Jonny Williams was the great hope for Palace, but as Bryan Davies says, sometimes it just doesn't work out like that.

Farewell sweet prince. We barely knew ye. Losing one of your own is always keenly felt, and the reaction to Jonny Williams leaving for pastures new has been marked - particularly when you consider he only made 30 senior starts in eight-and-a-half years in red and blue.

Williams’ Palace story was one of hopes and dreams and frustrated hopes and dashed dreams; an unjust tale of unfulfilled promise and a seemingly endless cycle of bad breaks, both literal and metaphorical.

There had been whispers of a prodigious, waspish talent with exemplary technique rising through the academy - remember the video of his mazy dribble against Arsenal?

Elevated by Dougie Freedman, he was electric, and all the noise seemed justified, especially once he had bossed midfield in a famous 3-1 win at the Amex. 

A few weeks later he broke his leg playing for Wales under-21s on a shocker of a pitch in Armenia, and the die was cast.

Tales of injury-blighted careers are nothing new, but Williams’ litany of breaks and strains and pulls and tweaks always seemed particularly cruel, and it all adds up - those who have watched Sunderland ’Til I Die have been offered an insight into the physical and mental toll such a wretched run can have on a player.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but perhaps, when we considered Williams’ frame and style of play, we should have seen it coming - Championship midfields are unforgiving arenas.

It may have been on and off, stop and start, but there were still key contributions and fond memories made, notably the promotion season of 2012/13 where he started every match in the Play-Offs.

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Williams has been a key part of a cohort of young Welsh players promoted together through the age-group sides. In his first senior start in 2013 he was magnificent in direct opposition to Luka Modric, and he was a feature of Wales’ romantic journey to the semi-finals of Euro 2016.

Amongst all this there have been myriad loan spells of mixed success, but throughout it all it has been clear that Williams is held in the highest esteem by colleagues, coaches and fans alike, which speaks to his character and temperament. He wasn’t nicknamed Joniesta ironically - there was logic and love behind the moniker.

This is no footballing obituary, though: Williams is still only 25, and there is an opportunity for him to rebuild his career - many players have thrived having initially taken a step or two backwards. It’s impossible to know the state of his game right now, but the raw materials remain and - he says through gritted teeth - The Valley could be a good fit for him, as he should get ample opportunity to play and impress in a side looking for promotion. 

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Genuine fan-player connections are all too rare these days, which is why this departure is such a significant one. With a player like Williams, or Wilfried Zaha, or Harry Kane at Spurs, the association is deeper - it goes beyond salary or success or conventional footballing metrics. Williams’ exit interview showed explicitly just how much the club and its wider community has meant to him for the past 17 years.

Many like to tell us there’s no room for sentiment in football. That is bollocks, frankly, but the time was right - Williams needs and deserves regular football, and Palace simply could not provide him with that. The club are, slowly but surely, changing the way they recruit and build squads but - with significant investment in the academy forthcoming - there will always be a place for players like Williams to emerge. There has to be.

Palace left it late but managed to squeeze past League Two Grimsby thanks to Goal Machine Jordan Ayew. Here are some things we learned from that 1-0 win.

Thank The Jord

Jordan Ayew continued his cracking start to 2019 with another goal, making it two in two and a 100% record for the new year so far. The Ghanaian has taken a lot of flack since joining on loan in the summer and most of it warranted but it should be said over the festive period he seemed to up his game, even though the goals didn't come.

Then there was the game at Wolves in midweek where it almost semmed like Roy had told him he had one more chance to impressed and impressed he did with a crucial goal.

Against Grimsby he was sent on for the final 20 minutes to make a difference (not a scenario most Palace fans would have been happy with in mid November) but he did just that with a bullet header. It should also be said both goals so far this year have been very well-taken.

Maybe, just maybe, we are starting to see the Jordan Ayew that did so well at Swansea and maybe, just maybe, we were a bit quick to write him off.

LISTEN: FYP Podcast EXTRAAA - Jordan Ayew scores again

A Sør Point

In contrast, another Palace striker really is struggling at the moment and that is Alexander Sørloth. An FA Cup third round game against a fourth division team should have been the perfect chance for him to show what he can actually do but he missed two guilt edged chances in the first half and by the second half looked like he didn't want to be there.

Sørloth hasn't scored any in 16 games since joining a year ago from Denmark and on current form doesn't look likely to. And yes I know I literally said above that we may have written Ayew off a bit early but at least Ayew has experience of scoring goals in the Premier League. Sørloth does not.

