents.49 mins:That was brilliant from Zaha, who ran from his own box and left the defence in his wake. Williams really should have scored, it was a poor finish. Great stuff from Palace though who, increasingly, are looking the stronger side.48 mins:WHAT. A. CHANCE. Zaha bursts away from the floundering defence, plays in Jonny Williams clean through on goal, but the teenager drags the shot wide. Best chance of the tie.46 mins:No subs at half-time. Gentle sparring in the early stages. Players are out for the second half. Palace will hope for more of the same, then perhaps play the aces in their pack - Kevin Phillips and the tricky Bolasie. Wilfried Zaha grew into the half as it went on. Ian Holloway clearly unhappy with the treatment being dished out to his winger.
HALF TIME:Brighton 0 Palace 0. Still all to play for! The Eagles will be happy with their display, just need bit more cutting edge.45 mins:Zaha scythed down by Calderon - a really reckless tackle. Yellow card brandished by the referee, Zaha up and ok.43 mins:Eagles look solid and getting better all the time in possession. Only thing missing is a clear cut chance or two, but Brighton haven't created much either.41 mins:Best spell of the game for Palace. A couple of corners and some controlled possession. Upson forced into a hurried clearance after Zaha's cross caused panic.39 mins:Major wiFi issues at the AMEX, so I'll plough on. I'm liveblogging this while trying to watch the game AND amuse a 6-month old child. Tricky.37 mins: Without tempting fate too much, Palace look really solid here. Little in the way of clear-cut opportunities for either side.34 mins:Better from Zaha, floored by a Buckley tackle after some neat skill near halfway. Ian Holloway furious on the touchline, wants more protection for his star man.33 mins:Moxey with a great headed clearance after a free-flowing Brighton move32 mins: Palace need a bit more from Zaha. Giving the ball away and running up a lot of blind alleys so far, the £15m man.29 mins:Muted shouts of handball at the near post against Upson. Replays clearly show it hit the former England defender's chest28 mins:Coming up to 120 mins of football without a goal. But it's a corner to Palace....25 mins:Another Premier League ref tonight - Jon Obi Mikel's favourite whistleblower, Mark Clattenburg.23 mins: Better Palace spell of possession. Ends with Garvan shot straight at the keeper. Another tame effort from distance.20 mins:First glimpse from Zaha, tricky play on the left earned a corner, but it came to nothing. At the other end, Brighton break and left-back Wayne Bridge (yep, that's where he is now) shoots wide from outside the area. Never really troubling Speroni.17 mins:Tame header wide from Upson16 mins:Brighton with 69 per cent of possession thus far. Lopez has a shot from edge of box deflected over. Corner.14 mins:Our man at the AMEX Mark Ritson says both sets of fans are generating a great atmosphere. Zaha is furious as the referee ignores his pleas for a free-kick.12 mins: Best chance so far. Zaha caught in possession on edge of box, ball fell to Buckley whose shot was parried away by Speroni. Lucky escape for Palace and, especially, Zaha.8 mins:Both players fine after that clash. Brighton coming into the game a bit more after a good Palace start. Apologies for the technical issues, you may need to refresh the page for updates.5 mins: Speroni receiving treatment after a clash with Ulloa. Bravely gathered the ball at the Albion striker's feet.3 mins: Apologies, wiFi issues at the AMEX at the moment. Advertiser editor Glenn Ebrey holding the fort here. Good start from Palace, most of the game being played in Brighton's half so far.
Brighton 0-2 Palace: Zaha gives Eagles Wembley date with superb double
In a frenetic match with a top atmopshere throughout, the on-loan Manchester United winger made sure it wasn't his last game in the famous red and blue just yet.
And now he will be looking for further glory at the national stadium. What a feeling for Palace.
The Eagles made a fairly bright start with Jonny Williams making a surging run into the box, while Owen Garvan's long range effort was flicked on by Aaron Wilbraham and wide of the post.
Julian Speroni then had to be extremely brave when Leonardo Ulloa found himself through on goal but the custodian raced out to smother at his feet.
And moments later the goalkeeper made a flying stop to deny Will Buckley on the right side of the box after Wilfried Zaha lost control of the ball.
Brighton then began to pin Palace back and were making waves particularly down the right side with Inigo Calderon and David Lopez, and the latter went close with a deflected effort that sailed just over.
