EP. 343 | Joel Ward: The Untold Story Behind Palace’s FA Cup Win & What Really Happens When You're Released
That Peter Crouch Podcast
Tall or Nothing
4.4 • 2.5K Ratings
🗓️ 15 October 2025
⏱️ 80 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On this week’s episode of That Peter Crouch Podcast, Pete, Chris, and Sids are joined by free agent and Crystal Palace legend Joel Ward. From lifting the FA Cup to living in a Bible college, Joel dives deep into the highs, lows, and surprises of his footballing journey.
The lads chat about Ward’s free agent life, what it’s really like being on the sidelines after a long stint at a club, and how he's mentoring the next generation at Palace. They also get stuck into proper dressing room stories, the real power of player faith groups, and one of the most intense atmospheres in football — Fratton Park on a European night.
Oh, and things take a serious left turn into 18-hour brisket smoking sessions and barbecuing like a pro. Is Joel Ward the best footballing pitmaster in the country? You'll have to listen to find out.
Chumbawamba
00:00:00 – Episode opens: remote setup and Ibiza hangover chat
00:02:14 – Sids explains how bad weather justified a heavier night out
00:03:08 – McDonald's recovery mode: international break confessions
00:04:34 – “Three nights in a row is heavy at this age” – big night consequences
00:06:10 – Fantasy football standings update: Sid storming into the lead
00:07:09 – Cheating Chris out of points?
00:10:17 – Ange & Forest: “It’s not going to end well”
00:12:54 – Arsenal's mental hurdle: “They have to win a league title NOW”
00:19:11 – Crouch’s bet builder: Mo Salah to score first
00:25:11 – Steve Bruce story: “His dad asked, ‘How do you stand in that box?’”
00:30:53 – Joel Ward joins the pod
00:31:15 – Life as a free agent and staying fit at Palace
00:33:13 – Winning the FA Cup: “You couldn’t write it”
00:34:46 – “I knew we were going to win” – the surreal moment before victory
00:35:48 – What it meant for lifelong Palace fans
00:36:03 – How the team mentally prepared for a once-in-a-lifetime shot
00:38:17 – Why the Palace system works, even without stars
00:40:01 – Ward on changing roles and mentoring at Palace
00:42:34 – Coaching, faith, and media aspirations
00:43:24 – Growing up in a Bible college with 30+ residents
00:45:42 – Faith in football: pre-game prayers and support groups
00:49:04 – WhatsApp groups with Eze, Trent, and other believers
00:52:00 – Coming through the ranks at Portsmouth
01:00:00 – Facing AC Milan: “I saw Maldini in the tunnel”
01:04:09 – The great football BBQ debate begins
Follow our Clips page https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLNBLB3xr3LyiyAkhZEtiAA
For more Peter Crouch:
Twitter - https://twitter.com/petercrouch
Therapy Crouch - https://www.youtube.com/@thetherapycrouch
For more Chris Stark
Twitter - https://twitter.com/Chris_Stark
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chrisstark/
For more Steve Sidwell
Twitter - https://twitter.com/sjsidwell
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/stevesidwell14
#PeterCrouch #ThatPeterCrouchPodcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | This podcast is part of the ACAST Creator Network. |
| 0:04.5 | Today's episode is brought you by and the award goes to. |
| 0:07.6 | It's a new podcast where each week Joel Dumbet. |
| 0:09.8 | Invites a guest on to host their very own awards |
| 0:12.5 | handing out five awards across five categories that have just been made just for them. |
| 0:17.6 | And there's a reason she's tuning this week because I'm on it. |
| 0:20.2 | So hang on, can I get this right? So another podcast is supporting this podcast. That's what our podcast is brought by another podcast. Yeah. That's great. I haven't really thought with that. Yeah. I love Joel Domit. It's the way the role's going. He is good. And we, we had a laugh doing this, I have to say. It is funny. So basically I had to put my favourites, lads, right? And I remember it's like the go-to curry order was one of them. Best celebration of all time. What would you go for that? Best celebration of all time. Oh, that's tough. Well, Babetto was up there. You're 96. Yeah. The dentist chair was good. |
| 0:54.7 | Yep. |
| 0:55.4 | Dentist chair. You know, well, you'll have to tune in, but. Can I guess? Yeah. I think you're quite a classic guy with some things. I think even like the Eric Cantanar just sort of looking around like beer. That is good. That is good. Mike. Yeah. Well, tune in, Chris. what's the podcast called Peter |
| 1:10.9 | So that's the |
| 1:11.7 | And the award goes to |
| 1:12.8 | It's presented by August |
| 1:13.8 | It's available on all might be yeah well tune in chris what's the podcast called peter so that's the uh and the award goes to |
| 1:12.8 | it's presented by august it's available on all podcast apps instagram tictock and youtube uh enjoy the episode |
| 1:18.9 | this episode is sponsored by tilda rice the uk's number one rice brand i'll be honest cooking rice |
| 1:26.0 | has never been my strong suit although i do very much enjoy rice back in my playing days, rice is a big part of my nutrition plan. If I wanted to get through 90 minutes, I need the carbs, even if I had no clue how to cook them properly. These days, cooking for the family is less about fueling for match day and more about fueling for everyday life. What I didn't realise back then is rice can actually improve with age, like a fine wine, |
| 1:47.4 | or me, for instance. |
| 1:48.8 | Till their age, their basmati rice for up to 18 months, which is why it always cooks up |
| 1:53.6 | light, fluffy and separate, not wielding to the pan like some of my past attempts. |
| 1:59.0 | And if time's tight, the ready-to-heat-heapouches are done in just |
| 2:01.5 | two minutes. Perfect when abs is out and I'm in charge of dinner, which usually means hungry |
| 2:05.8 | children hovering like it's extra time. Tilda have been perfecting their process for over 50 years, |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Tall or Nothing, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Tall or Nothing and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.