The transfer window has opened and Roy hinted after the game that a loan to a lower league side to build some confidence may be what the young Norwegian needs.

READ MORE: Crystal Palace's In and Out List for the Transfer Window

Nothing To Ad-Meyer

Along with Sørloth it was a game to give some more fringe players a chance to impress, even though Roy did start with Andros and Wilf up top, the latter a particularly surprising inclusion and thank the Jord he didn't get injured.

And while the likes of Scott Dann and Martin Kelly were as solid as we've come to expect and Jairo Riedewald was ok I guess, one man who didn't take his chance was Max Meyer. The little German midfielder is uber talented but against a League Two side you'd have expected him to grab hold of the game and make things happen and he really didn't.

It still feels like we haven't quite seem the best of Meyer yet although it's fair to say he hasn't been given many chances in his preferred position but let's be honest; what is that position? I'm still not sure.

READ MORE: Jason Puncheon: One of our Own and One of Palace's Most Important Players Ever

A Win is a Win

Despite all that, Palace are into the hat for the next round and that's two wins from two in 2019. Added to those seven points over Christmas from wins over Leicester and Man City it's been a decent month or so for Roy and Palace.

A win is a win especially when you are in that middle to bottom third of the Premier League and a cup victory at the start of the year certainly helps add to some positivity about the place.

Put it this way, imagine the meltdown if we'd have lost or drawn on Saturday?

Oh Jonny, Jonny...

It was fitting that as one of the songs for Jonny William rang around Selhurst Park for what might be the last time during the FA Cup match against Grimsby Town, the match itself cried out for the Jonny Williams of old to take the game by the scruff of the neck, drive forward from midfield and either set up or score the goal that the match so badly needed. 

It has been a very poignant January for Palace supporters already and we have not even reached the end of the first week of the transfer window. There has been plenty of social media comment (and Naveed Khan’s excellent piece on this very website) already about Jason Puncheon’s departure to Huddersfield Town and there is no denying that Jason will always be remembered as one of the key players in our longest ever stint in the top flight.

I don’t think anyone could dispute that without him we would not have had the success we have had since 2013. For that, and for being Croydon born and bred, he will, in my, opinion, fall into the category of Palace legend. 

Jonny Williams is a much different story. One which has a sad ending from a Palace perspective, but which equally has every Palace supporter sincerely hoping it will ultimately have a happy ending even if it is with another club- even Charlton! 

I, like a lot of Palace supporters, remember well when Jonny came into the first team in Dougie Freedman’s first (and only) full season as Palace manager. He was young, tiny, with a mop full of blond hair, a ready smile and clearly had bags of natural talent and skill on the ball. It was no fluke that his nickname was 'Joniesta.'

In addition he was utterly fearless, which sadly has been part of his undoing to date. I remember very clearly his tackle on Papa Bouba Diop, i.e., the Wardrobe, of West Ham in our home match, which ended up with Diop falling on top of Williams. I was genuinely afraid that Williams would be squashed like a fly having an iron land on top it! Up he bounced like nothing had happened and that, to me, summed up Williams. 

For the remainder of that season and our promotion season Jonny was dogged by injuries but remained fit enough to have a positive and significant impact on both seasons. One of my other abiding memories is Jonny parading around the Wembley pitch holding aloft the Play Off Winners trophy- the blond hair and that grin clear to see even from the stands.

Unfortunately the tale of Jonny Williams takes a darker turn after that wonderful high point. Limited opportunities in the Premier League, a succession of loan spells and worst of all countless injuries has meant the past few years have not been happy ones for Jonny’s career. There have been moments of light- his first stint with Ipswich in 2014-15 was a great success and I know of Ipswich supporters who were desperate for him to switch permanently after that first spell.

His performances for Wales during Euro 2016 including coming off the bench in their round of 16 victory over Northern Ireland showed the talent and ability was still there. 

The rest of the time Jonny was either injured, on the bench or on less successful loans to a succession of Championship clubs. As the years passed the blond mop disappeared and the ready smile faded as the years of struggle took their toll. Many Palace supporters will have watched the clip of Jonny on the recent Sunderland TIl I Die documentary talking honestly about his difficulties.

It takes a lot of courage to be prepared to allow anyone, let alone, potentially millions of people watch you explain why life is not going as well as one had hoped. I certainly hope that same courage will help Jonny turn around his career to fulfill his clear potential. 