Then following a Palace corner, a ball was lumped upfield towards Buckley, and after holding up play, he fed Dean Hammond who eventually drove a fierce effort inches wide with Speroni at full stretch.
Garvan then tested Kuszczak from range, before Speroni was called upon again to deny Andrea Orlandi's effort on the left side of the box.
Wilbraham thought he had a claim for a penalty when his flicked-on header from a corner struck a Brighton player but referee Mark Clattenburg wasn't interested.
And they were close to taking the lead five minutes before the break when Zaha's low cross was deflected towards the bottom corner but Matthew Upson managed to clear the danger.
However, just minutes into the second half, Palace should have been one-up. Zaha broke from his own half and found himself backed up with Wilbraham and Williams, and he decided to play in the latter who was through on goal but missed the target inches the wrong side of the post.
It was the biggest chance of the match so far and the Welsh youngster really should have given Ian Holloway's side the lead.
The boss made changes on the hour mark with Andre Moritz and Yannick Bolasie coming on for Garvan and Williams, but then Brighton went extremely close with two back-to-back chances through substitute Ashley Barnes.
The first saw Speroni deny him with a superb save from close range and onto the crossbar, and then from the following corner, his goal-bound header was brilliantly cleared off the line at the back post from Dean Moxey.
However, in the 69th-minute, the Eagles went ahead in emphatic fashion to send the away support crazy.
Bolasie dinked his way down the left and cut the ball back onto his right foot before curling in a fantastic ball at pace for Zaha to race in and power home an unstoppable header past Kuszczak.
Brighton huffed and puffed in search of a response, with substitute Kazenga Lua Lua lively down the left, but Palace looked a threat on the counter-attack.
Wilbraham had two chances to put the game to bed in the 85th-minute, one from a free header following a corner and then driving a shot inches past the post.
But then came another spot of absolute brilliance from Zaha, who made sure of a play-off final date with Watford on May 27, when he scored his second of the match after turning Gordon Greer inside the box and powering home via the underside of the crossbar.
What a moment, and what a trip to look forward to at Wembley Stadium, with more than 30,000 Palace fans set for a big day out on the next Bank Holiday Monday.
Meanwhile, co-chairman Steve Parish confirmed to Advertiser Sport after the game that striker Glenn Murray, who was on crutches at the AMEX Stadium watching, faces a long spell on the sidelines after an MRI scan revealed he has torn his cruciate in his right knee.
Palace: Speroni, Ward, Moxey, Gabbidon, Delaney, Dikgacoi, Jedinak (c), Garvan (Moritz 61), Williams (Bolasie 62), Zaha (O'Keefe 90), Wilbraham.
Subs Not Used: Price, Richards, Ramage, Phillips.
Attendance: 29,518 (1,962 Palace fans).
By Croydon Advertiser Sports Reporter Mark Ritson
TIA SHARP: After four days of harrowing evidence, Hazell says 'enough, I'm guilty'
First image of Aldi's plan for Coulsdon
TARA GREEN: Parenting isn't a competitive sport
IN THE ideal world, the job of parents is to raise their children in a safe, happy and loving environment, to accept the child they have and to raise them in a balanced and conscious way.
Like all human beings, your child has their own individual mix of likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, talents and difficulties. This is a really complex area and brings up the nature/nurture debate: were you born the person you are or were you made into the person you are by your upbringing and experiences?
What did your parents want you to be when you grew up? How did they communicate this to you and did you match up to what they wanted? I also wonder whether you found yourself pleasing them by becoming who they wanted you to be, or choosing a path based on your wants and needs?
For many (if not all) parents, these issues are further complicated by the comparisons that they make between their own children and other people's children.
Parents note the age at which other people's children first roll, sit-up and walk. We observe, discuss and compare our children to their peers all the time. This is one of the ways that we check the effectiveness of our parenting but it is also one of the ways in which we introduce the element of competition into it.
Many people feel good when they feel equal to, or better, than others and feel bad when they find themselves or their children to be 'lacking' in some way.
But how can we feel superior or inferior when we compare the achievements and milestones of our children to others?
We are not comparing like with like. Even your own children differ markedly from one another. For example, there is a range of six months in the ages at which my three daughters learnt to walk, and two years' difference in the ages at which they learnt to ride a bike without stabilisers.
