Christantus Uche led the full-time celebrations. Indulging in not one round of punching the air in front of the travelling Crystal Palace supporters, not two, but three as he stood ahead of his teammates and wheeled around in enjoyment. There have been times this season when he though this kind of adulation would never come.
The forward had scored one and played a significant role in the second of three goals as Palace eased past Shelbourne in the UEFA Conference League. A chance at last, and one he made sure he took. His first start and his first goal. Not a bad evening’s work.
And the Palace fans clearly enjoyed it. By full-time the entire away end was bouncing around to a song in his honour. “Uche-e-e-e, Uche-e-e-e” they sang, to the tune of the 1993 single “Whoomp! There It Is” by American band Tag Team.
Until now, there has been little reason to consider Uche worthy of his own song. His contribution since joining Crystal Palace has been to largely warm the substitutes’ bench, with the occasional appearance for the U21s.
There have been some catchy songs on this European journey for Palace, with Yeremy Pino’s a stand out. But there has also been some rationale behind them. This one had none, other than that its simplicity.
A generous interpretation would suggest that it was one of encouragement, given how much that has been lacking until now for a player almost ostracised since arriving on a season-long loan from Spanish side Getafe. Time after time, manager Oliver Glasner has failed to back Uche publicly. There has been no direct criticism, but the message has been clear: Uche’s lack of minutes is largely because he has not offered enough in training and, when there might have been an opportunity, he was not the right profile.
For these reasons chances have been few and far between. But there was a some hope in a brief appearance from the bench in Palace’s 2-1 win over Fulham. He put himself about, showed willingness and caused problems with his directness. That, Glasner said after the Shelbourne win, was why he was handed a start in Ireland.
His technical attributes are less developed than his physical capabilities but, given he is only 22, they may develop with time. In his career there has been uncertainty over his best position: centre-midfield, No 10 or striker. Glasner clearly sees him as a No 10.
For months, Glasner has laid out the conditions which players must meet in order to be considered for selection. Applying themselves in the brief training sessions and appearances from the bench were pre-requisites. There would never be any “gifts” and he would not play anyone for the sake of it. But when it came to it, Jean-Philippe Mateta’s knee injury and Ismaila Sarr’s continued absence with a hamstring issue meant there was little choice. Uche would have to play against Shelbourne.
Uche led the line well as the striker but there were also some signs of rustiness and frustration, including missing a huge chance late on (even if it would have been ruled out for offside). This was against a team of significantly lower quality than he can expect to face in future, but so were some of his first appearances at Getafe. In any case, he was tasked with making a contribution and he did so. No one could reasonably have asked for much more than this. There was little defensive work to be done but he showed a desire to make challenges and win the ball back.
Christantus Uche might even have scored a second late in the game (Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)
The task now is for him to build on this showing, to take confidence from it, regardless of the level of opposition, and apply it to those chances he may be offered in the coming weeks. Do that and the tone will be very different from his manager and Palace will have another attacking option when they need it.
“I trust everyone completely,” Glasner said post-match. “But they have to deserve it, the players have to show up in training and to show up in the minutes they have. He showed up at Fulham and that is why he got the reward because he showed everyone in the team he is able to help us with this attitude.
“It’s up to him,“ he said about Uche’s prospects of more appearances. ”One swallow doesn’t make a summer. It was one swallow and nice to see but a few more have to follow then it will be summer.
“There are small details that are important to play for us (and he did them). It was a step in the right direction.”
Cut from Nigeria’s squad for the Africa Cup of Nations which starts later this month, there is a chance to use that disappointment to fuel a resurgence. If not with his country then at least at domestic level, he has now given himself a lifeline.
Glasner, though, is a demanding, unforgiving manager and he is not getting carried away. This must not be a one-off.