Ironically Jonny’s remaining injury free to date this season seems to be the catalyst for his permanent move away from Palace.  Despite his availability he has not featured at all this season, other than the EFL Cup match against Swansea and it is therefore clear that he needs a fresh start.

The interview on the Palace TV with Jonny was painful viewing for me -- once again he was so honest and it was plain to see how hard it is for him to leave the club, even though he knows it is the right thing for his career. I felt like he was close to tears during the interview and to be honest I was as well just watching it. 

I would hope that every Palace supporter would join me in wishing Jonny all the success he could possibly have in the future. It is the least he deserves. I would even go so far to say that if that success means that one day he scores against us (provided he does not celebrate it and it does not relegate us!) I would not mind that much. 

Jason Puncheon has joined Huddersfield on loan until the end of the season. We may have seen the last of him in a red and blue shirt so Nav Khan looks back at one of Palace's most important signings ever.

When he joined on-loan from Southampton the summer of 2013, not many would have anticipated that Jason Puncheon would become so instrumental in arguably Palace’s most successful spell. His contribution since has shown positional and mental versatility which has been key in the success the team has had over the last five and a half years.

Under Ian Holloway, in an often-disjointed team playing as either one of a central midfield three or wide in a front three, he found it hard to make his mark – though it was clear that ball retention was skill he possessed.

Punch’s first impact came under Tony Pulis, forming an excellent partnership on the right with Adrian Mariapaa. He showed his ability to overcome adversity – recovering from a horrific penalty at White Hart Lane to score crucial goals en route to securing our survival; a brace away at Cardiff being the icing on the cake.

His loan was made permanent half-way through that season; either by design or necessity to free up a loan spot for Tom Ince, either way, he was going to show us this was not a one-off.

The following season, after being in and out of the side under Neil Warnock, he became central to Alan Pardew’s attacking play. He started the Pardew era by scoring the winner against Spurs in the manager’s first game – a crucial goal to kick-start Palace’s surge up the league.

READ MORE: This video of Jason Puncheon goals will make you love him even more

Used as a number 10, he was again vital in our survival against the odds, bringing players around him like Yannick Bolasie, Wilfried Zaha and Glenn Murray to life. Aside from his playmaking ability, he was effective at taking free-kicks in this period, scoring against both Manchester clubs and at Anfield. 

In the third season, he was not impactful in the final third through being deployed largely in a deeper lying role. While he was perhaps less visibly effective, the data showed him to be performing along the lines of a competent deep lying playmaker in the Premier League. It was the fans who took time to appreciate his work in that role. 

Despite this, the key images of 2015/16 feature Jason Puncheon. First, his beautiful goal against Norwich helped halt a dramatic slide down the league from 5th to a relegation battle. As Doc Brown asked “what players you got that score and then cry?” – we had Puncheon. It wasn’t the last time that season either.

Scoring in the FA Cup final after bizarrely being excluded from the starting line-up, he gave every Palace fan a feeling so rare to us; an emotion so raw, a hope so real, the FA Cup in touching distance. Our memories of that day end on 78 minutes as Bolasie stops him from getting his message to the bench. Puncheon’s face of emotional joy – the icon of that year.

The team faced many challenges in 2016/17; Pardew’s transition, using Puncheon with Yohan Cabaye but without a shield, dropping Zaha and using Bakary Sako and so on. It was apparent that Punch’s influence on the pitch was on the decline. That was until Sam Allardyce came to fix the mess Pardew had left – put a Luka Milivojević shaped shield behind Cabaye and Puncheon and made him our captain. His influence on games and carrying out the manager’s instructions grew – Jason again found himself at the forefront of Palace’s escape from relegation.

LISTEN: Jason Puncheon on the FYP Podcast

He has not featured much since Roy Hodgson took over, a clash of styles and an injury which kept him out for six months combining to limit him to game closing cameos. His decline in terms of age may be premature, but in terms of miles on clock, a rise through the leagues, it is probably about right. A move away will give him, perhaps, the fresh impetus to kick on for another season at this level.

He has made a massive contribution to Crystal Palace. He is a key reason for why we are in our record breaking top flight stretch. He has nothing left to prove here as a player. In an era of cult heroes being conflated with legends, it is important to make the distinction. Jason Puncheon is a Crystal Palace legend. On the pitch as a player, and as a representative of our club off it.

“The local boy, the boyhood Palace fan” – he is , ever. Good luck, Punch. And thank you.