Children already compete with each other and compare themselves to their peers. Teachers may call the maths or spelling sets in their class after colours or topic words but you can be sure that your child has a clear picture of who is in the top, middle or bottom ability groups.
Give yourself and your child a break from the level of comparison and competition that they are subjected to.
Parenting is not a competitive sport. The question is not "How does my child compare to other children?" There are many much more important questions to seek answers to.
Is your child happy? If not, how can you help them to be happier?
Do they have activities they enjoy and talents that they are developing? If not, what resources are available for you to help them find things that they love to do?
Are they able to make and keep friends and get on with people around them? If not, what social skills do they need support to learn? Do they know how to learn new skills and to bounce back from the inevitable failures and mistakes that occur during all learning experiences? If not, remind them of how a baby learns to walk; they fall over a great many times and try again when they are ready to.
Childhood is not just a preparatory phase of your child's life that they need to get through faster and better than everyone else.
This is their actual life, happening right now.
Addiscombe con artist falsely tells victims her son has been stabbed
A CON artist scammed an elderly couple in the middle of the night – by claiming her son had been stabbed and she needed money to go to hospital.
Margaret Broadbent, 68, and her husband Robin, 74, were fast asleep in their Addiscombe home when the doorbell rang.
Mrs Broadbent, of Hithbarrow Road, explained: "She was a young mixed-race girl, about 30, and she kept ringing the bell and knocking until we answered at 2am; we were very sleepy and shocked.
"She asked us to drive her to King's College Hospital [in Camberwell] as her son had been stabbed and she was on her own with young children. We were unable to drive as we had been out for a meal with friends and had drunk some wine.
"She persisted and asked for help so we told her to go to an ATM for cab money, but she said she couldn't. In our sleepy state we gave her £40 and she said she would return in the morning with our cash to collect a broken watch she left for us."
However, the woman did not return and the couple decided they had to contact the police, for fear of her conning other residents.
Mrs Broadbent, who was targeted on April 24, said: "We reported her to the police the next day, who knew of her and asked us to warn local people. We hope our story can keep folk safe from theft and possible intruders.
"It was a very shocking thing to have happened, and we were so sleepy and disorientated it was very easy for her to get money off us.
"People around the area need to know and make sure they don't succumb to this scam as we did, as it's obvious she is targeting lots of people in the area."
Sergeant John Nunn, from Ashburton Safer Neighbourhood Team, is now warning local residents about the woman, who has been committing the doorstep scam in the Woodside, Addiscombe, and Ashburton areas.
He said: "The woman has been knocking at apparently random addresses late at night, or in the early hours of the morning, banging and shouting hysterically.
"She then claims that a family member has been taken to hospital, and she needs to get there. She usually states that she has a number of children, and they all need to get to hospital.
"The woman has been offered lifts and declined, saying she needs to get a taxi. Residents have deceived by this story and given her money for a taxi.
"This whole story is a scam. Residents are advised to call 999 should anyone knock on their door with a similar story, at any time of day, and not to hand over any money. "
If you have been the victim of a similar scam, e-mail Ashburton.SNT@met.police.uk or call police on 101.
Kenley man turns his shed into a railway shrine
A TRAIN enthusiast hopes he is on track for an award after turning his shed into a railway signal box.
Christopher Parker, of Valley Road, Kenley, started tinkering with his shed when he moved into his current house five years ago.
What began as a hobby quickly spiralled out of control and Christopher just cannot stop adding bits and pieces to his second home.
Now the 30-year-old is hoping his shrine to all things railway will land him the national Shed of the Year award.
Christopher, a caretaker at Riddlesdown Collegiate, said: "It became a little bit of an obsession.
"We live near Kenley station and I've always been a train fanatic, so I thought I could use that as my theme when I was decorating it.
"It looks like a fully blown signal box now."
Despite the shed's impressive appearance, Christopher's wife Michelle does not share the same passion for his creation. "She will have a go if I'm out there too much," he said.
The prize for Shed of the Year 2013, sponsored by Cuprinol, is £1,000 and public voting closes at midnight on May 31.
Vote for the Kenley Signal Box at www.readersheds.co.uk
Furniture Village opens its biggest UK store in Croydon
CROYDON'S reputation as a major retail centre has been given a massive vote of confidence by a national furniture chain.
Furniture Village's new store on Purley Way opened last Thursday and, at 36,000 sq ft, it is the largest of its 39 outlets across the country.
Company founder and chief executive Peter Harrison sees Croydon as his firm's flagship store, describing Purley Way as "the Oxford Street" of retail parks.
Furniture Village, which is the UK's largest independent furniture retailer, has had a store in Croydon for 20 years.
And Mr Harrison makes it clear that moving to the former Comet premises opposite Sainsbury's indicates just how much faith he has in the town and his belief that Croydon is very much a business growth area. He is no stranger to the town, living relatively nearby in Chipstead and having worked for Allders department store for 20 years before starting out on his own.
Mr Harrison said: "The town centre has suffered recently and it was heartbreaking when Allders closed."
But he believes the Westfield/Hammerson plans to revitalise the centre and rebuild the Whitgift Centre will help re-establish its reputation as a prime retail venue.
He said: "Allders may have shut but the people haven't, they are still here and they want to buy nice things."
That, he said, would only be good for the already thriving Purley Way area.
Mr Harrison said: "To me, Purley Way is the Oxford Street of retail warehousing. There is a great selection of big name stores such PC World, John Lewis and IKEA and people like that. It is a really vibrant area and I anticipate a long and exciting presence for Furniture Village in the area."
He added: "We are in a prime location close to a tram stop which many people are using and although we started trading officially last week, we have been open unofficially for a while and we are already doing very well."
Furniture Village moves into the new premises from its former site on the Fiveways Retail Park.
The new home has undergone a 12-week renovation, replacing the front elevation with a glazed shop front and extending the existing mezzanine to provide additional showroom space. The store has two levels to house its range of sofas, dining tables, beds and garden furniture.
Croydon binmen set to go on strike
CROYDON binmen will be out to cause "maximum disruption" if they decide to go on strike this summer, a union official has warned.
Between 60 and 70 refuse collectors will be balloted over strike action within the next month, after what the Unite union has described as a breakdown in negotiations over pay. Croydon staff have been offered a wage rise of 1.75 per cent.
A similar vote will be held in neighbouring Bromley, where Veolia Environmental Services also has the refuse collection contract.
The union says any action will be coordinated across both boroughs to make sure that any strikes take place on the same days – ensuring Veolia cannot move staff from one borough to the other to cover for those not working.
Onay Kasab, Unite's regional officer, said members would be balloted on whether they were prepared to take strike action.
Details on any action will not be decided until after results are known, but Mr Kasab told the Advertiser: "The minimum length of action is likely to be three days, if not longer.
"We will be looking to cause the maximum disruption and at what action is going to be the most effective."
He described the offers of 1.75 per cent in Croydon and two per cent in Bromley as "an insult".
Mr Kasab said: "Inflation is running at 3.3 per cent so this would effectively be a pay cut.
"Utility bills, food and travel are all getting more expensive. Yet we are told that this is the price workers must pay for an economic mess we did not cause.
"The last thing we want is our workers set against the public but every worker should be entitled to a wage that meets the cost of living."
A Veolia spokesman said: "We have a long and proud history of working in Croydon and Bromley and have always negotiated and settled amicably with the union on pay issues.
"Having offered two per cent in Bromley and about to do the same in Croydon, it is disappointing that the union has chosen to go to ballot straight away without completing negotiations with us."
Councillor Phil Thomas, Croydon's cabinet member for highways and environmental services, said the council would be monitoring the situation closely but negotiations were a matter for the contractor and their staff.
He added: "We are fairly confident that a settlement will be reached."
VIDEOS: The evidence that helped to convict Tia Sharp's killer Stuart Hazell
CCTV of Hazell in a Merton off-licence, on the run from police, after Tia's body was discovered on August 10.
CCTV showing Hazell and Tia shopping at the Co-op, in Forestdale, hours before she was killed.Hazell and Tia on the same day, walking past a Forestdale chip shopStuart Hazell's police interview
Brighton 0 Crystal Palace 2, in pictures
Croydon Travel Update: May 14
Ten immigration arrests following raids on London Road shops
LIVE: Stuart Hazell to be sentenced for murder of Tia Sharp
Read the full story of yesterday's dramatic proceedings here.
Watch the evidence which helped convict Hazell here.
Police explain why it took five searches of the house to find Tia's body.